Prehistoric Rock Art of India
The rock art of India [MAP] (as of the
world) serves as an invaluable chronicle of man’s evolution from Stone Age to the
historic period covering a span of 30,000 yrs. It gives us an insight into the prehistoric
man and his inner world.
Man’s capacity for objectification is the quality, which distinguishes him from the rest of the animal world. The practice of art is a manifestation of an advance in the power of objectification . The rock art is a symbolic representation of man’s coming to terms with his external world, of the various stages of adaptation to his environment with the help of a culturally oriented way of life, the material culture as well as metaphysical.
The
origin of rock art probably goes back to the magical belief man held. Prehistoric man
believed that by going through the correct motions it was possible to appropriate
something of the power inherent in the animals. The drawings executed on the rock canvas
to gain magical power over animals had a social function and a ritual meaning.
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Larger
than life-size animal |
Since the hunt had a crucial significance for man, the rock paintings of the prehistoric period in India contain larger than life size figures of animals (picture) like the bison, tiger, rhinoceros etc. The experience of divinity has been manifest in animal figures. In many culture animals play a prominent role in hunting myths. In the form of animal master they are credited with teaching dances to man that would restore the dead animals after the hunt.
The thematic and stylistic variations of rock art, the colours used give us an idea of the chronology of the paintings.
The Mesolithic paintings whose subject matter is chasing of huge animals by primitive men by throwing pears at them reflect the subduing of animals stronger than man by a more perfected technology.
The Mesolithic paintings of Narsingarh ( M.P.) show skins of spotted deer left drying which indicate that man has acquired the art of tanning skins for clothing and shelter.
Creation of sound and concept of rhythm appeared
In the paintings of these period musical instruments like the harp figure to show that the awareness of creation of sound and the concept of rhythm have appeared. (Bhimbetaka, Narsingarh, Firengi etc.). Men wearing masks and indulging in communal dances are depicted. Another feature of the pre historic rock art of India and the world are imprints of hands. They were probably painted by being sprayed against the hand held to the wall. Some of the figures are mutilated. Ritual mutilation is an integrated feature of many tribes. Music and dance have a ritual meaning. They also strengthened social solidarity and eased the monotony of everyday activities of life.
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Practice of burial :
man's |
Magical
ideas can be seen embodied in the beads and amulet men wore for thousands of years. The
feathers and jewelry worn are a further step to his self-awareness; Tattooing probably
goes back to this period. Those who ornamented themselves thus were the first artists.
Man’s awareness to the time and his speculation of death gets reflected in the practice of burial. The dead was buried in the caves along with the weapons, pottery and ornaments to accompany him to the other world. Some paintings depict mourning of the dead as well as megalithic burials (Benekal forest, Karnataka). The idea of death leading to rebirth was prevalent even as far back as the Neanderthal man who inhabited earth between 200,000-75,000 BC. Burials in caves revealed skeletons accompanied by animal sacrifices like ox, bison, wild goat etc. The bodies were buried along the east-west axis in analogy with the sun’s course.
Anciant tribal burial practice: an artist's imagination
Square divided by vertical lines
The paintings of the Mesolithic period contain geometric forms like the spiral, square, circle, rhomboid etc. A painting from Joanna (M.P.) shows a square divided by vertical lines into compartments.
There
is a circle in the centre. Outside the square are reeds and fishes probably indicating
water over earth. On the right side of the square are four flying birds. It is possible
that the artists were trying to symbolically represent the universe. The inside of animals
sometimes contain geometric designs, probably these animals had a cultic significance.
Geometrically stylyzed art like the spiral, maze and labyrinth, refer to death and
rebirth. Some ancient myths retain these design as symbols of the under world. In archaic
art labyrinth is the home of child consuming minotaur. The geometrical motifs of zigzag
band indicating the serpent, Swatika indicating the bird’s flight and rhombus the
nest appear to be transferred much later to ceramic art in the Indus
Valley Civilization.
The geometric forms like the spiral and the labyrinth symbolize the passage to the underworld as in Melanesians. In ancient Crates and Babylon the tombs for the dead would be made in the form of a spiral to enable the dead to enter the womb (in the form of a spiral) to be reborn.
