Archaeology & History

World's largest geoglyphs discovered in India

By T.K. Randall
May 30, 2021 ·  5 comments

India's Thar Desert. Image Credit: CC BY 2.0 sushmita balasubramani The Nazca Lines, which can be found on a remote arid plateau in southern Peru, need no introduction, yet there are other, even larger geoglyphs elsewhere in the world that have gone almost completely unnoticed for centuries.

Discovered using Google Earth by a pair of independent researchers from France, the geoglyphs which span the Thar Desert region in India are now thought to not only be the largest geoglyphs on Earth, but also the largest graphical depictions of any kind ever created by human hands.

Comprised of shapes and figures made up of giant stripes and spirals, these enormous geoglyphs are so large that it is only possible to make them out properly from the air.

The largest - a giant asymmetrical spiral made up of a single looping line running for 12km - covers an area 724 meters long by 201 meters wide.Another, which is southwest of it, forms a serepentine-like shape with a line measuring 11km in length.

"So far, these geoglyphs, the largest discovered worldwide and for the first time in the Indian subcontinent, are also unique as regards their enigmatic signs," the researchers wrote.

"The giant spiral and serpentine figure are definitely the major points of interest, closely connected to Boha 3, suggesting that all the other geoglyphs were created as a framework for this set."

"Due to their spatial contiguity, patterns 1, 2, and 3 can be perceived as a sequential project."

It is believed that the geoglyphs were created, not in ancient times, but around 150 years ago.

Exactly who was responsible and why they were built however continues to remain a mystery.

Source: Science Alert | Comments (5)

Tags: Geoglyph, India