An interesting archaeological structure dating back between 1000 and 500 BCE has been discovered at Dannanapeta and Pandavulametta in Amudalavalasa of Srikakulam district (north-eastern Andhra Pradesh, India).
     Archaeology department director P Chenna Reddy said on that the dolmen - an Iron Age sepulchral structure - was noticed by Kadiyala Venkatesvara Rao, a retired deputy director of Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh. "The discovery is significant as it is the biggest dolmen measuring 360 X 146 with a thickness of two feet, so far not reported from Andhra Pradesh. The single largest capstone weighs more than 50 tons," he said.
     Another key find was an incision in the form of an anthropomorph on the floor of the dolmen and occurrence of post holes all around it that clearly suggest that it was a place of ancient ritual during the Iron Age.
     Reddy, quoting Rao, said that during the exploration he also found a small cave used by people during the Iron Age, which could have later been occupied by the Jains during the 1st or 2nd century CE, as attested by the discovery of the rock cut beads.

Edited from The Times of India (20 May 2011)