A multi-disciplinary team of astro-archaeologists has confirmed that the megalithic stone circles in Kerala's Wayanad region were meticulously aligned with the winter solstice sunrise and specific constellations. This research suggests that the Iron Age inhabitants of the Western Ghats possessed an advanced understanding of celestial cycles for agricultural planning.
The study used LiDAR and 3D modeling to show that the placement of central menhirs corresponds to the position of the Orion constellation as it appeared 3,000 years ago. This discovery significantly pushes back the timeline of Vedic-influenced astronomy in the southern reaches of the Indian subcontinent.