In a major fi🦹nding for archaeologists in India unique ancient terracotta figurines in different stages of preservation, with bone and iron pieces, have been found at Mudu Konaje near Moodbidri in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.
The terracotta figuriಞnes found at Mudu Konaje in a megalithic context are a rare find of India.
In a major fi🦹nding for archaeologists in India unique ancient terracotta figurines in different stages of preservation, with bone and iron pieces, have been found at Mudu Konaje near Moodbidri in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.
The figurines can be dated back to 800-700 BCE, said T Murugeshi, Retired Associate Professor at Department of Ancient History and Archaeology ꦗat Mulki Sunder Ram Shetty college, Shirva in Udupi district, PTI report said.
It said of the eight figurines found, there are those representing two bovines, one mother goddess, tw𓂃o peacocks, a horse, a hand of a mother goddess and an unknown object.
Murug൲eshi, who was involved in the explorations, said in a release here that the♎ megalithic site at Mudu Konaje was discovered and reported by historian and researcher Pundikai Ganapayya Bhat in the 1980s, it said.
💦The site is located on the Moodbidri-Shirthady road, about 8 km from Moo🔜dbidri.
Iဣt is the biggest megalithic dolmen site which consisted of nine dolmens on the slope of a sꦉtone hill, it said.
But only two dolmens are intact and the rest of the burials are ru🐠ined, he was quoted as havi🤡ng said.
“Megalithic culture is known by its different🉐 types of burials and use of iron in India. Dolmen is one among them. Under a dolmen, huge stone slabs known as orthostats were erected in clockwise order, which created a square room. This square chamber was closed by another huge stone slab as a cap stone,” the report said.
The terracotta figurines found at Mu🥂du Konaje in a megalithic context are a rare find of 🌌India.
🌊They were found inside the suﷺrface of dolmens, which were disturbed by treasure hunters, it mentioned.
It added the bovines found in the dolmens help to determ♎ine the chronolog꧙y of the dolmens.
Terracottas found in the megalithic burial p𝄹rovide a solid ground for the study of the Bhoota cult or Daivaradhane of coastal Karnataka.
Cow bovine or cow goddess had its parallels in Malam🌌puzha meg👍alithic terracotta figurines of Kerala and Egypt, it said.