Abstract:
The stone alignment ‘Nilurallu' at Murardoddi is a megalithic monument containing standing stones of 12
to 16 feet high that are arranged somewhat in a squarish pattern. This is one of the stone alignments listed by
Allchin (1956) as a non-sepulchal array that might have some astronomical connotations. This impressive stone
alignment seems to be similar to that at Vibhuthihalli, that was studied earlier, but constructed with much larger
stones. The observations conducted by us show that the rows of stones are aligned to the directions of sunrise (and
sunset) on calendrically-important events, like equinoxes and solstices. In contrast to Vibhuthihalli, the shadows of
stones provide a means of measuring shorter intervals of time.
