Archaeological experts and scholars across the country and from China discussed the challenges in deciphering rock arts of pre-historic sites and evolving new methodologies to preserve them at a brainstorming session which began on Thursday.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Department of History, Pondicherry University are jointly organising the three-day 19 Congress of Rock Art Society of India at the university .
The term ‘rock art’ means all types of artistic expression noticed on the natural rock surfaces of caves, shelters and boulders. Rock art can be found in many regions of the Himalayas and across the subcontinent. Peninsular India too is rich in rock art, which is found on the hillocks of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The discovery of rock paintings at Mallapadi in Dharamapuri district by K.V. Raman in 1978 initiated new beginning in the rock art of Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu, rock art sites are concentrated in Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and Vellore districts.
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In south India, rock art is best illustrated in Andhra Pradesh where it is well documented and studied thoroughly, although a large number of rock art sites have been reported from Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu besides a few from Goa.
Dwelling on the need to protect rock art sites, M. Nambirajan, director (monuments), ASI, said his organisation protects 3,680 archaeological monuments and sites in India. Only few rock art sites are among them. Even these are located in groups like the ones at Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh and central India.
“Outside these regions, we have limited rock art sites under our purview. We don’t know what happens to these unprotected sites. People visit these sites and because of their enthusiasm, they go and touch the painting and art which are not protected. They do not care about its fragile condition.
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They paint on it or vandalise it. We have to protect more sites under the ASI and the State Departments of Archaeology. Universities also have the responsibility. It is not possible to protect all these sites by government agencies,” Mr. Nambirajan said.
Pointing to limitation of resources and shortage of manpower, Mr. Nambirajan said, “We are also trying to create awareness during the World Heritage Day. Similarly, the State Departments have to conduct some awareness programme. The universities can encourage the students to carry out research on many sites we do not know of, and the sites that have not been studied and documented.”
Only 27 rock art sites across the world have been declared as world heritage sites, and Bhimbetka is one of them, he said. The site is now well protected and enough precaution has been taken so that water does not seep inside and the area is barricaded. Huisheng Tang of the International Centre of Rock Art Dating and Conservation, China, delivered the keynote address on ‘Direct dating of Rock Art in China.’ He said there are only six rock art sites in China which have been directly dated by modern scientific technology, including the Huashan in Guangxi, the Yeniugou and Lushan in Qinghai, the Jiangjunya in Jiangsu, the Beishan in Ningxia, and the rock art sites of Baiyunwan in Yunnan.
Mr. Tang said, “Dating of rock art is the main problem across the world, because we have no official way to determine that. We have no value method.”
R.C. Agrawal, president of Rock Art Society of India, said more number of rock art sites should be declared as heritage sites in India so that they are maintained well.