Captain Meadows Taylor, between 1850 and 1860, discovered and described cromlechs, kist vaens, and cairns, in Zorapur in the Dekhan. The cromlechs were closed on three sides, and the south-west front left open. The kistvaens were closed on all four sides; and both were covered at top with a single slab of large size. Some of them had a round hole, of 6 to 9 inches in diameter, in the centre of the south side or south-west side. The kistvaens were partially filled with fine black or grey earth, intermixed with broken pottery, partly calcined bones, and pieces of charcoal. The cromlechs contained nothing. Both cromlechs and kistvaens were formed of sandstone and limestone rock, altered by the intrusion of granite. Some of the cromlechs and kistvaens were of large size,—the cromlechs up to 151 feet long by 9 feet broad, and 2i feet thick ; the kistvaens up to 12 feet by 103- feet, and up to a foot thick, and the side slabs 12k by 8 feet. Those at Rajan Koolloor, at Haggeritgi, and elsewhere, are iden tical with those of the Neilgherries, with the kist vaen called Kitacoty house near Aylcsford in Kent, with those in Wales and other European localities, and in Circassia. as described by Mr. Bell. The people call them Mori, Mohori, or Muni houses.
The remains near Hyderabad consist of single, double, and treble rows of large stones. In some places the space within the circle has been paved with large pebbles beaten down with clay; in others the circle stones have been simply placed around the covering earth, which has a heaped up mound form, and contains only earth and small stones. They vary up to 50 feet in diameter. At various depths below, but chiefly about 9 to 14 feet deep, is a great block of rock, beneath which is a space enclosed by slabs, and also a passage or entrance. The grave-pits underneath are from 9 to 15 feet. The floor of the pit is flagged with stone slabs, on which is a cist, formed by slabs on edge, with a covering slab. Around the head of each cist were found circular vases, urns of red and black pottery, glazed and unglazed, spear heads, arrow heads, fragments of swords, of bill hooks, iron lamps, iron tripods. In one compart ment of a cist Captain Taylor found a perfect male skeleton ; in others, one, two, or three smaller skeletons, evidently of women, some with the skulls separate from the bodies, and the skeletons lying on their bellies ; and between the upper flagstone and the cist, intermixed with the earth, were skeletons and portions of skeletons in every possible position, the skulls of many being separated from the bodies. These be con sidered to be the remains of persons who had been sacrificed and thrown into the grave-pit of the cairn. The slabs above, the guiding entrance below, and the cists, lay invariably N.E. and S.E.
In the circles near Hyatnuggur, and other places around Hyderabad, southwards to Zorapur, bells, iron weapons, and pottery have been found. The weapons consisted of arrow heads, a javelin rod like that used by the Binjari race of the present day, lance and spear heads, bronze bells and cups. In a Hyatnuggur cairn, also, were found thank shells (Turbinella pyrum), some of them intended to be used as conchs, others as ornaments, necklaces, etc. The pottery articles were cups, and an hour-glass-shaped drum, also human and other bones.
All around in the cantonment of Secunderabad and Bolarum are numerous remains, many of which have been opened, and some very perfect skulls obtained.
There are many cairns on the Masulipatam road, noticed by Captain (now General) Doria. Also at Goor Muktul, between Zorapur and Hyderabad ; many near Dewarconda, about 40 miles S.E. from Hyderabad; also at Narkaelpilly. A return from Mr. Pelly showed 2129 cromlechs and kistvaens in the Bellary district, which the people believe to have been the dwellings of a diminutive race called Mohori. Cairns, cromlechs, and kistvaens are also to be seen in all the Raichore Doab ; in the district lying between the Krishna and Tumbudra. on the Yemmee Gooda hills.
At Vibuthalli Captain Taylor discovered a great group of natural rocks or tors, surrounded by circles of stones. One at Vibuthalli consists of a square of 22 rocks on each side. It is partly incomplete, and the area measures 360 by 340 feet. At Shahpur is a parallelogram, where 56 huge rocks enclose a space and tumulus 400 feet by 260. Some of the masses exceed 200 tons in weight, one of them 267 tons, and it is difficult to imagine how such masses were moved from the granite hills at Shahpur, three miles distant. It had been a place of cremation on a large scale, and the tumulus consisted of human ashes, charcoal, and pieces of bone; and the remains of each body had been covered over with white earth.
The Zorapore graves are of two kinds, one in which the dead were buried, accompanied human sacrifices; the other burned their dead, and placed their ashes in cairns, or collected and placed them in kistvaens.
Captain Congreve regarded these Neilgherry Temains to be those of Scythic races. Captain (Colonel) Taylor discusses the question whether of Scythic races, Aryan or Turanian. Over vast wildernesses in the northern regions of Asia, along the banks of the Irtish, and beyond the remote Yenisei, innumerable tumuli are scattered, containing the remains of ancient art and long extinct races of men. Implements of silver, gold, and copper, girdles of the precious metals, bracelets decked with pearls, fragments of porcelain, have surprised the travellers who have seen a few of the tumuli opened. Similar tumuli are spread over the north of Europe. Eschricht, Nilsson, and Retzius, in Sweden and Denmark, Dr. Willde in Ireland, and MM. Robert and Serres in France, have attempted to identify in these relics the remains of different races supposed to have inhabited successively the north of Europe in early times. In the opinion of the Swedes, the sepulchral remains of northern Europe may be referred to three successive eras. They display different physical types and different stages of advancement in civilisation. The oldest are the relics of a people with round heads, having the transverse diameter of the cranium large in pro portion to the longitudinal. The implements and ornaments which are found in the tombs of this race, indicate the greatest rudeness. They consist of tools and the heads of arrows and lances made of stone and bone, but nothing indicating a know ledge of the use of metals. It seems to be the opinion of Retzius and that of Nilsson (Scandi naviska Nordens Urinvanare, of S. Nilsson, Lund. 1838-43), that they were the burial-places of a people much older than the Celts. Similar remains, discovered in France, have been supposed by MIL Robert and Serres to be referable in like manner to different eras.