I am happy to state that the Dept. of Archaeology & Museums, Govt. of A.P., is bringing out the Annual Reports for fourteen years in one comprehensive volume entitled "Andhra Pradesh Archaeology - A Review 1987-2001".
It is a regular feature of this Department to bring out an Annual Administrative Report incorporating the achievements and activities of the Department every year. In fact, this practice has originated during the H.E.H. the Nizam's Government in the year 1914-15 and continued upto 1940-41. Later, the publication of the Annual Reports resumed again in 1970-71 and continued upto 1986. Subsequently, for various reasons, the Dept. could not publish Annual Reports on the activities of the Dept. Hence, this volume is coming out after a gap of more than a decade.
During the last fourteen years, the Department has undertaken several activities in the field of excavation, epigraphy, museums, conservation and blications. The Dept. has also conducted surveys for archaeological remains in submersible areas of Srisailam and Polavaram Projects, and taken steps for transplantation of the temples from the submerged areas.
The Department has conducted exploratory surveys in remote villages and identified pre-historic sites, Neolithic and Megalithic sites besides a few early historic sites. The survey conducted at Galabhagutta and Gundala in Khammam district brought to light, for the first time, cruciform monoliths in association with dolomens in Godavari valley, which is worth mentioning. So for, this is the only site in south India where hundreds of cruciforms were noticed, depicting the male and female figures. Another interesting discovery is identification of the rock paintings near the megalithic burials at Enugugavi in Anantapur district.
Recently, the excavations conducted at Lingampally, in the premises of University of Hyderabad, a megalithic menhir site, brought to light a primary burial associated with iron objects and various types of pottery with decorative designs. The pottery found at this site has a close affinity with neolithic-chalcolithic cultures of south-India. Interestingly, the discovery of several microliths from red soil horizon found at Lingampally burial site takes back the date of human civilization in and around Hyderabad region to 10,000 B.C.
During the period, the Department has discovered several important Buddhist sites in north coastal Andhra Pradesh, viz. Thotlakonda and Pavurallakonda in Visakhapatnam district, Erravaram and Amalapuram in East Godavari district, Dantapuram in Srikakulam district and Penumaka in Guntur district. The Department in its excavations, made an attempt to identify Dantapuram as the capital city of Kalingas, as mentioned in Buddhist and Brahmanical literature.
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