Aizawl: July 2025 marked a major milestone in the study of Mizoram’s ancient past. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officially declared Lungphun Ropui, a megalithic site in Lianpui village, Champhai district, as a Monument of National Importance. But this is just one chapter in a broader and ongoing exploration of what may be an ancient indigenous civilisation in Mizoram’s eastern hill ranges, centred around the monumental site of Vangchhia.
Four new rock art sites discovered
In February 2025, a three-member ASI team carried out a detailed village-to-village survey across Champhai, Khawzawl, Saitual, and Serchhip districts. They discovered four new rock art sites, believed to date between the 16th and 19th centuries.
The sites feature detailed carvings of human and animal figures, gongs, daos (machete-like tools), spears, rows of mithun (Bos frontalis) heads, hornbills, fish, and symbolic or geometric patterns.
Among the most notable discoveries were those in Maite village (Saitual district) and Lianpui (Champhai district). In Khawzawl district, findings at Tualte included etched mithun heads, human figures, grooved marks, and rectangular figurines on a vast rock surface.
At Chhawrtu, also in Khawzawl, carvings consisted of rows of human heads, mithun, a fish motif, and a circular figurine with tendril-like lines. According to ASI Assistant Superintending Archaeologist Salam Shyam Singh, who led the team, these findings will undergo carbon dating and further analysis, and a detailed report has already been submitted to ASI headquarters.
Lianpui megaliths declared nationally important
On July 14, 2025, the Ministry of Culture officially notified the Lungphun Ropui megalithic complex in Lianpui village as a Monument of National Importance. This followed a preliminary notification in February 2021 under Gazette notification number S.O. 577(E).
Lianpui is a small hilly village of Mizoram located in the mountainous border area between India and Myanmar. It lies 54 kilometres southeast of Champhai town, the district headquarters. The Tiau River, which forms the natural international boundary, flows to the east of the village.
According to oral tradition, the village was founded by Chief Lianpuia of the Palian, who crossed the river Tiau after the murder of Chief Lalvunga, who had expelled him from Farzawl in the Chin Hills of present-day Myanmar.
His followers first settled at a hillock called Mualbawk before relocating to the current location, which eventually took the name Lianpui in honour of the chief.
The site includes over 114 intricately carved memorial stones arranged in eight alignments, four north–south and four east–west, along with anthropic holes, petroglyphs, Y-shaped wooden posts, and ancient stone pathways leading to the Tiau River.
The largest memorial stone measures 1.87 metres in height and 1.37 metres in width. Carvings include human figures, animals, birds, mithun heads, lizards, and symbols that reflect pre-Christian Mizo culture.
The practice of erecting memorials for the dead, including menhirs, is deeply rooted in Mizo history. While still living in the Chin Hills between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, long before migrating to present-day Mizoram, the Mizo people already practiced this form of commemoration.
These traditions continued and evolved after their migration, leaving behind a landscape dotted with stone relics of historical and cultural significance.
On July 7, ASI Director (Monuments) A. M. V. Subramanyam visited the site and confirmed the final steps toward protection were underway.
The official declaration under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, now guarantees federal protection and opens up opportunities for conservation and tourism development.
Vangchhia and the quest to rediscover Mizo origins
The site that first brought ASI’s attention to Mizoram’s archaeological potential was Vangchhia, also located in Champhai district. Known locally as Kawtchhuah Ropui (The Great Entrance), Vangchhia contains at least 171 engraved menhirs, tall upright stones, each etched with scenes of warriors, hunting, music, and communal legends.
The site was first secured by the local Young Mizo Association, and in 2012, it became Mizoram’s first officially protected archaeological site.
In 2016, the ASI began formal excavations and found evidence of terraces, stone streets, manmade caves, water pavilions, a watchtower, and what could be one of the largest necropolises in the world. These discoveries suggested the presence of a complex, city-like settlement.
Archaeologists were particularly struck by the advanced water management system, consisting of drilled holes in sandstone across hill slopes. These holes, believed to catch and store rainwater, formed a highly efficient rainwater harvesting system. Some theories suggest they may also have had defensive or ritualistic purposes.
In his study Menhirs and Petroglyphs of Vangchhia, Dr. Sujeet Nayan writes, “The rich megalithic remains at Vangchhia signify the glorious past of the Mizo community, especially their pre-colonial cultural evidence reflecting a well-flourishing economic and social life.
There are ample archaeological relics at the site that substantiate the highly developed cultural life of the native inhabitants who evolved a distinctive culture on the Indo–Myanmar border. Vangchhia, which is believed to be the gateway of the Mizos in early history, provides vital clues in the form of its rich archaeological remains.”
The cultural and historical context
The Mizo people are believed to have migrated several hundred years ago from somewhere in present-day China, moving south into Myanmar’s Chin State. While many remained there, now known in Mizoram as zohnahthlak, meaning a branch of the people, others moved westward into present-day Mizoram, and even further into Tripura, Bangladesh, southern Manipur, and Assam.
Locals in Vangchhia believe that the field of menhirs marks one of the main migratory routes of their ancestors. Some of the carvings found in Vangchhia and nearby sites depict heroic figures wearing Chhawndawl or Areke-Ziak headgear, traditionally worn by warriors who had killed enemies or wild animals. These menhirs, according to local belief, serve as memorial stones that portray the accomplishments of these individuals during their lifetimes.
A rock shelter with five openings overlooks the Myanmar border and may have served as a watchtower or bunker. Structural remains, such as post holes and stone-paved roads known locally as Mirawng Lamlian or Irawng Kong, connect villages such as Lianpui, Farkawn, and Vangchhia and are believed to have been used for subsistence activities along the Tiau River.
A rediscovery rooted in community
Much of the rediscovery of Mizoram’s ancient heritage is credited to individuals like P. Rohmingthanga, a former IAS officer and the convenor of INTACH’s Mizoram chapter. He first saw Vangchhia from a helicopter in 1973 and later, in 2009, began efforts to push ASI and the Ministry of Culture to recognise the site. His advocacy led to multiple ASI visits and, ultimately, to the protection of Vangchhia and now Lianpui.
He cautions against using the word “civilisation” too lightly but affirms that the scale and craftsmanship of the structures point to a highly cultured people with wealth and time to invest in monumental works.
Another local figure, Lalhmingsanga, a school teacher from Vangchhia, recalled visiting the site long before ASI excavations began. As an art student, he was drawn to the stones and always suspected they held secrets of the past. He later participated in cleaning and excavation efforts under the Swachh Bharat programme, helping unearth parts of the water pavilion system. For him and many others, these discoveries provide not just a new narrative but also a sense of pride and identity.
Misinterpretations and affirmation
During earlier excavations in 2016, some news reports suggested Hindu origins for the site based on motifs like fish and elephants. This stirred concern among locals, but ASI’s 2018 report affirmed that the site’s cultural markers are uniquely Mizo. Some motifs, such as a design resembling an elephant, were later confirmed to be natural stone patterns, not carvings.
While debates over identity and origins continue, ASI’s findings have helped restore confidence in the idea that these sites reflect an independent cultural development. ASI’s Sujeet Nayan even proposed that Vangchhia represents what he calls an “Indo-Mizo Genus culture,” shaped and sustained by local knowledge, skill, and environment.
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