Palaeoart of India: Nature, Spirit, and Significance

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India is one of the three countries having the richest treasures of rock art in the world. Indian Palaeoart (Purakala), consisting of non-iconic and iconic rock art, and non-utilitarian objects, presents the dynamic and vibrant life of our Stone Age ancestors in the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Age. It also depicts the clear picture of transition from hunting-food gathering to pastoral economy in late Mesolithic Age. It happened with humpless cattle. Humped bull and metallic implements appeared later. It led the foundation of self-reliant economy which brought radical change in the life and culture of the people.

The crucial issue of the origin of art has also been discussed in the perspective of latest research. It has established that throughout the world iconic Palaeoart is preceded by non-iconic presentations. It was because of the human brain and his capacity to produce the nonutilitarian communication symbols, forms, motifs, and iconic compositions. It developed slowly from Homo erectus onwards through Neanderthals and Homo sapien sapiens. The issue of the origin and development of different stages of the Palaeoart has been discussed for the first time through the Indian evidence of non-iconic Palaeoart art from Lower Palaeolithic onwards to Upper Palaeolithic in the global perspective. The evidence is so important that it is set to affect not only our concepts of art origins and Pleistocene hominin development in southern Asia, but it will influence the way we view cognitive evolution generally.

The replication of different forms and size of the early cupules in Daraki-Chattan and the rock paintings of Chaturbhujnath Nala in river Chambal Valley carried out in the last 22 years helped us to understand the intelligence, cognitive, technological, and cultural development of the authors of Palaeoart. Attempts have also been made to study Indian Palaeoart from the perspective of art and communication design. It is quite capable of changing the perception of the art historians to look beyond the Harappan culture for the rich early tradition of the Palaeoart heritage of India.

The continuity of art tradition through the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age cultures and Cave art has been discussed, so also the current practice of rock art production by Karbi Naga community in Assam. Scientific dates for Indian Palaeoart obtained by different methods of dating through the EIP Project have been presented and discussed. Regional characters of Indian Palaeoart in this book have brought out its regional colours, flavours, and nature. The main objective of the study of Palaeoart is to understand the origin and development of the human ability to create constructs of reality. It is to trace our journey of progress in ourself and social behaviour, science and technology, and the spirit to explore unfathomable secretes of the Nature; and how the man became the dominant species on the planet Earth. We can observe the clearly defined stages of the cognitive, technological, and cultural development lively depicted in Indian Palaeoart.

The location of the Palaeoart sites in the lap of the Nature, stunning beauty of the landscape, and rich wild fauna are great attractions to the people, especially the young ones. Rock art sites inspire us to follow the spirit of adventure and creativity of our ancestors. In short, this book presents the brilliant and dynamic personality of Indian Palaeoart in a holistic way and its significance to the humanity.

Prof. Giriraj Kumar, born at Baran in Rajasthan on 01 January 1953, is a veteran scholar of Rock Art Science and Indian Culture. His field work and research in Palaeoart during the last 47 years have established Rock Art Discipline on scientific footings in India. He has brought out 10 books and published nearly 150 research papers on Palaeoart, Stone Age archaeology, and Chalcolithic cultures in national and international peer reviewed journals. The present book entitled as, Palaeaart of India: Nature, Spirit, and Significance, is a concised volume specially designed for the Indian youth to be proud of their invaluable Palaeoart heritage and to be motivated for its further scientific study and promotion for the economic development of the country. He has edited and published 31 volumes of Purakala; and organsied many national and international conferences in India and abroad.

To promote scientific rock art research in India at par with the global developments he founded Rock Art Society of India (RASI) and its peer reviewed international journal Purakala in 1990, and has been serving both of them as the Secretary General and President till present.

His research has established the existence of Ostrich in India in the late late-Pleistocene period, discovered many rock art sites. He was the close student of late Dr V. S. Wakankar, the father of Rock Art Discipline in India. With him he carried out excavations at Bhimbetka, the Stone Age rock art site in the Vindhyas (1977), (now a UNESCO World Heritage site); and also that of Mandsaur (1978), Dangawada (1979, 1980, 1982) and Runija (1981), the Chalcolithic sites in Chambal Valley in Madhya Pradesh.

