Keri: A quiet plateau near Arambol has become one of Goa’s most closely watched archaeological landscapes. After a TOI report revealed previously undocumented megalithic sites on the Paliem plateau, the area began drawing researchers, archaeology students, and history enthusiasts eager to see the discoveries firsthand.In response to the report, Deepika Bhomkar from the directorate of archaeology, along with her staff, inspected the site. Following their visit, director Balaji Shenoy decided to initiate a detailed archaeological investigation in collaboration with field experts.Archaeologist M Nambirajan, writing about Paliem, described the surrounding sandy beaches and headlands and noted the plateau’s distinctive terrain: Laterite gravel mixed with red soil, wild scrub, and iron-rich ground.
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During his survey, he reported finding no quartz fragments. The region’s archaeological importance, however, is not entirely new. As far back as 1964, archaeologist Shankar Sali reported Mesolithic tools from the area.More recently, geo-archaeologist A R Marathe collected Mesolithic tools from inside a natural cave in Keri, just a few metres from the Paliem plateau. He also observed numerous quartz flakes and cores scattered on the surface and collected several samples for study.Interest intensified further after Amey Kinjawadekar, an archaeology student from Deccan College, Pune, reported megalithic sites on the Paliem plateau. He traced his observations to 2019, when the ATV Mega Championship event led organisers to create a track by shifting and arranging boulders from the plateau. Amid the disturbance, he noticed stone circles and anthropomorphic features linked to the megalithic period. He told TOI that natural caves, stone circles, and ‘Navalo Fatar’ — an archaeologically significant site on a nearby plateau — require focused study.Adding momentum to the unfolding research, Ravi Korisettar, an emeritus fellow in archaeology, has said he will visit the Paliem plateau and other archaeological sites in Goa for further study.
