Scary myth-inspiring cave arts offer peek into prehistoric life

Bhopal: Haunted by myths and overshadowed by the famed Bhimbetka rock art site, known all over the world for its Paleolithic paintings, a few “prehistoric” cave drawings found in the Bhopal division have been suffering in obscurity.

Four rock art sites, found in the Bhopal division of the Vindhyachal region, inspire awe among archaeologists and historians. The paintings, believed to be from the prehistoric period, vividly depict the social life of cavemen.

Locals, majority of whom are tribals, believe that the sites are haunted by vampires, who leave blood marks on the stones by sinking their teeth on the rocks. The rock-shelters are known in the region as “Chudail ki Dant” or vampires’ teeth.

The sites found in the villages of Jhiri, Jaora, Daulatpur and Khatoria, located within a distance of around 40 km from Bhimbetka in Bhopal division, are rich in rock art heritage illustrating continuous cultural sequence from prehistoric period to 15th century. These sites, however, reel in anonymity and are crying for attention from government preservation agencies such as the Archaeological Survey of India. The rock art sites, spread over a 40-km-stretch, were discovered by the late eminent archaeologist Prof. Shankar Tiwari.

“The oldest painting in the rock-shelters is at least 10,000 years old,” retired superintendent of ASI, Bhopal, Dr Narayan Vyas, told this newspaper here on Tuesday.

“The art, found both in still and in motion, are a symphony on stones created by the cavemen,” he added. A team of archaeologists from Spain, led by Pere Ferrar, president of the museum of Constanta, visited the rock-shelters a couple of few weeks ago to document the cave art. Dr Vyas accompanied the team.

Kathotia, considered the richest among the four rock art sites, is home to around 65 rock-shelters from the Mesolithic or middle stone age (9,000 BCE — 5,500 BCE).

The “prehistoric” paintings found in the rock-shelters include animal and human figurines, haunting scenes and group dances. Similarly, late period drawings seen in these caves include war scenes, archery and so on.

Floral designs and various worship symbols, such as the Sun, and circles found in them are believed to belong to the 14th or 15th century.

The subjects of the paintings spotted in the rock-shelters are common, but the styles are different, which meant that they were drawn in different periods, he added.

“Red and green coloured drawings are of the prehistoric era. Cavemen of the period used hematite and weathered stones to paint in red and green colours respectively. Comparative analysis of materials used in these rock arts shows they are 10,000 years old,” he added. The cave paintings have thrown light on the social lives of local inhabitants in continuous cultural sequence since the Mesolithic age (9,000 BCE). Some animal species, particularly two-horned rhinos, shown in the rock paintings indicate that the region was once home to these animals, which have since disappeared from the area.

Besides, the rock arts have thrown light on environmental and demographic situations of the contemporary periods in the stretch.

“A scientific exploration and excavation will unfold the history buried in these caves,” Dr Vyas said.

“The four rock-shelters should be declared an extension of Bhimbetka world heritage site to ensure their protection, preservation and scientific documentation,” ASI Bhopal superintendent Zulfiqar Ali told this newspaper.