The discovery of pre-historic tools in a limestone cave in Asifabad forest will further advance the understanding of human habitation in Telangana region, say historians.
“The cave was possibly inhabited. We discovered prehistoric tools including a hand-axe and a cleaver that can be dated to early paleo-lithic period years. The other cave of similar history in Telangana is in Bhupalpally district,” informed M. Srinivas, a historian who led the search team.
Located deep inside the Kawal Tiger Reserve, only a mud path that can be navigated by a four-wheeler drive from the mandal headquarter of Tiryani leads to the cave. The stalagmite inside the cave, known locally as Arjun Loddi, were being worshipped by Gond and Gordi tribes on celebratory occasions like harvest and other festivals.
“The cave sediment with volcanic ash as evidence shows that it dates back to 2,50,000 years. With the help of erosion cycle, we can surmise that the caves must have been formed during the middle pleistocene. They belong to the same period as the Kurnool caves,” said Venugopal Rao, a geologist who earlier worked with the Geological Survey of India.
While the Kurnool caves have been dated using fossil content including remnants of rhinoceros, no fossils have yet been discovered in the Arjun Loddi caves, according to researchers. “The cave is deep and only portions of it have been explored. At some places we had to crawl. We are hopeful of making more discoveries and add to information about Telangana,” said Mr. Srinivas.
