The prehistoric petroglyphs (rock engravings) on the Thovari hills near the Edakkal caves in Wayanad district have got a new lease of life, courtesy the district administration.
District Collector Kesavendrakumar after a visit to the site on Friday told The Hindu that the district administration had asked the State Archaeology Department to expedite measures to declare the site a protected monument.
Mr. Kesavendrakumar directed the officials of the District Tourism Promotion Council and the Forest Department to develop the area, similar to the Edakkal caves, to attract more tourists and researchers.
“We are planning to develop the site as a major ecotourism destination,” the Collector said, adding that it would prevent antisocial elements from taking over the place.
As part of it, a road would be constructed to the site, and fencing and other security measures would be set up, he said.
The engravings, including geometrical signs, and fertility, arrow, and star symbols, besides the newly found anthropomorphic motif, look like the prototype of a figure at the Edakkal caves, and have been in a neglected State for years.
The new motif on an angled rock was discovered by a group of rock art enthusiasts while documenting the petroglyphs in the district recently.
The Thovari rock engravings are believed to comprise mainly geometrical and abstract figures. Some of the marks closely resemble the Brahmi script. One carving resembles a bird, a specimen of the primitive man’s creative instinct to depict the world around him despite the limitations of his crude tools.
However, miscreants and antisocial elements who reportedly frequent the Thovarimala have disfigured some of the carvings by wanton etching.
The area around Thovari is rich in megalithic monuments and articles such as burial cists and urns, and stone circles.
The cave, in the middle of a vested forest in the South Wayanad Forest Division, provides visitors with a panoramic view of the place.
Archaeology Department asked to declare the prehistoric rock carvings on the Thovari hills a protected monument.
