Prehistoric Rock Paintings in India: Bhimbetka, Edakkal, Lakhudiyar and Themes
Komal Gupta
UPSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
In this note
- 1.Meaning and Time Periods
- 2.Bhimbetka: The Best-Known Site
- 3.Other Major Sites in India
- 4.Themes and Meaning
- 5.Why Rock Art Survives and How It Is Studied
- 6.Rock Art Across the World and India's Place
- 7.Comparison: Rock Paintings and Later Indian Painting Traditions
- 8.Threats and Conservation Measures
- 9.Case Study: A Day in the Life in the Painted Shelter
- 10.How to Answer a Question on Prehistoric Art
- 11.Common Mistakes Students Make
- 12.Teacher's Tip
- 13.Important Points for the Exam
- 14.Related Reading
- 15.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
PDF Notes: Prehistoric Rock Paintings in India: Bhimbetka, Edakkal, Lakhudiyar and Themes
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Quick answer: Prehistoric rock paintings in India are found on cave and rock-shelter walls from the Upper Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic and later periods. The most famous site is Bhimbetka (Madhya Pradesh), a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2003) with over 750 shelters, discovered by V. S. Wakankar in 1957-58. Other major sites: Mirzapur (UP), Kaimur hills, Raisen, Hoshangabad (Adamgarh), Edakkal (Kerala), Kupgal and Piklihal (Karnataka), Lakhudiyar (Uttarakhand), Jogimara (Chhattisgarh). The themes: hunting, animals, dance, daily life; the colours: red, white, green, yellow, from natural minerals like haematite (geru) and lime.
Dear students, rock art is the first picture book of human beings in India. UPSC asks which site is linked with which feature, and the Mains asks about the themes of prehistoric art and what they tell us about society. Learn the sites by region, the themes by period, and the technique.
Meaning and Time Periods
- Petroglyphs and pictographs: Petroglyphs are engravings cut into rock; pictographs (rock paintings) are drawn with pigments. In India both are found; the paintings are more famous.
- Periods: The earliest paintings are attributed to the Upper Palaeolithic period (roughly 40,000 to 10,000 years ago), but most surviving paintings belong to the Mesolithic (c. 10,000 to 6,000 BCE), Chalcolithic and historic periods. At Bhimbetka, archaeologists have identified paintings from the Upper Palaeolithic to the medieval times, arranged in layers.
- Superimposition: Newer paintings were drawn over older ones; this gives a relative chronology of styles.
Bhimbetka: The Best-Known Site
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh, in the Vindhya hills near Bhopal (about 45 km south-east), on the edge of the Deccan plateau |
| Discovery | Found by Dr Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar in 1957-58 |
| Size | About 750 rock shelters in 5 clusters, of which about 500 have paintings; spread over around 10 square km |
| Recognition | UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003 (Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka); protected by the Archaeological Survey of India |
| Name | Linked in folk tradition with Bhima of the Mahabharata (Bhimbaithka, "Bhima's seat") |
| Periods | Palaeolithic to Mesolithic and later periods; the Mesolithic paintings are the most numerous |
| Themes | Large animals (bison, tiger, rhinoceros, elephants, deer, wild boar), hunters with bows and spears, group dances, the mother and child, masks, the processions of horses and elephants (in later phase), and symbolic signs |
| Colours and technique | Red (from haematite or geru), white (lime, kaolin), yellow, green, black from manganese or charcoal; brushes of plant fibre; the binders were animal fat or plant gum |
Colour Chronology at Bhimbetka (Wakankar's Classification)
| Phase | Features |
|---|---|
| Upper Palaeolithic | Green and dark red linear figures of animals such as bison, elephant, tiger and rhinoceros; large figures |
| Mesolithic | Smaller figures, more scenes of hunting, group dances, gathering of food, and the use of bows, arrows and traps |
| Chalcolithic | Contacts with the settled agricultural people, exchange of goods; pots and designs |
