A team of Archaeology Department officials conducted a survey at the megalithic site situated on the campus of SR&BGNR Government Degree & PG College on Friday to explore the possibility of setting up an archaeological museum to showcase the antiquities and archaeological wealth.
The sprawling campus of the college consists of over 20 megaliths scattered randomly all over the complex. Several of the megaliths were in a damaged condition. A wide range of historical objects of immense archaeological significance including various kinds of pottery, iron objects and skeletal remains were discovered from the megalithic site on the campus during an excavation last year.
Ideal location
The archaeological excavation was carried out by a team of history students of the college under the aegis of Prof K P Rao of University of Hyderabad, who is now the Director of Archaeological Department, Andhra Pradesh. The visit of the Archaeology Department officials to the site assumed significance in the backdrop of the lack of an archaeological museum in the district. The vast megalithic site located on the campus of the college is a protected site, said K S B Keshava, Deputy Director (Museums), Archaeology Department, who headed the team.
Speaking to The Hindu , he said the site on the college campus was ideal for setting up a museum. It was centrally located and a protected site, he remarked. It has tremendous potential to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the district, he said, adding that a proposal would be sent to the authorities concerned for establishment of a museum here. A site museum could also be set up with the archaeological finds along with a main museum, he opined. The important archaeological remains of the megalithic era found at the site stands as a mute testimony to the glorious cultural heritage of Khammam and its hoary past, said S Madhava Rao, Principal, SR&BGNR Government College.