In the rock art of India, the insides of the animals contain geometric designs. These designs are associated with the anatomy as well as beliefs related to cults of the dead.
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For pre-historic man, the mask symbolized a supernatural force giving him special powers. By wearing a mask man could establish a link with the world of animals and nature. Till today masked dances are an integral part of Indian culture.
Among the animals of particular interest are mythic animals with the body of a boar and horns of a bovine, head of a horse but the body is coiled like a snake, giant snakes with ears etc (Sagar, M.P.) .
Thousands
of years later they appear on the seals of the Harrapan
civilization. In the early historic rock paintings the animals are depicted as
half human, half animal. They often have a tail. In the later Hinduism they are
transformed into icons like NARSIMHA (half man, half lion),
Gajanarasimha (half elephant, half lion) etc. They emphasize the continuity of the human
and animal worlds. Composite animals form an intrinsic part of the Buddhist sculpture on
the stupas of 2nd Century BC of Bharhut and Sanchi. Feathered serpents and owl monkeys were among the
supernatural beings of many South American cultures. They find a prominent place in Hindu
religion, art and thought. For instance Gajanarsimha (half elephant, half lion etc.)
As human culture advances the rock art undergoes thematic and stylistic changes. As man gains control over the environment, he is no longer in awe of the animals. The paintings of the later period reflect this confidence. The size of human beings in the later period increases. Men are depicted as riding on cattle and elephants. The repertoire of narrative possibilities increases. Battle scenes, royal processions, men riding garrisoned horses (Pic.) predominate the rock canvas. (Mahadeo Hills, M.P.) This reflects the control man has acquired over his environment.
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Control man has acquired over his environment |
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In some paintings the antagonism between the pastorates and agriculturists is shown. In the historic period the subject of hero stones is depicting the hero who lays down his life defending the cattle. The practice becomes widely prevalent in Deccan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Maharastra from 10th century.
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The veneration man had for heavenly bodies in the earliest times which is the source of religious feelings is now transferred to a pantheon of anthropomorphic deities. The iconographic features of later Hindu Gods and Goddesses appear like features of Krishna and Samkarshana. Later religious symbols like Trishul, Swastika, Purna kumbha, Stupas, flag, chattras and altars also figure. Cult heroes with many arms and legs appear. The paintings of the 1st century AD. Contain figures in Kushana costumes and caps. Besides paintings, inscriptions in Gupta Brahmi script also been found in the rock shelters (Bhimbetaka, M.P). Some domestic scenes like grinding, a women cooking, messaging man’s feet and head (Mahadeo hills) indicating differentiation of roles of male and female. Furniture like stools, beds and pottery are an interesting feature of this period.
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Significantly the art that has existed on the rock canvas for thousands of years lives on even now, practiced on a different canvas namely the walls of the huts of the tribes like the Warlis and the Rathawas. The animals are a part of their myths. There mythical heroes like Pithoro ride on them. The ritual significance of paintings continues. The Warlis paint their walls to celebrate weddings and other auspicious events. A sacred space is kept apart for the ritual painting in the house. Stylistically the horses and animals are very similar to paintings on the rock canvas.
The appearance of the Mother Goddess, the auspicious symbols of the sun and the moon and thick vegetation. He worshipped animals in the late Mesolithic as totems, he attributes the creation of animals to the Goddess. That is why the Mother Goddess in the Warli paintings is shown as the mother of animals, people, plants and the celestial world, the sun and the moon are prominent, in other words she is the creation. Since marriage is an occasion that leads to productivity, the Goddess image is drawn on the walls of the hut.
The story of evolution of rock art is a fascinating story of man himself. It dispels notion of exclusivity of the culture of any nation, as human being evolved uniformly all over the world. We all are outgrowths of a common trunk of prehistory. A study of rock art helps in understanding that all later civilizations developed from a similar formative stage of man but as they developed further, through the medium of culture, they acquired unique features of style and form.
[Top]
- An introduction to the origin of art in India
- Sequence of cultural development in rock art
- Bhimbetka