Stone Age Settlement Unearthed at Meenakere, Karnataka

The Vijayanagara Exploration Research Team has uncovered compelling evidence of a Stone Age settlement at Meenakere village in Kudligi taluk, on the banks of the Hagari river. Excavations revealed microlithic tools from the Mesolithic period, polished Neolithic axes, pottery fragments, and rare petroglyphs of animals dating back thousands of years.

Among the most remarkable finds are petroglyphs on a large, flattened stone, including a nearly 3-foot-tall bull with forward-bent horns and dynamic legs, likely depicted in motion or combat, and a cow carved on a rounded stone. Experts estimate these carvings date to around 3000 BCE, suggesting early communities both domesticated and revered these animals.

Additional artifacts—stone axes, microlithic implements, and pottery shards—confirm that Meenakere was an active settlement across multiple phases of the Stone Age. Nearby Kumati village had previously yielded large anthropomorphic monoliths from the megalithic period, indicating a long continuity of human culture along the Hagari river.

Scholars are urging the preservation of these findings. Dr. Govind of Kannada University called the bull petroglyph “one of the most striking examples of early symbolic art in the region,” while Dr. Krishnegowda highlighted the rapid deterioration of megalithic stones at nearby sites due to neglect.