{"id":361773,"date":"2026-04-29T18:39:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T13:09:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=361773"},"modified":"2026-04-29T18:39:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T13:09:16","slug":"virli-khandar-excavation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/virli-khandar-excavation\/","title":{"rendered":"Virli Khandar Excavation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>News<\/strong>: Recent excavation at a megalithic site in Virli Khandar has revealed distinctive burial architecture, rare artefacts and unusual pottery arrangements in Vidarbha.<\/p>\n<h2>About Virli Khandar Excavation<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_361810\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-361810\" style=\"width: 452px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-361810\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Spurce-IE.jpg?resize=452%2C259&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Virli Khandar Excavation\" width=\"452\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Spurce-IE.jpg?resize=300%2C172&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Spurce-IE.jpg?resize=1024%2C586&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Spurce-IE.jpg?resize=768%2C440&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Spurce-IE.jpg?w=1516&amp;ssl=1 1516w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-361810\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source &#8211; IE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>It is an ongoing excavation at a <strong>megalithic burial site in Virli Khandar<\/strong> that is revealing important details about <strong>ancient funerary practices<\/strong> and cultural <strong>patterns<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Location<\/strong>: The site is <strong>located in Pauni tehsil of Bhandara district in Maharashtra.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Period<\/strong>: Preliminary observations <strong>suggest a timeline of around 500 BCE (about 2,500 years ago),<\/strong> while <strong>radiocarbon dating indicates a broader range from 1000 BCE to 300 CE.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Key Findings:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Distinct Burial Patterns:<\/strong> The site shows a <strong>composite megalithic structure<\/strong> with <strong>stone circles and menhirs<\/strong>, unlike nearby <strong>dolmen burial<\/strong> sites such as <strong>Pimpalgaon Nipani and Tirota Kheri<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Documented Burials:<\/strong> Researchers have recorded <strong>69 megalithic burials<\/strong>, out of which four are selected for excavation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Significant Artefacts:<\/strong> Important finds include <strong>copper necklace, iron tools (axes, chisels, ladles, arrowheads), etched carnelian beads, a gold earring, and bone remains.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Unique Pottery Arrangement:<\/strong> Nearly <strong>50 pots<\/strong> were arranged systematically in <strong>inverted position<\/strong>, with larger bowls covered by smaller ones.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Soil Engineering:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>pots<\/strong> were placed over a <strong>layer of black cotton soil<\/strong> above the natural <strong>lateritic (murum) base<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The sticky nature of this soil helped to stabilise the vessels.<\/li>\n<li>It kept the pots largely in position despite breakage caused by the weight of the overlying soil.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Unusual Practice:<\/strong> Almost all pots were <strong>placed upside down<\/strong>, and the reason is still under study.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Significance<\/strong>: The findings provide fresh insights into megalithic culture and funerary practices in the Vidarbha region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>About Menhirs<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Definition<\/strong>: A menhir is a <strong>large, man-made upright stone<\/strong>, usually tapered at the top and <strong>erected as a monument<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Occurrence<\/strong>: Menhirs can be <strong>found individually<\/strong> or as part of larger megalithic <strong>complexes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Uses<\/strong>: Menhirs are intentionally <strong>erected by humans as monumental landmarks<\/strong>, often associated with burial or megalithic structures.<\/li>\n<li>Examples: The <strong>Grand Menhir Bris\u00e9 in France<\/strong> (20.6 m) and Mudumal <strong>Megalithic Menhirs in Telangana<\/strong>, on <strong>UNESCO\u2019s tentative World Heritage list<\/strong>, are notable examples.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News: Recent excavation at a megalithic site in Virli Khandar has revealed distinctive burial architecture, rare artefacts and unusual pottery arrangements in Vidarbha. About Virli Khandar Excavation It is an ongoing excavation at a megalithic burial site in Virli Khandar that is revealing important details about ancient funerary practices and cultural patterns. Location: The site&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/virli-khandar-excavation\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Virli Khandar Excavation<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1566,11212,12039,11211],"tags":[11872],"class_list":["post-361773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-factly-articles","category-history-and-art-culture-in-news","category-knolls","category-places-in-news","tag-9pm-daily-factly","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361773\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}