| Early historic | Figures of riders, religious symbols, scripts; red, white and yellow |
| Medieval | Geometric linear figures; degenerate and schematic style |
Other Major Sites in India
| Site | State / Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kupgal, Piklihal, Hire Benkal | Karnataka | Neolithic: cattle drawn in red; Hire Benkal has megalithic burial sites too |
| Edakkal Caves | Wayanad, Kerala | Rock engravings (petroglyphs) with figures of humans and symbols from the Neolithic period; an old Brahmi script inscription |
| Lakhudiyar | Almora, Uttarakhand | Paintings in white, red and black of humans, animals and geometric patterns; the name is popularly explained as a hundred thousand caves |
| Mirzapur, Sonbhadra | Uttar Pradesh (Kaimur range) | Paintings of hunting and dancing in sandstone shelters |
| Adamgarh Hills | Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh | Mesolithic paintings and tools |
| Jogimara cave | Sarguja, Chhattisgarh | Known for old paintings; scholars give different dates, and the cave is near the Ramgarh hills |
| Narsinghgarh, Sitabenga | Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh | Rock art in shelters of the Chhattisgarh hills |
| Ladakh, Kashmir and Himachal | Hilly regions | Petroglyphs of ibex and hunters; Zanskar and Spiti |
| Bhimbetka-like sites in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh | Eastern India | Vikramkhol (Jharsuguda), Gudahandi (Kalahandi), Yogimath and Dantewada |
Themes and Meaning
- Hunting and animals: The animals are the central subject: bison, deer, wild boar, elephants, leopards. The hunting scenes may reflect magic or a wish for success in the hunt.
- Dance and ritual: Groups of people hold hands and dance; masks and costumes are seen, possibly linked to rituals.
- Social life: Family groups, mother and child, honey collection, fishing and food gathering.
- Symbols: Geometric signs, handprints and abstract shapes.
- Later phases: Horse-riding warriors and armed men with swords and shields, showing the arrival of metals and a changed life.
Why Rock Art Survives and How It Is Studied
The paintings survive in rock shelters because the overhanging roofs protect them from rain and sun. The pigments penetrated the surface and formed a hard coating. Archaeologists study the superimposition, the subject, the style and any datable material in the shelter floors. Scientific dating methods such as radiocarbon dating of associated deposits, and the analysis of pigments, help in dating. Threats include the weathering, vandalism, graffiti, water seepage, lichen growth and unregulated tourism. The ASI, INTACH and the state departments carry out conservation.
Rock Art Across the World and India's Place
Students, rock art is found on almost every continent. The famous caves of Lascaux and Altamira in Europe have great paintings of bison and horses from the Upper Palaeolithic; Africa and Australia have long rock-art traditions. India has one of the largest concentrations in Asia: more than a hundred thousand sites are estimated to be in the Indian subcontinent, though only a small number are well studied. What makes the Indian record special is the long continuity, from the hunter-gatherer age to the early historic period, in the same shelters. This continuity allows the study of change in the human society over thousands of years.
Comparison: Rock Paintings and Later Indian Painting Traditions
| Feature | Prehistoric Rock Paintings | Later Mural and Miniature Traditions |
|---|---|---|
| Medium | Natural rock surface in shelters | Plastered walls (murals), palm leaf, paper, cloth |
| Pigments | Minerals like haematite and lime | Mineral and vegetable colours, gold and lapis lazuli |
| Artists | Community members, probably elders or ritual specialists | Trained court or temple artists |
| Themes | Hunting, dance, animals, family | Religion, epics, court life, nature |
| Purpose | Magic, ritual, memory and community identity | Worship, narration, royal patronage |
The link between the two is the sense of line, colour and movement. Some historians see in the lively animal figures of Bhimbetka an early form of the sense of rhythm seen later in the Ajanta murals and the Rajput miniatures.
