An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c18.s9: 13.9 Motive Behind Rock Art
An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c18.s9
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13.9 Motive Behind Rock Art
v1.c18.s9.1
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the prehistoric art is the motivation behind it. For Franco-Cantabrian art many theories have been proposed and it is generally agreed that no single explanation can account for all the paintings. In the context of Indian rock art it can safely be stated that not all of it was inspired by the desire to decorate the living places or for aesthetic pleasure alone. The most profusely painted shelters are invariably those which have little or no evidence of human occupation; conversely, shelters with a long history of occupation are very poor in paintings. Secondly, deliberate painting over already existing paintings also rules out the decoration as a motif in such cases. However such paintings as are found in dwelling shelters may have been done only to brighten the surroundings. A part of the older paintings—wild animals and hunting scenes—was probably inspired by a natural urge for artistic expression. Once prehistoric man learnt to point, what subject would he find more natural than the graceful and mighty animals which formed the most conspicuous and dynamic element in his environment, whom he either feared or on whom he depended for his sustenance? Hunting and food-gathering activities which occupied much of the time of prehistoric man and were crucial to his survival would also be natural subjects for paintings. On the other hand some of the paintings as those of large awe-inspiring animals, or mythical animals with composite characters, and complex scenes involving human and animal elements were almost certainly religious or ritualistic in character. Indeed the fact that the shelters with no trace of habitation are profusely filled with paintings strongly suggests that these shelters may have been sacred centres for initiation and other ritual activities, and paintings therein may be part of such initiation ceremonies. This function of cave art is well-attested by ethnographic records from Australia.
v1.c18.s9.2
No complex factors seem to lie behind the later schematic drawings of the historical period. Their subject matter is quite secular and not directly related to the way of life of the painters. The authors of these paintings must have seen royal processions and battles between the armies of local chiefs, and they reproduced these scenes from memory. In course of time this kind of painting probably became a tradition, and for generations artists continued to repeat the same kind of paintings in an unvarying style merely as a ritual. These paintings appear to have been done in the same spirit as much of rural folk art of India is practised today.