Mesolithic Art: Rock Paintings | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Introduction

• Long ago, before the invention of paper, language, and writing, people lived in ways that we can only imagine now. To understand how they lived, we rely on ancient tools, pottery, homes, bones of early humans and animals, and fascinating drawings on cave walls.
• In different parts of India, like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, and Uttarakhand, experts have discovered old rock paintings on cave walls. These paintings give us a glimpse into the lives of early humans, showing us what they ate, how they spent their days, and even how they thought.

Rock Paintings: A Window into the Past

• When early humans had enough food, water, clothing, and shelter, they started to express their creativity. They drew and painted to decorate their homes, tell stories, keep records of their daily lives, or maybe even to mark special events.
• Some paintings might be stories about important moments in their lives, while others could be linked to rituals about hunting or fertility.
• Besides pictures of animals and people, there are some mysterious paintings, like an abstract one found in Jaora, Madhya Pradesh, which might represent the elements of air, earth, and fire.

The Vindhya ranges in Madhya Pradesh are home to the richest collection of rock paintings. Here, in Bhimbetka, there are around 800 rock shelters, with about 500 bearing paintings. These paintings began in the Upper Paleolithic period but became most numerous during the Mesolithic period.
The themes of these paintings are incredibly diverse, depicting everything from daily life to sacred and royal images. Some common scenes include:

• Hunting: Paintings of people hunting animals, showcasing their skills and methods.
• Dancing and Music: Images of people dancing and playing musical instruments, reflecting their cultural practices.
• Animal Riding: Paintings of horse and elephant riders, possibly indicating social status or important activities.
• Animal Fighting: Scenes of animals fighting, which might have been a form of entertainment or a ritual.
• Honey Collection: Depictions of people collecting honey, showing their interaction with nature.
• Body Decoration: Paintings of people decorating their bodies, perhaps for special occasions.
• Household Scenes: Various everyday activities that give us insight into their daily lives.

These rock paintings not only tell us about the past but also reveal the creativity and imagination of early humans. They were not just recording their lives but also expressing their thoughts, beliefs, and stories through art.]

Colors in Bhimbetka Paintings

• The artists at Bhimbetka used a wide range of colors in their paintings, including different shades of white, yellow, orange, red ochre, purple, brown, green, and black. They were especially fond of white and red, which were their favorite colors.
• They identified sixteen different colors or shades in their artwork.
• Some paintings were monochrome(using one color), while others were polychrome(using multiple colors).
• The paints were made by grinding various rocks and minerals. For example:
• Red was obtained from haematite.
• Green came from a green variety of a stone called chalcedony.
• White might have been made from limestone.
• To create paint, the ground rock or mineral was mixed with water and a thick or sticky substance. The brushes used for painting were likely made from twigs, with the brush part made from squirrel tail,animal fur,semal (silk cotton), or plant fiber.
• The colors in these paintings have survived for thousands of years despite adverse weather conditions. This durability is probably due to the chemical reaction of the oxides on the surface of the rocks, which helped preserve the colors.

Hunting Scenes in Bhimbetka Paintings

• Hunting scenes are a dominant theme in Bhimbetka paintings. These scenes depict hunters either individually or in groups, sometimes wearing masks and headdresses adorned with antlers and horns. The hunters are often shown wearing various ornaments such as necklaces,bangles,wrist bands,elbow bands, and knee bands with tassels.
• In these scenes, some hunters are unarmed, while others carry weapons such as sticks,spears,bows and arrows, or slings. Hunters are sometimes accompanied by dogs, and there are also depictions of traps and snares, likely used for catching animals.
• The paintings show a dynamic interaction between humans and animals, with scenes of animals chasing men and men chasing or hunting animals. The hunters are depicted wearing simple clothing and ornaments, with some figures featuring elaborate head-dresses or painted masks.

Animal Paintings in Bhimbetka

• Animal depictions are prevalent in the Mesolithic art of Bhimbetka, with artists showing a strong affinity for painting animals. These animals are often depicted either alone or as part of hunting scenes. While some animal figures are abstract, many are rendered in a highly realistic manner.
• The artists depicted twenty-nine different species of animals, including the chital, leopard, tiger, panther, elephant, rhinoceros, antelope, deer, and squirrel. Various birds, fish, lizards, frogs, crabs, scorpions, and small centipedes are also present in the artwork, although snakes are notably absent from Indian Mesolithic paintings.
• Some animal figures are shown in outline, while others have decorative designs on their bodies. A few paintings use the 'x-ray style', revealing inner organs, including foetuses in the wombs of female animals. In addition to hunting scenes, animals are depicted in more peaceful scenarios, such as a pregnant animal, a panther or tiger with cubs, a stag and chital chasing a fawn, grazing buffaloes, hopping rabbits, and leaping monkeys.

Human Figures and Activities in Bhimbetka Paintings

• The Mesolithic paintings at Bhimbetka also depict humans, including men, women, and children, engaged in various activities. While animals are portrayed in a naturalistic style, human figures are represented in a more stylized manner. Male figures often resemble matchsticks, while women are depicted with fuller forms.
• Women are shown both nude and clothed, with some figures wearing loincloths made from leaves, animal skin, or tree bark. Men typically wear their hair loose, while women have braided hair. Some figures, possibly representing individuals of authority, are broad and adorned with geometric designs.
• The paintings capture scenes of family life, with children depicted running, jumping, and playing. Activities such as gathering fruit or honey from trees, grinding and preparing food, and instances of sexual activity are also illustrated. These paintings reflect the daily life and social structure of the people during the Mesolithic period.

Division of Labor in Bhimbetka Paintings

• The paintings at Bhimbetka offer insights into the division of labor based on gender during the Mesolithic period. Men are primarily depicted engaging in hunting activities, while women are shown gathering and preparing food, such as grinding food on querns. The absence of pottery suggests that food was stored in containers made from materials like gourds or leather bags.
• The paintings also reflect the use of dry gourds and leather bags for holding water. Community dances are a recurring theme in the artwork, with dancers conveying a sense of rhythmic movement. Some figures are depicted losing their balance and falling, while others, referred to as 'dancing sorcerers,' may represent ritual specialists.

Places and Layers of Painting in Bhimbetka

• The artists at Bhimbetka created their paintings on the walls and ceilings of rock shelters. Some paintings were made in shelters where people lived, while others were in places that may have held religious significance.
• Paintings located at great heights in rock shelters suggest that they were intended to be visible from a distance. The presence of multiple layers of paintings, sometimes with as many as twenty layers on top of one another, indicates a practice of painting over older works. This could be due to artists disliking their previous creations, or it might reflect the sacred or special nature of certain paintings.
• The pictorial quality of these ancient paintings is notable, despite the limitations faced by the artists in terms of tools and materials. The scenes are rendered simply yet effectively, capturing the adventurous spirit of the people and the majestic portrayal of animals. The Mesolithic rock art of Orissa, particularly in districts like Sundargarh and Sambalpur, showcases a different aspect of rock art.

Mesolithic Rock Art of Orissa

• In Orissa, Mesolithic shelters with rock art have been found, with the richest area for rock paintings being the Lekhamoda group of rock shelters. An interesting feature of rock art in Orissa is the coexistence of paintings and engravings within the same shelter.
• Unlike the figurative emphasis seen in Bhimbetka, the rock art of Orissa is largely non-figurative, focusing on abstract patterns and decorative designs, both geometric and non-geometric. Animals and humans are depicted infrequently, with a greater emphasis on abstract and decorative elements.