Our Stone Age Rock Art heritage can show us the way
to live a meaningful and happy life
Giriraj Kumar
Rock art sites are found in the lap of nature in the deep forest and valleys, deserts and plateaus which are home of a variety of flora and fauna. Rock art has been created on the bare surface of rocks in different geological and climatic zones right from the Himalayas in the north to the Nilgiris in the south, Eastern Ghats in the south east and Western Ghats in the south west, in the Aravallis and desert of the west and in the offshoots of the Himalays in the east. However, the major concentration of rock art is found in the Vindhyas in central India and in the Satpuras and Deccan Plateau associated with it in its south. Thus, India is one of the major countries having the richest treasures of rock art in the world.
Rock art is the manifestation of humans’ understanding of the nature and the perceived reality, his behaviour and living in different periods of human development right from the beginning of Stone Age. Thus, rock art is a reflection of human mind, thought processes and efforts made for understanding the reality through the journey of development. It presents the human spirit of adventure and creativity, living life full of energy, enthusiasm and happiness, meeting the challenges with passion to overcome them, discoveries and inventions made at different stages of human development. It manifests the strong human spirit of celebration of life in perfect harmony with natureand the philosophy of life developed in this process (Kumar and Pradhan 2008:59-50). This philosophy of life matures in due course of time and culminates in the form of Vedant philosophy in the Upanishadas in later Vedic period.
Upanishadas present humans as an integral part of the nature and cosmos. This vision of life was developed in theprocess of harmonising with nature and realising the reality. It has been a continuous process of our cognitive development and humanisation right from the beginning of Stone Age (Kumar 2014). In other words, it has been the human quest for understanding and realising the self (Vyasti) in relationship with the society and the world (Samasti), the Nature (Srishti: Jadjagat and Chetan jagat) and the all-encompassing Supreme Power (Parmeshti) and again the self. It is the circle of the human quest for realisation of the Akshar Brahma (Fig. 1). When it is completed the self becomes enlightened. Only adventurous and creative persons with a mission of life can achieve it.
Thus, rock art and rock art sitesare the best testimonies of this unending human quest for unravelling the secrets of the nature and finding the truth, and also that of human spirit of passion, adventure and creativity to live a blissful and meaningful life (Kumar 2014, 2015).These are the timeless qualities needed for any society at any time to progress while living a meaningful quality life. Therefore, understanding, preserving and cherishing our great rock art heritage is the need of the time.
- Bhimbetka complex of rock shelters are towering rocks, a wonderful creation of the nature located in the Ratapani wild life sanctuary near Bhopal. It has mesmerising compositions of Stone Age rock art and is the only rock art heritage site in India nominated as the UNESCO World heritage site in 2003. This proud of India was discovered by late Dr V. S. Wakankar in 1957. He also carried out scientific investigations there in 1960s and 70s, and excavations for six seasons from 1972 to 1978. Bhimbetka also yielded the continuous sequence of human occupation right from Oldowan-1 type of Chopper-Chopping artefact culture of Lower Palaeolithic to a few centuries back in the Historic period. Thus, Bhimbetka is a unique Stone Age Culture site in the world which yielded the continuous sequence of cultural history of man from Lower Palaeolithic Stone Age till a few centuries back.
Bhimbetka, also produced the petroglyphs from the Acheulian strata of Lower Palaeolithic Age. The evidence of Bhimbetka was endorsed by the evidence produced from the excavations of Daraki-Chattan Cave in the Chambal basin near Bhanpura in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh. It is the richest Palaeolithic rock art site in the world and revealed the evidence of the earliest rock art (petroglyphs) from Oldowan-1 type of cultural strata and the hammerstones used for their production.
The evidence of rock art from central India established that India has produced the evidence of the earliest rock art in the world 5 to 10 times older than the earliest rock art of the Europe. Thus, Asia and especially India, not the Europe, was the hub of cultural development.Therefore, Wakankar’s dream to establish the Stone Age antiquity and significance of Indian rock art for understanding the cognitive and cultural development of the humans was more than fulfilled. He might have started dancing if he was alive.
At present our responsibility is:
- To work on rock art with missionary zeal and continue the legacy of Dr V. S.
- Scientific study and documentation of the vast rock art heritage of India, identify many more important rock art heritage sites from different parts of our country and make right efforts to get their nomination as the UNESCO world heritage sites
- Connecting the people with this wonderful heritage of mankind in every possible manner and popularising it in the world.
- Protecting this priceless rock art heritage for the posterity, the primary and major task to be dealt with.
The 23rd Conference of Rock Art Society of India is to find solutions to these issues, develop a visionary plan and strategy to implement it. It has been organised to celebrate the birth centenary of Dr V. S. Wakankar, the father of Rock Art Discipline in India. Therefore, the deliberations and outcome of the conference will be a befitting tribute to that great soul.It is hosted by Dr WakankarSanskritiAnveshanNyas, Ujjain and sponsored by Indian Council of Historical Research, Government of India.
Prof Giriraj Kumar
Secretary General
Rock Art Society of India
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