KOPPAL
Development plans are underway at Hirebenakal, a 3,000-year-old megalithic site in Gangavathi taluk, aiming to secure UNESCO World Heritage status. Located 40 km from Koppal district headquarters, the site requires a 10 km uphill trek to reach. Protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Hampi Circle, Hirebenakal sits atop a castellated granite hillock, accessible from 3 km southeast of the village.
British officer Philip Meadows Taylor first discovered the monuments in 1835 while serving the Nizam of Hyderabad and introduced the site internationally through the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society. Locally called ‘Morera houses,’ these stone structures, covering over 20 hectares, are believed to be memorials for the deceased. Some theories suggest Stone Age dwarfs inhabited these formations.
A large nearby pond points to Neolithic Age farmers as former inhabitants. The site, currently on UNESCO’s tentative World Heritage list, houses the second-largest collection of rock monuments in India after Madhya Pradesh’s cave paintings. Termed ‘Rock monuments of early man,’ it includes around 500 well-preserved tombs.
Hirebenakal also features ancient rock art depicting dancing, hunting, and armed figures, alongside geometric patterns and mystical designs of deer, peacocks, humped bulls, horses, and cows. Upgrading and preserving this site will boost cultural studies and promote heritage tourism.
“If properly excavated, more important findings can emerge from this site,” says Dr. Sharanabasappa Kolkar, historian from Gangavathi. A notable feature is a hemispherical kettledrum stone, measuring 2.2m in diameter and 1.5m in radial height, perched atop a 10m high monolithic boulder. When struck with stone or wooden tools, it produces musical sounds audible over 1 km away.