The Konkan region, historically known as ‘Aparanta’, has long been recognized for its vibrant culture and rich archaeological heritage. This coastal area, stretching from modern-day Thane district in Maharashtra to Goa, has witnessed a continuous human presence through various historical periods, marked by affluent port towns, rock-cut caves, forts, and colonies of foreign powers. However, evidence of prehistoric human existence has been relatively limited. Recent discoveries of petroglyphs in Konkan are beginning to fill this gap, shedding light on the region’s ancient past and providing valuable insights into the lives and culture of its earliest inhabitants.
Understanding Geoglyphs and Petroglyphs
Geoglyphs and petroglyphs are forms of rock art that offer crucial insights into prehistoric human life. Geoglyphs are large designs or motifs created on the ground, often by arranging stones, removing soil, or carving into rock surfaces. Petroglyphs, a specific type of geoglyph, are images or symbols carved or engraved into rock surfaces using tools. These artworks are found worldwide and are among the oldest material evidence of human creativity, dating back to the Paleolithic era.
Rock art, including petroglyphs, serves as a significant marker of early human expression and cultural development. It provides valuable information about the daily lives, beliefs, and environments of prehistoric peoples. Through these carvings, we can glean insights into their social structures, economic activities, and interactions with the natural world.
Petroglyphs in the Kokan Region (Source: @kevinstandage)
Discovery of Konkan’s Ancient Petroglyphs
The petroglyphs of Konkan represent some of the earliest forms of human expression in the region. These ancient geoglyphs, discovered near villages such as Nivli, Ratnagiri, Rajapur, and Lanja, vary in size from a few centimeters to nearly 18 meters. They depict a wide array of subjects, including animals, birds, aquatic and amphibious creatures, anthropomorphic figures, and abstract geometric patterns.
The first reported site with petroglyphs in Konkan was near the village of Nivli. The earliest mention of this site appears in the Marathi book “Kokanatil Paryatan” (“Tourism in Konkan”) by P.K. Ghanekar, where he used the term ‘Katalshilpa’ for the petroglyphs. Despite the lack of associated archaeological evidence such as habitation mounds or pottery, the stylistic diversity of the engravings suggests that they were created over a long period.
Petroglyph of human holding two staffs – Barsu (Source: @kevinstandage)
Categories and Characteristics of Konkan Petroglyphs
To date, over 850 petroglyphs have been documented across various tehsils, with more than 490 carvings reported from Ratnagiri alone. These petroglyphs are primarily life-sized animal figures, executed in carved outlines no deeper than 5 cm, with grooves 3-4 cm wide. Most were created using a pecking technique with hammer stones, a method indicative of the region’s prehistoric artisans.
The documented petroglyphs can be classified into six main categories:
- Animal Figures: Herbivores like elephants, rhinos, deer, pigs, and buffaloes, as well as carnivores such as tigers.
- Birds: Including peacocks and large, unidentified species.
- Aquatic Animals: Such as sharks and stingrays, alongside other unidentified fish.
- Amphibious Animals: Tortoises and alligators.
- Anthropomorphs: Human figures, including mother goddess-like representations.
- Abstract Forms: Various geometric patterns.
These carvings provide crucial evidence of the faunal life that once thrived in Konkan, many species of which are no longer present in the region today. The presence of such diverse fauna indicates a rich and varied ecosystem, which supports a subsistence lifestyle based on hunting, fishing, and foraging.
Shark petroglyph at Barsu (Source: @kevinstandage)
Petroglyph at Barsu (Source: @kevinstandage)
Bridging Historical Gaps
The discovery of petroglyphs in Konkan plays a crucial role in bridging the historical gaps in our understanding of the region’s prehistoric times. Before these discoveries, evidence of early human existence in Konkan was sparse. However, the identification of coastal Acheulian cave sites around Guhagar in the Ratnagiri district by Ashok Marathe in 2001-02 provided significant initial clues. At these sites, early Acheulean tools and animal bones with chopping marks were unearthed, indicating human occupation during the Late Pleistocene, approximately 90,000 years ago.
Despite these early findings, there remained a lack of evidence for human activity in the subsequent Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Chalcolithic periods. The petroglyphs, with their diverse and intricate carvings, now fill this gap, supporting the notion of continuous human settlement in Konkan through various prehistoric periods.
