An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c18.s11: 13.11 Significance
An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c18.s11
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13.11 Significance
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The rock paintings are the earliest evidence of regular art activity in India and therefore deserve an important place in the history of Indian art. They provide an insight into the psychology and world view of hunting-gathering populations. They also tell us about contemporary animal life which is otherwise very inadequately known because of the paucity of skeletal remains.
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The paintings are also a valuable source of knowledge on the way of life of cave-dwellers. They contain information which is rarely preserved in habitation deposits. They tell us about the hunting and gathering techniques and weapons, about material culture, about dress and ornaments and social and spiritual life of their authors. The use of sticks, bows and arrows and spears is depicted in them. The use of microliths for barbing and tipping spears and arrows is documented in the paintings. Hunting strategies can also be studied. We learn about the use of traps and snares, ropes and baskets. Certain scenes tell us about family and social life, and some paintings clearly depict mythological and religious scenes. Indeed D.H. Gordon has gone so far as to say: ‘There is in fact no feature of their life which is not depicted in these paintings, but because they are clearly of no great age they have not attracted the notice that they deserve.’ Gordon wrote this in 1939. Research since then has firmly established that many of these paintings belong to the Mesolithic age and may well be 10000 years old.
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Gordon, D.H , 1958, *Prehistoric Background of Indian Culture*, Bombay. Ghosh, M., 1932, *Rock-paintings & other Antiquities of Prehistoric & Later Times*, Mem. ASI, 24. Gupta, J., 1967, *Pragaitihasik Bharatiya Chitrakala*, Delhi. Mathpal, Y., 1978, “Prehistoric Rock Paintings of Bhimbetka. c. India”, Ph.D. Thesis, Poona, Misra, V.N and Mathpal, Y., 1979, in *Man & Environment*, 3, pp. 27-33. Smith, V., 1906, in *Indian Antiquary*, 35, pp 185-95. Wakankar, V.S., & Brooks, R.R R., 1976. *Stone Age Paintings in India*, Bombay.—V.N. MISRA & Y. MATHPAL