Dolmen
Topic: Prehistory: Human Origins and Stone Age Cultures · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A dolmen is a type of megalith, which means a monument made of big stones. Upright stone slabs are set in the ground and covered by a flat stone on top called a capstone, making a box-like chamber. Dolmens were usually built over or around burials. In India they are common in the megalithic culture of the south and the Deccan. That culture is linked with iron tools and black and red ware pottery.
Example
Hire Benakal in Koppal district, Karnataka, has a large group of dolmens. Some of them have a round hole, called a port-hole, cut into one side slab.
Don't confuse with
- Menhir: a single tall stone standing upright as a memorial. It has no chamber.
- Cist: a stone box burial set below the ground. A dolmen chamber stands mostly above the ground.