Rock art showing bulls with humps and
without humps, deer, line drawings of a human being and jungle fowl and men
celebrating perhaps after a successful hunt or a cattle raid have been found in
two rock shelters in Tamil Nadu. Prehistoric man did them with white kaolin.
While one group of
paintings can be dated to the Iron Age (circa 1500 BCE to circa 500 BCE), the
second one may belong to the early historic age (circa fifth century BCE to
circa third century CE).
P. Balamurugan, research scholar, Department of History, Pondicherry
University, discovered them in March. He found them on the right bank of the
river Vaigai, near Arugaveli village, seven km east of Mayiladumparai, in the
Kadamalaikundu region of Andipatti taluk, Theni district.
The two rock shelters are in different
locations on a small hill, forming part of the Western Ghats.
K. Rajan, Professor of
History, Pondicherry University, said the two rock shelters are called
“Chitrakalpudavu” in Tamil. ‘Chitram’ means painting, ‘kal’ is rock and
‘pudavu’ means shelter, he explained.
On the ceiling and inner
wall of one shelter are painted bulls with and without humps, a bull lying on
the ground, deer and jungle fowl. They have been depicted in a circular manner
around a human figure.
While the bulls have been
fully painted with white pigment, the human being and the jungle fowl are line
drawings.
Dr. Rajan estimated that
this group of paintings belong to the Iron Age.
The paintings in the other shelter show men with upraised hands, as if they are celebrating after a victorious hunt or a cattle raid. Among the paintings here are a deer and an animal with a long tail.
The paintings in the other shelter show men with upraised hands, as if they are celebrating after a victorious hunt or a cattle raid. Among the paintings here are a deer and an animal with a long tail.
This group of rock
paintings could belong to the early historic period, he said.
An Iron Age habitation
mound, littered with black and red ware, is situated at the foothill of this
site, suggesting that these paintings could have been executed by a
proto-historic community, Dr. Rajan says.
Rock paintings were found
during a recent field work in a rock shelter, Kutiraikattiputavu, that is, a
shelter where horses are tied.
There are more than 120
rock art sites in Tamil Nadu. depicting hunting scenes, various animals, birds
and geometric designs.
அருகவேலி தேனி மாவட்டம்
3000 ஆண்டுகள் பழமையான ஓவியங்கள்
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