An Encyclopaedia of Indian Archaeology v2.c42.11

v2.c42.11

**Pachmarhi** (22°30'; 78°22'), Dt Hoshangabad, the painted rock-shelters [13] of which have been extensively explored and studied (Hunter, 1935, 1936, who also excavated microliths [4.5] from the floors of the shelters; Gordon, 1935a, b, 1936, 1939a, 1939b, 1940, 1958). These Mahadeo hill rock-shelters, with Pachmarhi as the centre, form one of the richest groups of their class, the ones at Pachmarhi itself being known as Dorothy Deep, Upper Dorothy Deep, Monte Rosa, Mahadeo, Bazar, Jambu Dwip, Nimbu Boj and Marodeo. The shelters at Tamia, Son Bhadra and Jalai are respectively 32, 40 and 64 km away from Pachmarhi. Gordon studied the style, contents and superimpositions of the paintings and was not willing to assign a Stone Age antiquity to any group of them, but his views have now been superseded by the more detailed studies [13; BHIMBETKA], which have shown a Mesolithic [4.5] origin of the art continuing down to historical times. Of the more interesting paintings at Pachmarhi are a ‘Gilgamesh' figure subduing two wild animals at Monte Rosa and a scene of rare humour in which a monkey standing on its hind legs plays on a flute while a man lying on a cot too small for his size has raised arms as if to keep time with the flute, in Upper Dorothy shelter. The other scenes are the usual domestic, pastoral, hunting and fighting scenes.