VILLUPURAM: Rock paintings in red ochre, believed to be around 4,000 years old, have been discovered at Karadimalai in Ottampattu Thandari village near Kandachipuram in Villupuram district.
The paintings were discovered during a field study conducted by research scholar C Immanuel from the Department of History at Arignar Anna Government Arts College in Villupuram, archaeology enthusiast S Palanisamy from Tiruvannamalai Historical Research Centre, and government school teacher M Bharathi Raja from Kolathur in Tiruvannamalai district.
Immanuel said the paintings were found on the underside of a rock overhang near the foothills of Karadimalai. He said, “One of the paintings depicts a plant resembling the Peruvian Apple Cactus, which is typically used as a live fence around agricultural fields in rural areas. Similar depictions have been found in rock paintings at Alampadi and Kollur.”
Figures resembling deer have been depicted on either side of the plant, he said. “The hindquarters of the deer on the left appear to be concealed behind the thorny plant. The animal on the right has an elongated neck, but its head is indistinct. A wild boar is also depicted above this figure,” he said, adding that all paintings were in outlines and could date back approximately 4,000 years.
Art historian K T Gandhirajan said the rock art panel features prehistoric and protohistoric rock paintings executed in red ochre. He said, “Near the lower centre, there is a prominent geometric square pattern enclosed within rectangular boundaries, alongside parallel vertical strokes and symbolic markers. Such motifs are common in the Megalithic and prehistoric rock shelters across south India and may represent enclosures or maps of settlements.”
Depictions of animals, including bovids, have also been found on either side of the central geometric patterns. “These figures have stylised or partitioned bodies, which are common in indigenous rock art traditions,” Gandhirajan added.
The researchers also found three rock depressions at nearby Karadichunai. The depressions are believed to have been formed when Neolithic people sharpened or polished their stone tools. The findings indicate the presence and activities of ancient hunter-gatherer communities that inhabited the region, Immanuel said.