Prehistoric Rock Paintings: Insights from Tools, Pottery, and Cave Drawings

The distant past before the existence of paper, language, or written records is referred to as prehistory. Understanding how people lived during prehistoric times was initially challenging. However, scholars have gained insights through excavations at prehistoric sites, revealing tools, pottery, dwellings, ancient human and animal remains, and cave drawings. By analyzing these findings, scholars have developed a relatively accurate understanding of prehistoric life. 

Expression of Thoughts: Beyond Survival to Cave Wall Masterpieces

When basic needs like food, water, clothing, and shelter were met, people sought to express themselves through art, particularly through painting and drawing on cave walls.

Historical Perspective: British Scholars and the Art-Historical Journey

• Initiation: During the nineteenth century (the period of British rule), a few British colonial officers took active interest to study India’s past in collaboration with some Indian scholars.
• Systematic Study: It is out of such endeavours that a systematic study of architectural monuments, sculptures and paintings began in the Indian sub-continent. 
• Start Documentation: The first attempt in this regard was to document the monuments as they represented a very visible evidence of the bygone era. 
• Discoveries: Over a period of time with the archaeological explorations and excavations, many art-historical sites were discovered. 
• Provide Insight: Decipherment of inscriptions and study of coins played a significant role in our understanding of the past art traditions. 
• Study of Religion: With the study of religious texts, history of religion was studied and identification of icons/sculptures and paintings was initiated, which became a dominant area of early scholarship. 

Prehistoric Cave Paintings: Prehistoric Rock Paintings in India’s Rock Shelters

• Discovery: Prehistoric cave paintings, dating back to the Upper Palaeolithic era, have been discovered in various parts of the world. 
• First Report: In India the earliest paintings have been reported from the Upper Palaeolithic times.
• Discovery: In India, the first Prehistoric Rock Paintings were found in 1867-68, by Archaeologist Archibold Carlleyle, before the discovery of Altamira in Spain.

• Renowned Archaeologists: Like Carlleyle, Cockburn, Anderson, Mitra, and Ghosh unearthed numerous sites with Prehistoric Rock Paintings in regions such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, and Uttarakhand. 
• Figures on Painting: These paintings featured stick-like human figures, animals like long-snouted creatures, foxes, and multi-legged lizards, as well as geometric patterns in white, black, and red ochre. 

• Lakhudiyar Site: The rock shelters on banks of the River Suyal at Lakhudiyar, near Almora, bear these prehistoric paintings
• Dancing Figurine: Some scenes even depicted hand-linked dancing human figures, and there was evidence of superimposed paintings, with black, red ochre, and white layers. 
• Superimposition: In these superimpositions of paintings, the earliest are in black; over these are red ochre paintings and the last group comprises white paintings. 

• Other Artistic Expression: Additionally, engravings on slabs were discovered in Kashmir, while granite rocks in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh showcased various types of paintings in white, red ochre, or a combination of both, providing a fascinating glimpse into the artistic expressions of prehistoric humans.
• Famous Sites: The granite rocks of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh provided suitable canvases to the Neolithic man for his paintings in famous sites like Kupgallu, Piklihal and Tekkalkota.