Context: The first evidence of rock art in Mangaluru (Karnataka) has been found near Boloor Panne Koteda Babbu Swamy shrine. The rock art is in the form of a pair of human footprints, found on a natural stone boulder near the shrine. These footprints might have been created in the first or second century A.D.
Rock art tradition in India:
(Main regions of rock art site in India)
- Paintings and engravings on natural surfaces of caves, shelters and boulders are together termed as rock art. It is a global phenomenon and one of the earliest human artistic manifestations.
- The spectrum of rock art available in India is vast and varied both in stylistic and thematic content. Its chronology can be traced from the Upper Palaeolithic continuing through different periods up to Historic times and probably even echoing in the artistic articulations of present day tribal and ethnic communities.
- Rock art characterized by the presence of writings in Brahmi, Kharosthi, Shankha and even Nagari scripts have been grouped as rock art of the Historic period in India.
- In India, rock art sites have been reported from rocky landscapes composed of sandstone or sedimentary rocks.
Some of the important rock art sites:
- South India:
- Karnataka: Kupgal (Sanaganakallu), Badami, Maski, Piklihal, Tekkalakota.
- Andhra Pradesh: Budagavi, Chintakunta, Kethavaram, Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh.
- Tamil Nadu: Alambadi, Padiyandal in Tamil Nadu.
- Kerala: Edakkal and Ezhuthupura rock shelters.
- The rock shelters at Lakhudiyar (Uttarakhand) bear these prehistoric paintings. One of the interesting scenes depicted here is of hand-linked dancing human figures.
- Vindhyan region and Satpura ranges:
- In Madhya Pradesh, the renowned Bhimbetka (Raisen) complex of rock shelters has been inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003.
- The petroglyphs in Cave (Bhimbetka III F-24) include a long meandering line. These Acheulian petroglyphs are the oldest rock art currently known in the world.
- The themes of paintings found here are of great variety, ranging from mundane events of daily life in those times to sacred and royal images.
(Depiction associated with some spiritual figure at Bhimbetka)
- This period saw the increase in the number of paintings using the green and yellow colour.
- Most of the paintings concentrate on depicting battle scenes.
(Hunting scene from Bhimbetka)
- Ajanta Rock paintings (Maharashtra):
- Primarily depict Buddhist subjects and stories from the Jataka tales about the earlier lives of the Lord Buddha.
- Late 6th century CE painting of Bodhisattva Padmapani: He is shown holding a lotus flower in his right hand.
- Ellora Paintings (Maharashtra):
- Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain cave temples from the 8th to 10th centuries A.D. include famous sites like Indra Sabha (Cave 32) and Jagannath Sabha (Cave 33).
- The paintings in these Jain caves feature sharp features and pointed noses.