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APRIL, 1881.)
OLD SLAB-STONE MONUMENTS.
OLD SLAB-STONE MONUMENTS IN MADRAS AND MAISUR.
BY LIEUT.-COL. B. R. BRANFILL. THE accompanying plan and sketches shewstructed of six slabs of stone; a flag-stone the
1 peculiar kind of slab-stone monament size of the chamber floor, surrounded by four found in the districts of Madras and Maisûr bor- erect slabs successively, each abutting on the one dering on the Eastern Ghats, where disused next behind it, and projecting beyond the rear cemeteries of rude stone circles, with and without edge of the next in front of it, in the order North, enclosed slab-stone kistvaens or cubical vault- West, South, East. Thus, the north side slab tombs, abound, frequently accompanied by jar has its east edge at the N. E. corner of the vault, and sarcophagus interments with old pottery. but its west end projects considerably beyond The peculiarity of these consists in having the north end of the weet slab, which in like several circles of erect thin stone slabs alternately manner has its south end projecting beyond round, - and flat-topped, arranged in concentric the south slab, which again projects to the east rings close round the enclosed kist or cubical beyond the east or front slab, and this last prochamber, as shewn in the plan, section, and view jects to the north beyond the north side stone. accompanying, of some at Irala banda near This plan of successive projection seems to be Palmanêri, N. Arcot (Arkát). The invariably used for these and for all the old usual form is for the central chamber to have kistvaens, whether buried, half-buried, or free four round-headed slabs set up parallel to its standing above ground, which I have met in four sides at a distance of 2 to 4 feet, or the the Madras Presidency. But those described by amount by which the roof-slab or capstone Colonel Meadows Taylor, found further north, in projects beyond the walls of the kist, and some Shorâpur, and figured in Fergusson's Rude times so as to fit together neatly. These four Stone Monuments (pp. 468-9,) are not constructed erect slabs vary in height from 10 to 15 feet, in in this way, nor are the numerous little dolmen width from 7 to 10 feet, and from 3 to 6 inches in monuments, clustered about the temples of the thickness. The capstone is thicker, but seldom Kurubar (or Kurumba rs), common in exceeds 8 or 9 inches. The four corners are Maisûr. closed by flat-headed slabs chipped to fit the The sixth slab is the roof or capstone, often vacant intervals between the four great round. very large and projecting two or three feet or heads, up to the spring of their semicircular tops. more beyond the sides of the chamber, and some
The second row is a more regular ring of times completely and exactly filling up the space some 16 slabs, alternately round-headed and flat- within the inner ring of erect stones. headed, the former 5 or 6 feet high, and the latter The entrance to the vault is a small roundish only as high as the commencement of the round- hole in the middle of the east end slab, varying ed portion of their fellows. The third and from one to two feet in diameter. The tall erect outer tier or ring consists of some 24 small erect slab immediately in front of this is also pierced slabs about 3 feet wide, Lalf of them with semi- by a similar hole, and the space between the circular heads and nearly 3 feet high, with low two slabs, usually covered by the projection of flat-topped slabs between them, forming a circle the roof-slab or capstone, is generally formed nearly 30 feet in diameter.
into a small porch by cross side-slabs or cheekThe spaces between the three rings of slabs pieces, as if to preclude all entry except by the are abont a yard wide, and roughly packed with small holes, which are usually just large enough loose pieces of stone to a height of from 2 toto admit a small man or a child by dexterous 4 feet, the highest in the inner space; most of crawling. the monuments have fallen from the settlement A smaller slab or shutter-stone is provided, of this packing, but some of them have little or and in a few examples is found set up closely no packing above the ground level, and have against the innermost front slab so as effecbecome ruined for want of support.
tually to close the entrance hole. Occasionally The keistvaen or sepulchral chamber is con- I have found the holes in the outer slabs so
At Åneguttahalli in Maisûr, the wall-alaba are backed up on the outside with neatly-laid stones so as to forma somewhat rounded or conical mass.
