[The 65 sandstone jars were found scattered over four sites in the north-eastern state of Assam. "The next step in this project is to excavate and extensively document features of these jars," Dr Thakuria said. (Photo by=TILOK THAKURIA)]

Researchers have uncovered giant "mysterious" jars in India that may have been used for ancient human burial practices. The 65 sandstone jars were found scattered over four sites in the north-eastern state of Assam, BBC reported.
 
They vary in shape and size. Some of the jars are tall and cylindrical, while the others are partly or fully buried in the ground. Similar stone vessels have previously been found in Laos and Indonesia. The details of the discovery - which involved researchers from three universities in India and Australia - were published in the Journal of Asian Archaeology journal this week. The research was led by Tilok Thakuria from North-Eastern Hill University and Uttam Bathari from Gauhati University. "We still don't know who made the giant jars or where they lived. It's all a bit of a mystery", said Nicholas Skopal, a researcher at the Australian National University who was part of the research team. Although it is still not clear what the giant jars were used for, the researchers believe they were "likely associated with mortuary practices".

 
Dr Thakuria told the BBC that "presently the jars are empty", and they were once possibly covered with lids. Some 10 sites containing more than 700 jars have been uncovered in Assam so far, Dr Thakuria said. They believe these jars date back to before 400 BC.