An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c18.s7.1

v1.c18.s7.1

The subject matter of the paintings of the earliest or prehistoric period consists predominantly of wild animals and hunting scenes. A great variety of animals is depicted. These include the tiger, leopard, rhinoceros, gaur, ox, wild buffalo, sloth bear, boar, *nīlgai*, *sāmbar*, swamp deer, *chītal*, monkey, *langūr*, fox, jackal and rabbit. At some sites such as Lakhajuar the fish is a very common theme. The snake and other reptiles are very rare and so are trees and plants. Animals like the wild buffalo, gaur and *sāmbar* are usually shown in large herds. They are portrayed in different postures and moods such as standing, moving slowly, running, grazing, looking back or down. The animals are realistically drawn and are marked by vitality and dynamism. On a large canvas such as in the zoo rock of BHIMBETKA each one of the many species depicted stands out distinctly. It is clear that the prehistoric artist had a thorough knowledge of the morphology and habits of the various animals in their environment. The size of the animals varies from a few cm to life-size or even larger. The bodies are often decorated by various geometric patterns like straight or wavy lines, dots, criss-crosses and other more complex designs. Many of these early paintings are highly mature creations and suggest a long evolutionary period behind them.