5000-YEAR-OLD ROCK PAINTINGS – ANJUKULIPATTI PAINTINGS

Prelims level : Art and Culture Mains level : Mains: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
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In News:

  • For centuries, the fear of curse and death prevented the local people from visiting Ezhuthuparai (rock with writings and paintings) in
  •  Anjukulipatti on the Natham-Dindigul Road.

Background

  • Believed to have been drawn between 3,000 and 3,500 BCE.Researchers spotted a panel of rock paintings belonging to a period between 3,000 BCE and 3,500 BCE.
  • They are white in colour and the paintings are drawn using lime pigment mixed with animAal fat
  • The panel has 56 paintings depicting tridents, spears, swords, horse and elephant riders, sacrifice of animals, mantras on energy and food, and lots of symbols.
  • Though there are other paintings, they are in bad shape and cannot be deciphered.
  •  There are scenes either from a hunting expedition or a war. Similar paintings have been found in Sirumalai and the area is also a continuation of Sirumalai, though unexplored so far, He added that one important finding in the panel was a painting of sexual intercourse and a similar painting was found in Mallapadi in Dharmapuri district. Moreover, the human beings looked bulkier than they were in similar paintings found elsewhere.

Other Rock paintings

  • Bhimbetka Caves, Foothills of Vindhya, Madhya Pradesh. One of the oldest paintings in India and the world (Upper paleolithic).
    Jogimara caves, Amarnath, Madhya Pradesh.
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