ROCK ART IN INDIA: PERSPECTIVE FROM PUBLISHED DATA AND FIELDWORK

Abstract

Rock Art has recently attracted tremendous research focus as it represents the earliest human evidence of aesthetic taste and symbolic expression and constitutes valuable information on the lives, beliefs and preoccupations of prehistoric communities. The rock art of the India Subcontinent stretches from the high altitudes of Zanskar Valley and Ladakh in the north to the granite pockets in the south, from Gujarat in the west to Assam and Manipur in the east. With its highest concentration in the central sandstone region, Indian rock art has gained its importance after the discovery of Bhimbetka (Madhya Pradesh), now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Despite a significant amount of research on Indian rock art, its chronology and purpose are yet to be properly worked out. In addition to a critical review of published data, fieldwork was done at the Bayan site-complex (M.P.) D-Stretch software was applied to see hidden or unclear images and their superimposition (overlap). Results suggest that previously reported frequencies are minimum numbers and require reinvestigations.