Prof. Kumar carried out excavations at Daraki-Chattan Cave (DC) under the EIP Project. DC is an early Palaeolithic petroglyph site in river Chambal basin under the EIP Project with Prof. Robert G. Bednarik and Dr Ram Krishna. It established unambiguously the Lower Palaeolithic antiquity of the cupules and petroglyphs at Daraki-Chattan Cave, for the first time in the world. It is 3-10 times much older than that of Europe.

Prof. Giriraj Kumar, for his extraordinary contributions in rock art and archaeology, was awarded with the prestigious Dr V. S. Wakankar award 2017-18 by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 2021. He was invited by the UNESCO/WHC/SpaFIT/Prehistory_3, Paris as the Asian Expert to participate in the, "Prehistory and the World Heritage Convention: Towards an Action Plan in 2008.

I was invited by Prof. B. R. Mani, Vice Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Heritage, deemed to be University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh to deliver a major lecture on, "The appreciation of Indian rock art', on 18 July 2024. It was the opening lecture of an academic course on, 'Art Appreciation', run by the Department of History of Art, Indian Institute of Heritage, Noida. While preparing the Power Point Presentation on it I was inspired to write a book on, 'Palacoart of India: Nature, Spirit, and Significance."

Palaeoart consists majority of rock art, early petroglyphs, and non-utilitarian objects. India is one of the three countries having the richest treasures of rock art in the world. Other two are Australia and South Africa. Central India has produced the Lower Palaeolithic petroglyphs from Bhimbetka and Daraki-Chattan, which are the earliest evidence of Palaeoart in the world so far known. Non-utilitarian objects in the form of used haematite nodules (Hunsgi, Karnataka), chipped quartzite disc (Maihar, Madhya Pradesh), and quartz crystals (Didwana, Rajasthan) were also found from Acheulian (Lower Palaeolithic) levels. Ostrich eggshell and Olive shell beads, and engraved ostrich eggshell pieces were reported from Upper Palaeolithic strata from Central India, and Deccan region. A rhomboid design engraved on the cortex of a fluted core on chert was found from surface at Chandravati in Rajasthan. Besides, we also found bilinear and multilinear patterns of cupules, a motif developed by adding two radiating lines and cupules to an engraved circle at Raisen in Madhya Pradesh, and one motif developed out of small and shallow cupules at Chattaneshwar-II on the left bank of river Alania in river Chambal Valley, Rajasthan. On the basis of technology used for their production, simplicity in form and design, state of weathering and patination, the author considers this evidence as the further development in Palaeoart in Middle Palaeolithic and Upper Palaeolithic Age. Thus, for the first time origin of art from Lower Palaeolithic to Upper Palaeolithic Age has been discussed in Indian perspective. Dr V. S. Wakankar was always enthusiastic to know that where was the beginning of the mature artistic compositions in early rock paintings of Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Age.

Then, the iconic-Palaeoart (rock art) of the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Age has been discussed highlighting the quality of lines, strokes, and filling of the space which have infused life, dynamism, and vigor to the Mesolithic compositions of the Palaeoart. The varied themes and styles are unique to India.

Replication of Daraki-Chattan cupules (2002-2014) shows that cupule production on the hard quartzite rock is a difficult task. It needs nearly 30,000 strokes with concentration and dedication in two days to produce a medium-size cupule of 33.5 x 32.5 x 9.0 mm dimension. It required multiple hammerstones and total involvement, precisely focused strokes, commitment, and immense skill. It indicates that cupule creation is not a play work. Therefore, in Daraki-Chattan cupule creation must have been a serious task, deeply related with life.

