Telangana’s Mudumal Megalithic Menhirs in UNESCO tentative list

The menhirs are one of the six sites from India added to the UNESCO's tentative list.

Hyderabad: The Mudumal Megalithic Mehirs or standing stones in Telangana’s Narayanpet district have entered the United Nations Education and Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO’s) tentative list of world heritage sites.

As of now, Telangana has only one UNESCO World Heritage Site – Ramappa temple added in 2021. According to a dossier, the Mudumal menhirs represent one of India’s most expansive and impeccably preserved megalithic astronomical observatory sites, showcasing an intricate and precise arrangement of boulder alignments, formations, and stone circles.

Within a central area, a concentration of two distinct types of menhirs further enhances the site’s uniqueness.

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The menhirs are one of the six sites in India that were added to UNESCO’s tentative list. Five other sites include Kanger Valley National Park in Chhattisgarh, Ashokan Edict Sites in multiple states, Chausath Yogini Temples in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, Gupta Temples in multiple states, and the Palace-Fortresses of the Bundelas in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

India’s permanent representative to UNESCO stated that inclusion in the WHC Tentative List is mandatory if a property is to be nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List in the future.

The central government submitted the dossier on the menhirs to the Unesco World Heritage Convention (WHC) on February 11. With these additions, India now has 62 sites on the tentative list.