Rock Art Sites of the Chambal Valley

Description

 
The central region of India, is home to a significant number of rock art sites. These rock art sites have thrived in the hilly areas of the Vindhyan, Satpura, and Kaimur ranges, characterized by parallel ridges, lush deciduous vegetation, permanent springs, abundant wildlife, and a multitude of rock art sites spanning from the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, and historical periods, often with overlapping Chalcolithic, Megalithic, and Proto Historic elements.

The Chambal Basin and Central India region contain the largest concentration of known rock art sites in the world. The Chambal River, known as Charmavati in ancient times, originates from the Malwa trap zone, and its right bank tributaries flow through this region. Meanwhile, the left bank tributaries have their sources in the Aravallis and the Vindhyan sandstone and quartzite hills. The Chambal Basin covers parts of Madhya Pradesh (Indore, Ujjain, Mandsaur, Ratlam, Sehore, Guna, Rajgarh, Gwalior, and Sheopur districts), Rajasthan (Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Jhalawar, Kota, Baran, and Dholpur districts), and Uttar Pradesh (Etawah district). This basin has a rectangular shape and a total catchment area of 143,219 square kilometers. It features diverse geology, with the upper Chambal Basin located in the Vindhyas, the left bank catchment area situated mainly in the Aravallis, and the right bank catchment encompassing the Malwa trap region as well as the sandstone and quartzite areas of the Vindhyan Supergroup. The region exhibits a variety of geomorphological conditions, including sandstone outcrops of the Vindhyan Supergroup, lateritic hills, basaltic hills, loose and layered river gravels, and more.

The Chambal Basin has yielded significant archaeological evidence dating back to the Middle Pleistocene period. Its rock art sites span various historical periods, including the Lower, Middle, and Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Chalcolithic, and Early Historical periods. The earliest traces of human habitation in the region are Acheulian tools, including cleavers, hand axes, retouched and un-retouched flakes, scrapers, cores, and exhausted core fragments have been found here. The Basin's rock art includes cupules, with the oldest ones found at Darki, along with petroglyphs (cupules) discovered at Chattaneshwar and Kanyadeh. The Bhanpura area also boasts a significant collection of petroglyphs. Additionally, engraved ostrich eggshells found at Chandrasel in Kota district date back approximately 40,000 years B.P.

During the Mesolithic period, rock art themes in the Basin often depicted scenes from the lives of simple hunting and gathering societies. Painted animals in this period were adorned with abstract designs like loops, whorls, triangles, trapezes, and labyrinthine patterns. Some depictions included X-ray-like images of internal organs, and scenes of daily life such as hunting, dancing, and child rearing were elegantly portrayed. Bichrome paintings were a notable feature of Mesolithic rock art. Most of these artworks were located on the walls and ceilings of rocky cliffs near sources of water, like rivers, streams, gorges, or lakes.

In the Chalcolithic period, pastoralism and cattle herding became prominent themes in the rock art of the Chambal Basin. Humped cattle played a central role, appearing in about ninety percent of the rock art depictions from this period, highlighting their economic importance. Cattle were also depicted in other art forms like terracotta bull figures, seals, and sealings. The execution style of motifs in the early Chalcolithic phase retained influences from Mesolithic paintings. Red and its variants were the most commonly used pigments for these depictions. The Basin has a wide distribution of Chalcolithic sites associated with cultures like Ahar, Kayatha, and Malwa. The Ahar culture, dating around 3600-1500 B.C.E., is believed to be the first to settle in the Basin and establish settlements. Numerous Ahar culture sites have been reported across various districts, and excavations at sites like Ahar, Balathal, Gilund, and Ojiyana.

There isn't much information available about the rock paintings from the Megalithic phase in the Chambal Basin. However, a few dolmens with cup marks have been discovered at the Silor site in Bundi district. Additionally, at the Kotra Vihar site in Rajgarh district, Madhya Pradesh, cup marks were found on the capstones of dolmens and on boulders within stone circles. These cup marks are unique in India, especially those that appear to be connected with channels.

During the Early Historical period, rock art is typically found in isolated locations near perennial water sources. In some cases, these locations also contain remnants of ancient temples or mounds from this historical era. Many of these sites today have temples dedicated to deities like Shiva or mother goddesses. This period marked significant social, political, and economic changes, including the establishment of states, organized religions, and the use of written scripts, all of which are reflected in the rock art of this era.The rock art from this period is believed to be the work of warriors, war refugees, elite hunters, or local tribal communities who sought refuge or temporary shelter in these rock shelters during wars or hunting expeditions. Some of the motifs may even be the creations of local tribal people who still depict similar images on the walls of their houses during important events. This rock art is mainly characterized by symbols and designs with religious significance, such as fire altars, kalashas, swastikas, triratna, and alpana patterns. Additionally, the art reflects themes and designs from local traditions, including rangoli patterns and depictions of human forms. In a later phase, the rock art includes representations of Hindu deities like Ganesha, Rama.  

