In what could be a history-creating discovery for Karnataka, Carbon-14 dating of samples of about 600 skulls that were unearthed in Annigeri, in Dharwad district, over the last seven months has indicated they are as old as 638 years.
Speaking to Deccan Herald over the phone from Bhubaneswar, Institute of Phsyics (IoP) Prof D P Mohapatra, who conducted the Carbon-14 dating on the skull samples, said the scientific process undertaken in his laboratory “has been able to consistently ascertain” that the skulls are 638 years old, with an error of plus or minus 60 years.
Mohapatra has sent his detailed report, including an analysis of the series of C-14 tests, to the Dharwad deputy commissioner Darpan Jain. The results were achieved over the last two days after initial hiccups when the instrument broke down.
Archaeologists and historians working under the aegis of the Karnataka Department of Archaeology and Museums, who studied the skulls that were discovered lying in neatly laid rows in Annigeri, first in September 2010 and subsequently in February-March 2011, have prepared a separate report which, according to Prof M S Krishnamurthy, will “convincingly solve the puzzle” over the skulls.
“We have clinching evidence to establish our findings,” Krishnamurthy said, adding that the evidence and the historical facts over what might have happened over 600 years ago that resulted in the burial of so many skulls will be made public after a week.
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