Stonehenge, prehistoric monument in United Kingdom, attracts seven lakh tourists from all over the world annually. Another such prehistoric site Machu Picchu in Peru in South America draws three lakh tourists. Millions of dollars are generated from these two sites.
But not a soul visits our own prehistoric monuments abounding a cluster of hillocks of Pandavulametta, Sangamayya Konda and Sailada though located just about 14 km from the district headquarters of Srikakulam barring of course K. Venkateswara Rao, freelance archaeologist, who frequently travels to the place to see that they are in tact.
Pandavulametta is no less historically significant as Stonehenge, Machu Picchu and Biskupin in Poland. It has all the prehistoric architectural features like post hole foundations on rocky surface for erecting wooden shelters, a huge dolmen and sacred worshipping place, all reflecting culture of prehistoric era dating back to 1000 - 300 BC.
“The only problem is Pandavulametta and other prehistoric sites have never been aggressively promoted as world tourism spots. Though neglected these monuments are in reasonably good shape, basically because not many people know their existence. All of them lack basic infrastructure facilities even pathway to reach them”, says Mr. Rao who has submitted a concept paper to top officials of the Tourism Department, on the eve of World Tourism day.
Like Stonehenge, which is variedly believed by archaeologists as a sun worshipping place, a prehistoric observatory and even as place of healing, Pandavulametta too is seen as sacred worshipping place. Much like UK’s famed monument, there is a horse shoe shaped post hole circle and scooped floors inside the wooden shelter which could have been a place for cult worship and community gathering, says Mr. Rao.
In Biskupin in Poland, an entire iron age settlement was re-built with wooden structures based on the post hole foundations, turning it an attractive tourism spot. Several such post hole patches are still there on Pandavulametta and if similar wooden structure is re-built, Mr. Rao is sure that it will attract many international scholars and tourists.
All these hillocks are having remnants of prehistoric structures like dolmen, menhir, cave, caverns and cisterns. The most distinct of them is the big dolmen chamber erected on the northern slopes of the Pandavulametta hillock. Legends abound and local villagers call it Pandavula Illu (house) and believe that Pandava brothers stayed there and Bhima, one of them, had built these rock structures and lifted the huge cap stone with one hand and kept on the top of the dolmen! But for archaeologists dolmen used to be megalith burial chamber meant for funeral rites.
