Rock Art in India

Evidence, Methods and Problems

Abstract

This paper believes that rock paintings executed by prehistoric humans form one segment, though rather complex, of the archaeological record. Just like other forms of archaeological data the paintings carry a gamut of meanings and become illuminating only when related to specific interests or supposition. It offers here a very introductory comment on the distributions of some motifs in India and also talks about some of the archaeological issues to which they can relate to. The variability in style of Indian rock art production points towards numerous influences that have shaped its formation. This diversity is a result of various factors, that includes a long period of production and interactivity between groups with different social organizations. Few case studies from different regions within the domestic boundary are used to embellish the diversity of the subcontinent's rock art and describe its relationship to landscape. The long term vision is to help produce methods for looking at paintings as qualified records of prehistoric settlement.