In India, archaeologists have made a discovery that will help historians better understand the country’s ancient trade networks, confirming the presence of a large circular stone labyrinth, according to local sources.
The findings were initially reported in The Times of India, which described the uncovering of a massive structure measuring roughly 50 feet by 50 feet and dating back nearly 2,000 years in the Boramani grasslands of Solapur district in Maharashtra. The state lies in the center of the Indian subcontinent and is home to Mumbai, among other notable cities.
The structure is composed of 15 concentric stone circuits - the highest number ever documented in an Indian circular labyrinth. Previous discoveries have topped out at 11 circuits. While a larger labyrinth has been identified in square form at Gedimedu in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the Boramani find is now considered the largest known circular labyrinth in the country.
Archaeologists have linked the structure to the Satavahana dynasty, which ruled large parts of the Deccan Plateau between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE. During this period, Maharashtra played a central role in long-distance trade between India and the Roman world, serving as a conduit between inland settlements and bustling ports along the western coastline.
The Boramani grasslands, where the labyrinth was discovered, are known for their open plains and semi-arid landscape. Today, the area is recognized as a grassland safari and conservation zone, one of the few of its kind still surviving in the region. Its ecological importance meant that large-scale excavation was avoided for decades - a factor that may have helped preserve the ancient structure through centuries of environmental change.
Proof of Indo-Roman contact
According to reports, researchers believe the labyrinth’s design offers compelling evidence of Indo-Roman contact. The circular pattern closely resembles labyrinth motifs found on ancient coins from Crete. Such coins were widely used as Roman currency and have been discovered in Indian port cities and trading centers dating to the same era.
The Boramani discovery is not an isolated case. Similar, though smaller, stone labyrinths have been identified in neighboring districts, including Sangli, Satara, and Kolhapur. Together, these finds suggest the existence of a broader network of structures spanning western Maharashtra, possibly marking inland trade routes that once connected coastal ports to the Deccan interior.
Experts have proposed that these labyrinths may have served as navigational markers or symbolic signposts for Roman merchants and local traders moving goods such as spices, textiles, and precious stones. Their placement in open grasslands - rather than within settlements, religious complexes, or fortifications - has fueled speculation that they were meant to be seen from a distance, guiding travelers across unfamiliar terrain.
The discovery raises new questions about how these structures were used and understood by those who built them. Were they practical waypoints, cultural symbols adopted through foreign contact, or ceremonial markers tied to trade and movement? As archaeologists continue to study the site, the Boramani labyrinth is already reshaping assumptions about Maharashtra’s role as a vital crossroads in global commerce nearly two millennia ago.