Historians renew call to safeguard coastal K’taka’s six ancient sites

Mangaluru: A renewed appeal has been made by historians and cultural researchers to protect six prehistoric sites in coastal Karnataka that contain rare rock art and megalithic burial structures. The Adim Kala Trust has urged the state government to notify these sites as protected archaeological monuments under existing heritage conservation laws.

Among the sites highlighted are Avalakkipare and Buddhanajeddu in Kundapur taluk, Gavali in Udupi district, Baradakallu-Bole near Bhatkal, and the megalithic burial complexes of Madmalpade (Karkala) and Moodukonaje (Moodbidri).

Avalakkipare, believed to be one of the oldest documented rock art fields in the region, features more than twenty prehistoric drawings. Buddhanajeddu’s Bhimanapare site contains over forty figures, researched and presented at a national conference more than a decade ago.

Gavali’s rock engravings, first documented in the early 1980s, reflect both artistic and archaeological value, while recent findings at Baradakallu-Bole have added to the expanding map of Western Ghats–coastal prehistory. The burial sites at Madmalpade and Moodukonaje are considered key to understanding early settlement and ritual traditions, though quarrying has placed the Madmalpade site at risk.

Scholars say official heritage notification would ensure conservation planning, research access, and possible cultural tourism development.