Prehistoric Rock Paintings Notes in English Class 11 Fine Art Chapter-1 Book-1

1. What is Prehistory?

Before the invention of written language, books, and documents, life in ancient times remained a mystery. It was only through archaeological discoveries—such as tools, pottery, cave paintings, and ancient human remains—that scholars could learn about how people lived during prehistoric times.

2. Sources of Information about Prehistoric People

Excavations revealed important evidence like old tools, pottery, shelters, human and animal bones, and cave drawings, helping scholars understand the lives of prehistoric people.

3. Why Did They Paint?

After fulfilling their basic needs like food, water, shelter, and clothing, prehistoric people began expressing themselves through art. They decorated their homes and recorded daily life on cave walls, much like how we write in diaries today.

4. What Did They Draw?

Prehistoric cave art featured stick-like human figures, animal symbols such as bulls, elephants, foxes, and lizards, scenes of human activities, and simple geometric designs like dots, wavy lines, and rectangles.

5. When Did Art Begin?

In the Lower Palaeolithic period, there is no confirmed evidence of art. However, during the Upper Palaeolithic period, artistic activities flourished, with cave walls covered in carved and painted images of animals.

6. Rock Art in India

The first prehistoric cave paintings in India were discovered in 1867–68 by Archibold Carlleyle, even before the famous Altamira caves in Spain. Other notable archaeologists who contributed to such discoveries include Cockburn, Anderson, Mitra, and Ghosh.

7. Major Rock Art Sites in India

a. Lakhudiyar (Uttarakhand)

Lakhudiyar, meaning “one lakh caves,” is situated near the River Suyal on the Almora–Barechina road. The cave paintings include three types of images: human figures, animals, and geometric patterns. Artists used black (the oldest), red ochre, and white colors. A famous painting from the site shows dancing human figures holding hands.

b. Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh

The sites of Kupgallu, Piklihal, and Tekkalkota are known for their prehistoric rock paintings, found on granite surfaces—an ideal material for art. The paintings are of three types: white, red ochre, and red ochre on a white background. Common subjects include bulls, elephants, gazelles, horses, stylized human figures, and symbols like tridents.

c. Vindhya Ranges (Madhya Pradesh & Uttar Pradesh)

This region is rich in Palaeolithic and Mesolithic remains, making it an important site for studying prehistoric life. Its dense forests, wild fruits, and availability of water made it ideal for Stone Age people to survive and thrive.

d. Bhimbetka (Madhya Pradesh) – Most Important Site

Located 45 km south of Bhopal, Bhimbetka spans about 10 sq. km and contains around 800 rock shelters, of which 500 have paintings. It was discovered in 1957–58 by archaeologist V.S. Wakankar, who explored the remote hills and forests to study these ancient sites.

8. Themes in Bhimbetka Paintings

The Bhimbetka cave paintings depict various aspects of prehistoric life, such as hunting, dancing, music, riding animals like horses and elephants, honey collection, body decoration, animal fights, and scenes of daily life and rituals.

9. Classification of Bhimbetka Rock Art

The Bhimbetka paintings are classified into seven periods based on style, technique, and superimposition, with three main ones often discussed. Period I (Upper Palaeolithic) features simple drawings and animal figures. Period II (Mesolithic) shows smaller, more detailed human and animal figures. Period III (Chalcolithic) reflects the influence of a settled farming life, with depictions of tools and domesticated animals.

Upper Palaeolithic Period

The paintings of the Upper Palaeolithic phase are linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge animal figures, such as bisons, elephants, tigers, rhinos and boars besides stick-like human figures. A few are wash paintings but mostly they are filled with geometric patterns. The green paintings are of dancers and the red ones of hunters.

Mesolithic Period

1. Largest Number of Paintings

Most paintings at Bhimbetka belong to Period II, the Mesolithic period. Though small in size, these artworks cover a wide range of themes, showcasing the rich life and activities of prehistoric people.

2. Hunting Scenes

The Bhimbetka paintings show people hunting in groups using spears, pointed sticks, bows and arrows, as well as traps and snares. The hunters are depicted wearing simple clothes, ornaments, head-dresses, and even masks.

3. Animals Depicted

The Bhimbetka paintings feature a wide variety of animals such as elephants, bison, tigers, boars, deer, antelopes, leopards, rhinoceroses, frogs, fish, birds, lizards, and squirrels. Some scenes show animals chasing humans, while others depict humans hunting animals. Interestingly, a few paintings express emotions like fear, love, or tenderness towards animals.

4. Human Life and Activities

In the Bhimbetka paintings, humans are shown in stylized rather than natural forms. Both nude and clothed women appear, along with children playing, jumping, and running. Family scenes often depict men, women, and children together, while community activities like dancing, fruit gathering, honey collection, and women preparing food are also commonly illustrated.

5. Unique Patterns

The Bhimbetka caves also feature simple impressions like hand prints, fist prints, and dots made using fingertips, reflecting early forms of human expression.

6. Colours Used

The Bhimbetka paintings use a variety of colours, with red being the most common, followed by white, yellow, orange, purple, brown, green, and black. These colours came from natural sources—red from haematite (geru), green from chalcedony (a green stone), and white from limestone.

7. Paint-Making Technique

Prehistoric artists prepared colours by crushing stones or minerals and mixing them with water. To thicken the paint, they added substances like animal fat, gum, or tree resin. Brushes were made using plant fibres.

8. Longevity of Colours

The colours in the Bhimbetka paintings have lasted for thousands of years, possibly because of chemical reactions between the pigments and the rock oxides, which helped preserve them.

9. Location of Paintings

The paintings at Bhimbetka were made on the walls and ceilings of caves. Some were created in living areas, while others appeared in non-living spaces, possibly used for sacred or ritual purposes. A few paintings are located very high up, perhaps meant to be seen from a distance.

10. Artistic Qualities

Despite having limited tools, the Bhimbetka paintings display remarkable pictorial quality. The scenes reflect adventure, joyful living, and a deep love for nature. Animals are often shown as more majestic than in real life, highlighting the artists’ natural storytelling skills and creative expression.

11. Famous Scene Examples

One Bhimbetka painting shows men hunting a bison, with some hunters injured and lying on the ground. The animal appears to be dying, while other men are seen dancing nearby—possibly depicting a ritual linked to the hunt.

12. Layers of Paintings

At Bhimbetka, new paintings were often made over older ones, with some caves having up to 20 layers. This could be because the artist didn’t like the earlier work, or because the spot was considered sacred and reused by different generations over time.

13. What These Paintings Tell Us

The Bhimbetka paintings provide valuable information about early human life, including their lifestyle, food habits, daily activities, and social interactions. They also offer insights into their mental world—how they thought, felt, and expressed emotions through art.

14. Other Prehistoric Remains

Along with the cave paintings, archaeologists also discovered stone tools, weapons, bones, and pottery at Bhimbetka, giving a fuller picture of prehistoric human life and activities.