These petroglyphs serve as tangible proof of a transitional phase from the Late Acheulian to the Early Historic period. They illustrate how early humans adapted to their environment, depicting scenes of hunting, fishing, and foraging, as well as various faunal life forms that once thrived in the region. This evidence not only highlights the existence of prehistoric populations in Konkan but also underscores the region’s rich and varied ecosystem, which provided a sustainable livelihood for its early inhabitants. They offer invaluable insights into the cultural and artistic evolution of Konkan’s earliest human societies, enriching our understanding of the region’s ancient past.
The petroglyphs of Konkan are not just artistic expressions but also key to understanding the cultural evolution of the region’s prehistoric inhabitants. The geoglyphs show an increasing tendency towards depicting abstract and anthropogenic forms, indicating a gradual evolution in artistic skills and techniques. This progression reflects the intellectual and cultural growth of the communities that created them. This not only fills knowledge gaps for the Konkan and Deccan regions but also contributes to ongoing research on human resilience and adaptation to extreme climatic fluctuations.
Preservation and Protection
Recognizing the importance of these petroglyphs, the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums in Maharashtra has initiated efforts to protect significant sites as Monuments of State Importance. These petroglyphs of the Konkan region have also been included in the UNESCO Tentative List, highlighting their global cultural significance and the need for their preservation. These initiatives aim to preserve these ancient artworks and ensure their continued study and appreciation by future generations.
Elephant carving, inside the protection wall, Ukshi,Ratnagiri (Source: Petroglyphs in Kokan Article)
Example of a Unique Petroglyph Found in the Konkan Region
One of the most remarkable examples of petroglyphs in the Konkan region is located on the plateau at Barsu in Maharashtra. This site, which features the largest cluster of geoglyphs along the coastal belt, boasts more than 62 carvings. Among these, a particularly striking petroglyph depicts a larger-than-life scene of a man and two tigers, spread over an area of 17.5 by 4.5 meters.
In this impressive carving, the human figure, standing four meters tall, is positioned between two leaping tigers. The man is shown with his arms outstretched as if to fend off the approaching tigers. Despite their aggressive poses, the tigers appear static, a testament to the stylization that dominates over animism in this artwork. The tigers are intricately detailed within a rectangular frame, with their wide-open mouths and bodies adorned with stylized stripes formed by horizontal and vertical lines creating rectangles and triangles.
In contrast to the geometrical treatment of the tigers, the human figure is depicted with a round head, curved waistline, and rounded feet. The chest is adorned with abstract geometrical forms, adding a unique dimension to the figure. The carvings, which are not much deeper than 2 inches, feature gaps of 3-4 centimeters between the outer and inner lines.
Adjoining the left side of the human torso, figures of a fish, a rabbit, and a peacock are depicted, adding to the intricate composition. Unfortunately, the depictions on the other side of the torso have eroded beyond recognition. Scholars have noted similarities between this composition and motifs found on seals from the Harappan Civilization, specifically those unearthed at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.
This petroglyph at Barsu stands out not only for its size and complexity but also for its unique artistic style, which blends geometrical patterns with more naturalistic forms. It provides a fascinating glimpse into the cultural and artistic expressions of the prehistoric inhabitants of the Konkan region.
Petroglyph at Barsu (Source: @kevinstandage)
Sketch of Petroglyph at Barsu (Source: @kevinstandage)
The petroglyphs of Konkan are not merely ancient carvings on stone; they are the voices of our ancestors, echoing through time to tell the story of a vibrant and dynamic culture that once thrived in this picturesque region. These ancient artworks stand as a testament to human creativity and adaptability, providing a window into the rich tapestry of life that has shaped Konkan’s history.
Bibliography:
- Garge Tejas M, B. V. Kulkarni and et al. PETROGLYPHS IN KONKAN: HISTORIOGRAPHY, RECENT DISCOVERIES AND FUTURE ENDEAVOURS. Purakala 2018, Volume 27-28, pp. 39-47.
- https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6605/
- https://kevinstandagephotography.wordpress.com/2019/03/14/the-konkan-petroglyphs-barsu-sada/
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/what-makes-the-konkan-petroglyphs-so-unique/articleshow/94128204.cms
