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Archaeologists in Telangana have found Iron Age megalithic sites, including various structures such as large stone monuments and places with rock paintings.
These discoveries provide important information about the ancient civilizations that once lived in the area.

Iron Age in India

India’s Iron Age ranged from approximately 1200 BCE to 200 BCE.
It was marked by the emergence of new archaeological cultures, including the megalithic cultures, Painted Grey Ware culture (1300–300 BCE), and the Northern Black Polished Ware (700–200 BCE).
This period corresponds to the transition from the Janapadas (principalities) of the Vedic period to the 16 Mahajanapadas (region-states) of the early historic period.
This transition culminated in the emergence of the Maurya Empire toward the end of the Iron Age.
Ironworking was prevalent in the Central Ganga Plain and the Eastern Vindhyas from the early second millennium BCE.
Sites:

North India: Malhar, Dadupur, Raja Nala Ka Tila, Lahuradewa, Kosambi and Jhusi, Allahabad in present-day Uttar Pradesh.
South India: Earliest Iron Age sites include Hallur in Karnataka and Adichanallur in Tamil Nadu, dating to around 1000 BCE. Mahurjhari near Nagpur was a significant site for bead manufacturing.

The Indian Iron Age ended coinciding with other significant events such as the decline of the Mauryan Empire and the spread of Buddhism.

The site boasts over 200 megalithic monuments, although the exact count remains uncertain due to the dense forest and hilly terrain.
They are characterized by squarish or rectangular shapes, the structures at Ooragutta exhibit unique features.

The newly discovered monuments, termed “Dolmenoid Cists,” feature side slabs arranged to mirror the shape of the cap-stone, resulting in each cist having a distinct shape dictated by the cap-stone.
These monuments are estimated to date back to around 1,000 BCE.

Two new rock art sites have been discovered at Damaratogu in Gundala mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district.
One of these sites, known as ‘Devarlabanda Mula‘, exclusively depicts animals and NO humans, in a rock painting.
It suggests a cultural significance possibly related to hunting or animal worship.
The absence of weapons or domestic animals in the paintings indicates that these artworks may belong to the Mesolithic age, dating anywhere between 8000 – 3000 BCE.

These monuments resemble to “Passage Chambers” found in Europe.
This discovery sheds light on previously unknown architectural styles in the region and offers insights into the evolution of megalithic practices.

[2021] Consider the following pairs:

(Historical place) (Well-known for)

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

(a) 1 only

(b) 1 and 2 only

(d) 2 and 3 only