Pre-historic Rock Paintings provide invaluable insight into the lives and culture of early humans, showcasing their ability to communicate and express ideas through art.

• Prehistoric Rock Paintings
  • Prehistoric rock paintings were created during the time when there was no written word, paper, or books. This period is known as prehistory or prehistoric times.
  • These paintings are some of the earliest forms of human art, often drawn on cave walls using natural materials like ochre.

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  • Prehistoric people used these drawings to express themselves, possibly to make their shelters more colorful or as a form of visual record of their daily life.
  • The period is commonly referred to as the Old Stone Age or Palaeolithic Age.
  • The paintings typically depicted animals, human figures, daily activities, geometric patterns, and symbols.
  • Early prehistoric paintings have been discovered worldwide, and the first discovery in India was made by archaeologist Archibold Carlleyle in 1867–68.
  • The discovery was made twelve years before the famous rock paintings at Altamira in Spain.
• Location of Rock Paintings in India
  • Rock paintings have been found in several regions across India, including:
    • Madhya Pradesh
    • Uttar Pradesh
    • Andhra Pradesh
    • Karnataka
    • Bihar
    • Kumaon hills in Uttarakhand
  • The earliest rock paintings in India have been found in the Upper Palaeolithic period.
  • One of the notable sites is Lakhudiyar in Uttarakhand, which has rock shelters along the River Suyal, featuring human, animal, and geometric motifs.
  • Another important site is Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, which has about eight hundred rock shelters, with five hundred containing paintings.
• Details of Lakhudiyar Paintings
  • Lakhudiyar, which means "one lakh caves," features prehistoric paintings that can be divided into three categories:
    • Human figures
    • Animals (e.g., fox, long-snouted animals, lizards)
    • Geometric patterns (e.g., wavy lines, rectangles, dots)

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  • The paintings are created in three colors: black, red ochre, and white, with the earliest ones in black and later layers in red and white.
  • Notable scenes include hand-linked dancing human figures, which depict social or ritual activities of the prehistoric people.
• Paintings in Other Regions
  • In regions like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, rock shelters provided canvases for Neolithic man’s paintings, with notable sites including Kupgallu, Piklihal, and Tekkalkota.
  • The paintings in these regions depict bulls, elephants, sambhars, gazelles, sheep, goats, horses, and stylized human figures.
  • These paintings belong to the late historical, early historical, and Neolithic periods.
• Bhimbetka Rock Paintings
  • The rock shelters of Bhimbetka, located in the Vindhya hills of Madhya Pradesh, are among the most famous rock painting sites in India.
  • These paintings were discovered in 1957–58 by archaeologist V.S. Wakankar, who spent several years surveying the site.
  • Bhimbetka contains a variety of themes, including hunting, dancing, music, animal fights, honey collection, body decoration, and royal or sacred scenes.
  • The paintings at Bhimbetka are classified into seven historical periods, with Period I being the Upper Palaeolithic, Period II the Mesolithic, and Period III the Chalcolithic.
  • We focus primarily on the first three phases of these paintings.

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• Upper Palaeolithic Period
  • The paintings of the Upper Palaeolithic phase are linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge animal figures, such as bisons, elephants, tigers, rhinos, and boars, besides stick-like human figures. A few are wash paintings but mostly they are filled with geometric patterns.
  • The green paintings are of dancers, and the red ones of hunters.
  • What is being depicted in this painting? Cave entrance, Bhimbetka, Madhya Pradesh.
• Mesolithic Period
  • The largest number of paintings belong to Period II, the Mesolithic paintings. The themes are multiple, but the paintings are smaller in size. Hunting scenes predominate.
  • The hunting scenes depict people hunting in groups, armed with barbed spears, pointed sticks, arrows, and bows. Some primitive men are shown with traps and snares to catch animals. The hunters are shown wearing simple clothes and ornaments, with some adorned with elaborate head-dresses or painted with masks.
  • Animals Depicted: Elephant, bison, tiger, boar, deer, antelope, leopard, panther, rhinoceros, fish, frog, lizard, squirrel, and sometimes birds.
  • In some paintings, animals are chasing men; in others, men are chasing and hunting animals.
  • The Mesolithic artists loved to paint animals. Some paintings depict a fear of animals, while others express tenderness and love for them.
  • Human Depictions: Humans are depicted in a stylistic manner. Women are painted both in the nude and clothed. The paintings feature both young and old, with children running, jumping, and playing. Community dances and everyday activities like gathering fruit, honey, or grinding food are depicted.
  • Hand prints, fist prints, and dots made by fingertips are common features in the paintings.

