An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v1.c9.s5.22

v1.c9.s5.22

Though the subject of cave art is treated in detail elsewhere [13], a brief mention must be made here because of its relationship with Mesolithic culture. In c. India the caves and rock-shelters which were inhabited by the Mesolithic peoples are very rich in paintings which are found on their walls and ceilings. Usually the shelters which have habitation deposits are poor in paintings, while the shelters which were only sporadically inhabited or not inhabited at all are very rich in them. This probably shows that to the Stone Age man art was not much of a purely decorative medium and had other and deeper significance. The paintings are usually in red and white colours though occasionally they are also found in green and yellow. Pieces of various shades of red ochre with tell-tale marks of grinding for producing colour are frequently found in Mesolithic deposits and are also associated with burials. There can be little doubt that colour obtained from these ochre nodules was used for making the paintings that adorn the cave walls. The paintings are a mine of information fo. the reconstruction of the Mesolithic man's way of life and contemporary environment. Though a number of stylistic and chronological phases can be distinguished on the basis of superimposition, subject-matter and painting styles, the paintings can be broadly divided into two cultural and chronological stages. The poorly preserved earlier paintings are mostly dominated by the depiction of wild animal life. In these one sees the animals that still live in the area, as also others which have now disappeared, like the rhinoceros, elephant, tiger and gaur or Indian bison. The paintings are characterized by naturalism, accurate rendering of the animal body, depiction of the animals in their various postures and moods—standing, moving, running, grazing, etc. There are scenes of hunting with men hunting individually or in a group with spears and bows and arrows. The spears and arrows have barbs and tips which seem to be made of microlithic forms. There are also scenes of trapping of animals and of collection of wild fruits and honey. The later paintings which overlie the older ones and are in a much better state of preservation depict scenes that relate them to the historical period. They show processions of men riding caparisoned horses and elephants and carrying metal-tipped spears and bows and arrows. More frequently they show battle scenes with men fighting with swords and shields. Both human and animal figures in these paintings are highly stylized and show considerable deterioration in the technique of portrayal.