Randi Thomsen

Norway - 10-Jan-23 -

Visit December 2022 together with Philipp Peterer. On our way from Pattadakal to Hampi, we decided to check out this new tent site. So far no one in the community had been here. Not very popular among Indians either. We didn't meet a single person during our two-hour visit to site.

The first step was to figure out how to get there. Google maps is not to be trusted on this. On our third attempt and a little help from a local, we found our way through a narrow dirt road and rice fields. We parked the car at the end of the road, walked through a passageway underneath the train and voila!  We found an information board and a map of the site! It requires some effort to get to the tombs. The hike up the hill was about 2 km and 45 minutes. A nice hike through very scenic karst-landscape. In about two third of the distance, we passed by a rock-art shelter. The path is rocky, but well-marked with painted green arrows. 

The site itself turned out to be amazing, a “village” of megalithic tombs setting in a magnificent landscape.  We saw different kinds of tombs at two locations

Thumbs up for the OUV of the site, but an upgrade of the visitor infrastructure needs to be done before this site can be put forward for inscription. 

How to get there

Location for start of the hike is Hirebenekal Megalithic Moryar Gudda. (this you will find on the google map). Take the most straight route from HW23. (15.4491838, 76.4562298). The last stretch is passing a small farm and a narrow road trough rice field. We found a place to park right at the end of the road before the train tracks.