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  • The artists of Bhimbetka used many colours, including white, yellow, orange, red ochre, purple, brown, green, and black. White and red were their favourite colours. The paints were made by grinding rocks and minerals like haematite (for red) and chalcedony (for green).
  • The colours have survived thousands of years due to a chemical reaction with the oxide present on the surface of the rocks.
• Location and Preservation
  • The paintings were made on the walls and ceilings of rock shelters, some in living spaces and others in locations with possible religious significance.
  • Many of the most beautiful paintings are high up on the ceilings of rock shelters, perhaps to make them visible from a distance.
• Pictorial Quality
  • The paintings, though from the remote past, show a charm in rendering scenes of the environment. Despite limitations like inadequate tools, the artists were able to convey adventurous and dramatic scenes of survival.
  • The animals in the paintings are depicted as youthful and majestic, and the primitive artists show an intrinsic passion for storytelling.
  • Some paintings depict men and animals engaged in the struggle for survival, such as a group of people hunting a bison or injured men lying on the ground, with animals shown in agony and men dancing.
• Cultural Significance
  • These paintings, though primitive, indicate a ritualistic purpose. Modern primitive people also engrave or paint on rocks as part of rituals related to birth, death, coming-of-age, and marriage. They dance masked during hunting rites to help in killing difficult animals.
• Why are the Animal Paintings Larger Than Humans?
  • In some paintings, the animals are shown significantly larger than the human figures. This may represent the importance or majesty of animals in the artists' worldview.
• Examples of Paintings
  • Dancing Scene: Hand-linked figures in dancing mode are shown, a recurrent theme in these paintings. Similar themes can be found in the Lakhudiyar rock paintings of Uttarakhand.

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  • Hunting Scene: A group of people hunting a bison, with some injured men depicted lying on the ground, shows mastery in drawing forms.
• Multiple Layers of Paintings
  • At Bhimbetka, some sites have as many as 20 layers of paintings, one on top of another. This repeated painting may have been because the artist was unsatisfied with previous works or because the area was considered sacred or used by different generations of people over time.
• What Do These Paintings Tell Us?
  • Prehistoric paintings give us insight into early human beings’ lifestyles, food habits, daily activities, and mindset. They are a window into the evolution of human civilization.

Summary of Pre-historic Rock Paintings

• Prehistoric Rock Paintings
  • Upper Palaeolithic Period
    • The paintings of the Upper Palaeolithic phase are linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge animal figures such as bisons, elephants, tigers, rhinos, and boars. Stick-like human figures are also depicted.
    • A few are wash paintings, but most are filled with geometric patterns. The green paintings show dancers, and the red ones depict hunters.
    • Can you figure out what the artist is trying to depict in this painting? The artist might be representing the connection between humans and animals, possibly illustrating a scene of hunting or celebration. The geometric patterns could symbolize rituals or abstract representation of the natural world.

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  • Mesolithic Period
    • The largest number of paintings belong to Period II, the Mesolithic paintings. These paintings are smaller in size compared to Upper Palaeolithic ones.
    • Key Themes: Hunting scenes, including people hunting in groups with barbed spears, pointed sticks, arrows, and bows. Some scenes show men with traps and snares to catch animals.
    • The paintings depict various animals: elephants, bison, tigers, boars, deer, antelope, leopard, panther, rhinoceros, fish, frog, lizard, squirrel, and birds.
    • The paintings show animals chasing men or being hunted by them, with humans also depicted engaging in food preparation, dancing, and community activities.
    • Colors Used: White, yellow, orange, red ochre, purple, brown, green, and black pigments were sourced from haematite, chalcedony, and limestone.
  • Techniques and Preservation
    • The paintings were made on rock walls and ceilings of shelters, some high up on rocks, possibly due to religious or spiritual significance.
    • Paints were made by grinding rocks and minerals, mixed with water and sticky substances like animal fat or gum.
    • The chemical reactions between oxide on rock surfaces helped preserve the paintings for thousands of years.
  • Symbolism and Purpose
    • The paintings reflect humans’ connection to nature, symbolizing survival, rituals, and spiritual beliefs.
    • Animal representations reflect the importance of animals in early human lives for food, worship, and community life.
• EXERCISE ANSWERS
  • How did the people of prehistoric times select themes for their paintings?
    • The themes were influenced by the environment and survival needs. Animals, particularly those they hunted or revered, were commonly depicted.
    • The representations of hunting, family life, and rituals show the importance of daily survival and spirituality in their themes.
  • What could have been the reasons for depicting more animal figures than human figures in cave paintings?
    • Animals were central to survival, providing food, tools, and possibly spiritual or religious significance. Their frequent depiction may reflect respect, awe, or the need for hunting success.
  • Many visuals of prehistoric cave paintings have been given in this chapter. Among these, which one do you like the most and why? Give a critical appreciation of the visual.
    • Subjective Answer Example: I particularly appreciate the painting of a bison hunt from Bhimbetka, as it vividly portrays the bond between humans and animals. The motion captured in the painting suggests the urgency of the hunt, demonstrating the artists' skills. The dynamic scale of the animals emphasizes their importance to the people.
  • Other than Bhimbetka, which are the other major sites where these prehistoric paintings have been found? Prepare a report on different aspects of these paintings with pictures or line drawings.
    • Major Sites:
      • Rock Shelters of Madhya Pradesh (e.g., Bhimbetka)
      • Sundargarh (Odisha)
      • Lakhudiyar (Uttarakhand)
      • Kaimur Hills (Bihar)
      • Badami (Karnataka)
    • These sites have significant rock paintings depicting hunting, animals, and human activities. The paintings show naturalistic and stylized representations of life.
    • The use of different colors and layering of paintings suggests both cultural significance and changes in artistic expression over time.
  • In modern times, how have walls been used as a surface to make paintings, graphics, etc?
    • In modern times, walls have been used for murals, graffiti, and street art. Artists use media like spray paint, acrylics, and oil paints to create vibrant art on public surfaces.
    • Urban murals often convey social, political, and cultural messages, similar to how prehistoric paintings expressed human desires, beliefs, and relationships with nature.