Threats and Conservation Measures
| Threat | Response |
|---|---|
| Weathering, water seepage and growth of lichen | Scientific cleaning, drainage correction, and monitoring by the ASI |
| Vandalism and graffiti | Fencing, guard posts, site museums and signboards |
| Quarrying and development near the sites | Declaration of protected areas and buffer zones under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 |
| Unregulated tourism | Controlled access, trained guides and awareness programmes |
| Lack of documentation | Digital documentation by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) through the National Rock Art project and the Rock Art Society of India |
Case Study: A Day in the Life in the Painted Shelter
Students, think of a small Mesolithic group living at Bhimbetka, at the edge of a forest with a stream nearby. The men hunt with bows, the women gather fruit and roots and grind the seeds on stone slabs, children play. In the evening they sit together in the shelter, make red pigments by crushing haematite stone and mix it with fat. One of the elders draws a bison, others draw the hunters, and sometimes the group paints their dance. The shelter becomes both a home and a gallery. When you write about rock paintings in the Mains, use this picture to show that the art was made by communities, was linked with their economy, and expressed their beliefs.
How to Answer a Question on Prehistoric Art
Students, if the question asks "What do rock paintings tell us about prehistoric life?", write four short paragraphs: the economy (hunting and gathering), the society (group dances and family scenes), the beliefs (masks, ritual and symbols), and the change over time (the arrival of horses, metal weapons and settled life in the later layers). Close with one line on the importance of protecting these sites. This simple pattern works for almost every question on the topic, and it takes about eight minutes to write in the exam.
Common Mistakes Students Make
- Writing that Bhimbetka is in Uttar Pradesh. It is in Madhya Pradesh.
- Giving Bhimbetka's discovery to the ASI Director John Marshall. It was V. S. Wakankar (1957-58).
- Believing that all paintings are of one period. They span from the Upper Palaeolithic to medieval times.
- Confusing petroglyphs (carved) with pictographs (painted). Edakkal is a petroglyph site; Bhimbetka is mainly painted.
Teacher's Tip
Students, make one line for each of five sites: Bhimbetka - MP - UNESCO 2003; Edakkal - Kerala - engravings; Lakhudiyar - Uttarakhand - white/red paintings; Kupgal/Piklihal - Karnataka - Neolithic cattle; Jogimara - Chhattisgarh - old paintings. The colour code is red = haematite, white = lime/kaolin, green = chalcedony, black = manganese/charcoal.
Important Points for the Exam
- Bhimbetka: Raisen, MP; V. S. Wakankar; UNESCO 2003; paintings in red and white.
- Themes: hunting, dance, animals, masks, family life.
- Other sites: Edakkal (Kerala), Lakhudiyar (Uttarakhand), Kupgal (Karnataka), Mirzapur (UP).
Related Reading
Read this with our notes on Indus Valley Civilization, Vedic Period, Fairs, Festivals, Dances and Folk Music and our UPSC blog.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Where are the Bhimbetka rock shelters located?
In Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh.
Who discovered Bhimbetka?
V. S. Wakankar, in 1957-58.
When was Bhimbetka declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
In 2003.
Which colours are common in the rock paintings?
Red, white, yellow, green and black.
What was red pigment made from?
Haematite, locally called geru.
What were common themes of rock paintings?
Hunting, animals, dance, family life and symbols.
What are petroglyphs?
Designs carved or engraved on rock.
Which Kerala site has rock engravings?
The Edakkal Caves in Wayanad.
Which Uttarakhand site is known for rock paintings?
Lakhudiyar, near Almora.
Which period has the largest number of Bhimbetka paintings?
The Mesolithic period.
What is superimposition?
Painting new figures over older ones, giving a relative sequence.
Which Karnataka sites show Neolithic cattle paintings?
Kupgal and Piklihal.
What was the binder used in pigments?
Animal fat or plant gum.
Which Chhattisgarh cave has ancient paintings?
The Jogimara cave in Sarguja.
What does the name Bhimbetka relate to?
Folk memory of Bhima, the Pandava, in the Mahabharata.
Which agency protects Bhimbetka?
The Archaeological Survey of India.
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Komal Gupta
UPSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Komal is a senior UPSC exam strategist with 8+ years of experience helping aspirants crack CSE, CDS and NDA exams. She writes in-depth notification breakdowns, exam pattern guides and preparation strategies.