HISTORY of INDIAN ARTS – 11th Grade

Chapter 4 – Prehistoric Rock Painting

B.Monica
M.F.A
PGT – Fine Arts
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Introduction to Prehistoric Rock Paintings

 First Rock painting was discovered in 1867 – 68 A.D.

 Archibold Corlleyle, Cockburn, Anderson, Mitra and

Ghosh early archaeologists – initially took interest to
discover large number of sites in Indian
subcontinents.

 Primitive men took shelter in cave during prehistoric

periods.
 z Remnants of rock paintings

 Rock paintings where found on walls of the caves.

Situated in several districts.

 Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar,

Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu,
Kerala , Odisha and Uttarakhand.

 Some of them have great importance to understand

the human life period.

 Lakhudiyar, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh,

Bhimbetka - MP
 z Prehistoric rock painting - Lakhudiyar
 Lakhudiyar means one lakh caves which is located
in Almora district of Uttarakhand.

 Divided in to three categories – Man, Animal and

Geometric patterns – White, Black and Red ochre.
Some superimpositions of paintings.

 Earliest are in black, over these are red ochre and

last group comprises white paintings.

Dancing figure

Wave pattern
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Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh
 This 2 place the granite rocks provided suitable
space for Neolithic men for painting.

 Kupagallu, Piklihal and Tekkalkota are famous sites –

three types of rock painting have found.

 White , Red ocher over white back ground and Red

ochre.

 Painting found here are late historical, early historical

and Neolithic periods.

 Pictures found are Bulls, elephants, sambhars,

gazelles, sheep, goats, horses and stylized human.
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Bhimbetka

 Bhimbetka located in Vindhya hills of Madhya Pradesh.

 Largest and most spectacular rock shelters.

 Forty five kilometer far away from South Bhopal.

 Eight hundred rock shelters of stone-age discovered.

 Five hundred bear paintings of stone-age people.

 This cave shelter are scattered around ten square kilometers.

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 Bhimbetka were discovered by an eminent archeologist

V.S.Wakankar in 1957-58 A.D. He spent several years to study
these painting.

 Daily life, hunting, dancing, paying musical instrument, honey

collection, decoration of bodies and other households.

 Human as horses and elephant riders , animal fighting ,stag ,

tiger, bison.
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Bhimbetka classification

Bhimbetka has been classified into seven groups,

 Period I – Upper palaeolithic

 Period II – Mesolithic

 Period – III – Chalcolithic

 Period – IV and V – Early History

 Period – VI and VII - Medieval

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Upper Palaeolithic Period

 The big size figure of animals – Bison, tiger,

rhinoceros, boars and stick – like human figure.

 Delineated on the wall of the caves in green and

dark red in which are wash paintings and mostly
in geometric patterns.

 The dancers were painted in green and hunter in

red.
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Mesolithic Period

 The paintings of this period are comparatively small

in size but more in numbers.

 There is the depiction of communal dancer, birds,

human playing musical instruments, mother and
children, pregnant women, men carrying dead
animals.

 In addition to animal there are many hunting scenes

which are giving a clear picture of the weapons they
used like pointed stick, bow and arrows
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Chalcolithic Period

 The paintings of this period are similar to that of Mesolithic

period.

 But during this period, the cave dwellers of this are came into
contact with agricultural communities of the Malwa plains and
they changed good with them.
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Early History Period
 The painting of this period are schematic decorative in
style and painted mainly with red, white and yellow
colors.

 The association of riders , depiction of religious symbols

as figures of yakshas, tree, gods and magical sky
chariots are worth seeing.
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Medieval Period

 Painting of this period are schematic , linear and geometrical in shape.

 They show degeneration and crudeness in their style.

 Colors were prepared in combining manganese, haematite (Iron oxide

compound widely found in rocks and soils) and wooden coal (Charcoal).

 Painters of Bhimbetka used many colors with various shades of white,

yellow, orange, red ochre, purple, brown, green and black.

 This colors were grinded from various rocks, minerals and pigment.
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Medieval Period

 Geru (An earthy red color, used in India to paint flowerpots and tree
bases. For) red color.
 Chalcedony (stone) for green color.
 Lime stone for the White.
 To stable the painting they mixed animal fat or gum or resin of tree.
 Plant fibres and hair of animals are used to make brushes.
 Painting are still existence after 1000 of years and the color of these
paintings are intact till now.
 Both men and animals seem engaged in the struggle for their survival.
New painting was painted on top of old one .20 painting have been
found at some places .
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Study of the Prehistoric Rock -Painting
 Name - A Roaring Animal

 Place - Bhimbetka cave near Bhopal,

Madhya Pradesh, India.

 Artist – Unknown

 Medium – Mineral colors.

Painting in red, showing man being hunted by a beast (Bison)

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 Name - Wizard’s Dance

 Place - Place - Bhimbetka cave near Bhopal,

Madhya Pradesh, India.

 Artist – Unknown

 Medium – Mineral colors.

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Assignment - 3
1. Differentiate between the Prehistoric and Historic Periods on the basis of Art
form?

2. Where have the prehistoric rock paintings been found in India?

3. Explain the rock – painting “ A Roaring Animal of Bhimbetka”.

4. Explain the composition aspect of the rock painting “Wizard’s Dance” of

Bhimbetka?

5. When and where were rock paintings found, and what was the name of the
archaeologist found?

6. Write the time periods classified in Bhimbetka and name them ?

7. Explain about Medieval Period?