Protohistoric Megaliths or Graves of Chalukyan Artisans: New Discovery of a Megalithic Site near Pattadakal

I report the discovery of a hitherto unreported megalithic site near Pattadakal. The cluster of megalithic monuments, all of them stone circles, are located in a clearing on a hilltop, surrounded by rocky outcrops, at a location called Motara Maradi, which was one of the sandstone quarries of the Early Chalukyan artisans who built the group of temples at Pattadakal. I compare the megaliths with other known megalithic structures in the region, and speculate whether the megaliths belong to the protohistoric period to which the large majority of south Indian megaliths are attributed to, or could they have been the graves of the Early Chalukyan artisans who lived and worked at the quarry