Similarly, we carried out replication project on the rock paintings of Chaturbhujnath Nala in 2021. Our study shows that the authors of Stone Age rock paintings had deep understanding of the nature, rocks, surfaces, pigments, minerals and anatomy of the animals and humans. They lived in harmony with nature and shared their experience and the perceived reality in the form of rock art compositions. Therefore, the art and design community can learn from these Stone Age design compositions to present their ideas accurately with minimal visual clutter and elements without overloading with unnecessary information. It also indicates that the design fundamentals are very much present in the Stone Age rock art compositions, which can be read or interpreted technically from the perspective of design communication for systemic technical study.

It is only through rock art we could know that the cattle domestication began with humpless cattle in the late phase of Mesolithic. Afterwards appearance of Humped Bull and introduction of metallic axes brought a radical change in the socio-economic and cultural development of the people. Incipient mode of agriculture followed soon. Because of that change in economy a secured life style was developed. Gradually people lost the dynamism of the previous hunting-foraging mode of life. It is also reflected in their creative productions of this period. Figures gradually became small. They lost dynamism. Most of them are static and lifeless. However, rock art of early pastoral phase is known for its experiments in a variety of schematic forms. In Iron Age dagger and swords were introduced, so also appeared warriors with swords and spears, caparisoned horse riders, and war scenes. Early Brahmi inscriptions and religious symbols were also introduced simultaneously in the early Historic period.

The continuity of Palaeoart tradition has been traced in the creative traditions of the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age cultures followed by the rich tradition of Cave paintings in Ajanta, Ellora, Bagh, etc. in Central India and Deccan region. A study of the creative traditions of the living semi-pastoral and pastoral communities around Chaturbhujnath Nala: A magnificent rock art gallery in river Chambal Valley, India has been presented to understand the continuity of rock art tradition in the region. Besides, the current practice of rock art creation by Karbi Tribes in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, the first evidence of its kind from India, has been brought to light by Brijesh Prajapati.

The present study brings out a comprehensive picture of the origin and development of Indian Palaeoart right from Lower Palaeoalithic till a few centuaries back in the world perspective for the first time in India. It also attempts to study Indian Palaeoart from the perspective of art and communication design. Thus, a brilliant picture of Palaeoart of India has emerged. It is quite capable of changing the perception of the art historians to look beyond the Bronze Age Harappan culture for the rich early tradition of Indian Palaeoart heritage.

Besides the art appreciation, the book also presents a brief history of Palaeoart research in India and latest development in its research. Scientific dates for Indian palaeoart obtained by different methods of dating have been discussed and analysed. Regional characters of Indian Palaeoart in this book presents its regional colours, flavours, and nature.

The present work by Prof. Giriraj Kumar discusses various facets of Indian Palacoart-its origin and development, antiquity and dating and moreover very close to Indian ethos and spirit. The prehistoric man was the earliest explorer of nature around him which was pure and beautiful in those times. Man explored it in all its manifestations including flora and fauna and in his leisure time remembered it and drew on rock-surface either in the form of paintings or in Petroglyphs and scratchings. This helped him understand the secret of universe which was reflected in his creation as well as his feelings, emotions, happiness, grief and the melancholy with which he had to lead his life. In times when he was having enough prey and was satisfied with his food, he used to depict through his creativity his happiness and pleasure. He used to draw dancing scenes having group of males and females with drums and such musical instruments as might have been used in those primitive societies. Rock paintings and engravings are the best way of expressions of Indian palaeoart which had undergone many stages of developments from non-iconic to iconic expressions.

The author has successfully described Indian rock art in its various manifestations sites alongwith stunning landscapes and amidst rich biodiversity. He has not only described the evolution and development of motifs in rock art but has dealt with the scientific investigations including documentation, conservation and management, associated excavations, methods and study of superimpositions absolute and relative datings including OSL, surface luminiscence, micro erosion, AMS C14, dating and U/Th dating, replications ete.

The investigative researches of the author has not only tried to classify the stages of evolution of rock art in upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic ages, but has also dealt with significant questions of the beginning of cattle domestications, humpless and humped cattles, appearance of chariots and metals and appearance of scripts leading towards beginning of the historic period in Indian rock art throughout the length and width of the country which would attract both scholars and general readers including students of higher studies.