Draft:Petroglyphs of Indian West Coast

Prolific and widely distributed petroglyphs of the Indian west coast are a form of prehistoric rock arts found to occur in the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala. Carved on lateritic or basaltic surfaces, these figures depict varied subjects ranging from anthropomorphic forms, animals, birds and amphibian figures, to abstract patterns and textures. These rocks arts are locally known as ‘Katal Shilpa’ in Maharashtra, vary in size from a few centimeters to about 18 meters. Larger ones are at times referred to as geoglyphs   which are best viewed from above or from a distance. In Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra these rock arts  occur in high concentrations.

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Discovery
The first few were accidentally discovered way back in 1990 during a road construction project, work on them gained pace in the second decade of the present century, and is now being continued on with new discoveries being added regularly. Directorate of Archeology and Museums, Maharashtra started their documentation work in 2017, leading to discovery of new sites and conservation of older ones. Number of depictions now run into more than a thousand, from hundreds of sites. New sites from states of Karnataka and Kerala are now documented as per a BBC report. In Kerala there are a few previously known sites, earliest and perhaps most famous being Edakkal caves discovered in nineteenth century.

Well known Sites
A few sites that are now very popular amongst tourists and enthusiasts are as follows. (By no means the list is anyway exhaustive. )

The Kasheli Elephant:  A large elephant engraving, 18mx13m in size with numerous smaller animals drawn within and around.

Jambhrun Carvings : Covering an area of about 25mx25 m number of human and animal figures are carved including deer and aquatic animals.

Rundhetali Abstract:  An intricately designed abstract pattern located in Rajapur. Overall circular in shape with four smaller circle in four corners, innermost part has rectangular shape engraved.

The Kolambe Man:  A sylised human figure, about 0.2m tall, hands and legs carved with double line, geometrical figures drawn within the torso.

Upale Abstract :  6.5mx6.5m square  elaborate relief work of an abstract pattern.

Manda Engraving of Bhu : 8mx8m abstract engraving of geometrical patterns near Bhu village.

Tiger slayer of Barsu :  Man with two tigers on both of his sides is drawn in a stylised manner is the most important engraving here. 17.5x4.5 m in size. It is compared with similar motifs found and Indus Valley Civilisation  and Mesopotamia.

Usgalimal Engravings : On the bank of Kushavati river at Usgalimal, Goa numerous etchings on rocks surfaces are discovered. Amongst them are humped bulls, antelope, boars etc alongside human figures. A circular pictogram with concentric rings found here amaze tourists and enthusiasts alike.

Udupi Engraving: Anthropomorphic and animal engravings.

Significance
Rocks arts shed light on  the prehistoric life and times in the region. Experts opine that hunter gatherer life is reflected in many of these carvings. Faunal diversity is depicted with great care, human activities reflect a prehistoric life. Level of abstraction and stylisation in some of the carvings show high skill and craftsmanship of artisans of the time. Parallels are drawn by experts with various art works  within the subcontinent and outside clearly demonstrate a global connectedness.

Due to their outstanding universal value petroglyphs of the Konkan coast are now proposed as a world heritage.