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value

Rock art in the Chambal Basin has been crafted by various civilizations over different historical periods. It dates back to the Early Holocene and includes the work of early hunters and foragers. These early artists are associated with Phase II of Bagor, where copper tools and pottery are found alongside microliths dating to approximately 4,715 to 4,060 years ago. Subsequently, later hunters and foragers created rock art contemporaneously with pastoral nomads and settled agriculturists during the Chalcolithic and Early Historical periods. The rock art in the Basin includes depictions of hunting and gathering scenes created by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and those from the Protohistoric and later periods. Alongside these portrayals associated with nomadic pastoralism, there are manifestations linked to the established political systems of the time.The rock art in the Basin reflects a diverse range of creators, including pastoral nomads during the Protohistoric and later phases, as well as hermits, saints, and sages who used rock shelters for meditation and worship. Some of the rock art depicts scenes of warfare and well-organized hunting, suggesting that certain shelters served as temporary camps for marching armies or royal hunters who painted memories of significant events. Several rock art sites in the Chambal Basin, such as Bhimlat Mahadev, Chatturbhuj Nath Nala, Garadia Mahadev, Bukki Mata, Chattaneshwar, Kanyadeh, Narsinghgarh, Kotra Vihar Jogania Mata, and Gepadnath, hold religious significance. In addition, the Chambal Basin lies along the migratory route of present-day nomadic sheep and camel herders like the Rabaris and Marwaris.

Criterion (iii): The archaeological cultural landscape of the Chambal Valley region bears an exceptional testimony to the civilization of Acheulian, Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Chalcolithic and Early Historical periods.

Criterion (iv): Rock art of this region mostly contains depictions which are related to a particular way of life of the people of that period. During the Mesolithic period the theme of the paintings is related to hunting, gathering, collecting and fishing.Chalcolithic period focuses on the cattle theme. During the Historical and Mediaeval periods, there was a shift, in which the theme becomes religion-centric.

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity

The Chambal Basin is located along the migration routes of modern semi-nomadic pastoral communities like the Rabaris and Marwadis. These communities visit the area annually during the dry season in search of suitable pastures and water sources for their livestock. Additionally, parts of this region are home to a significant population of cattle, buffaloes, sheep, and goats belonging to various communities and tribes, including Gujjars (a cattle herding community from Western India), Bhils, Sahariyas, and Minas. It can be inferred that the depictions of cattle herding scenes in the rock art of the Chambal Basin are likely the work of pastoral nomads from the Protohistoric phase who visited the Basin regularly to graze their cattle.

In recent times, there has been a population explosion, leading to increased human activity in the areas containing rock art sites. This has become a threat to these valuable sites. Human-related factors, such as extensive quarrying of rock shelters and deforestation in the regions housing rock art, are some of the primary causes of damage to these sites. Intensive sandstone quarrying, in particular, has resulted in the submersion of various art panels in the waters of the Gandhi Sagar Dam and the widespread destruction of some sites in Bundi, Baran, Bhilwara, and Kota. The construction of small check dams on small rivulets has also directly contributed to the destruction of some rock art sites. Currently, only Chaturbhujnath Nala is partially protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Comparison with other similar properties

1.Gobustan rock art cultural landscape

The Gobustan rock art cultural landscape has earned recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its fulfillment of criteria (iii). This site includes caves that were once inhabited, remnants of ancient settlements, and burial mounds. These archaeological features offer a glimpse into the extensive human activity in the region spanning from the Upper Paleolithic era to the Middle Ages, particularly during the wet period following the last Ice Age.

2.Bhimbetka rock shelters,

Bhimbetka rock shelters, situated in the foothills of the Vindhya Range in central India, are a natural series of rock shelters. The Bhimbetka site comprises 243 shelters, of which 133 feature rock paintings. These shelters were granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 2003, under criteria (iii) and (iv).

3.Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus

The Tadrart Acacus is a mountain range located in the Ghat District of western Libya's desert region. UNESCO designated this site as a World Heritage Site in 1985 due to the significance of its paintings and carvings. These artworks date from 12,000 B.C.E. to 100 C.E. and provide insights into both cultural and natural changes that occurred in the area.

4.Kondoa Rock-Art Sites

The Kondoa Rock-Art Sites consist of ancient paintings found on rock shelter walls in central Tanzania. These images depict the ways of life of both hunter-gatherer and agro-pastoralist communities, illustrating the evolving lifestyles over the past two millennia. In 2006, this site was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, under criteria (iii) and (vi).

5.Ḥimā Cultural Area

The Ḥimā Cultural Area, located in the Najran province of southwestern Saudi Arabia, boasts collections of petroglyphs (images carved into rock) and ancient inscriptions. These rock art images, dating back to Neolithic and pre-Islamic times, were created over thousands of years. In 2021, UNESCO designated this site as a World Heritage Site under criteria (iii).