Megalithic Astronomy in south India

Huge stone monuments several meter size spread over an area of several tens of square meters can be found in different parts of India but a large concentration of them can be found in south India. They are dated to a period between 1500 BC and 200 AD. They are broadly categorized into sepulchral (related to the dead) and non-sepulchral. Though they have been documented since early nineteenth century, much needs to be understood about their science and engineering especially their relation to astronomy. We take a brief look at the archaeological understanding of megaliths, before taking a detailed assessment of a group of megaliths (in the south Canara region of Karnataka) that were hitherto assumed to be haphazard clusters of menhirs. Our survey has indicated that they are certainly aligned to solstices and probably have other astronomical correlations. We identify 5 such monuments in the region and present the survey results for two of the sites, demonstrating the astronomical implications. We also discuss the possible use of the megaliths as calendar devices.