Rock Art is considered one of the earliest forms of human artistic expression. The stylistic countenance and thematic contents are beautifully expressed on the surface of the rock shelters in the form of petrographs and petroglyphs. Archaeologists try to understand these paintings and bruising as part of cultural evolution. They try to reconstruct the social and cultural life of prehistoric man through close observation of the spectrum. In India, prehistoric paintings are being discovered throughout the length and breadth of the country, spanning from Palaeolithic times to the Early Historic period. In Tamil Nadu, paintings have been noticed from the time of Neolithic period. Since the first discovery of rock paintings in 1867-68 by Archibald Carlleyle in Sohagi Ghat in the Mirzapur district of the Kaimur ranges of the Bihar region, several rock art sites have been brought to light in different parts of India. However, the discovery of rock paintings at Bhimbetka in 1957 by V.S. Wakankar made a tremendous impact on the study of rock art in India. The year 1978 is considered the turning point in the history of rock art studies in Tamil Nadu. The discovery of rock paintings at Mallapadi in Krishnagiri District by Prof. K.V. Raman of Madras University opened a new vista in the study of rock art of Tamil Nadu. Since then, more than 200 rock art sites have been brought to light, and we hope this numerical data will change soon, as numerous enthusiasts are working hard to discover more rock art sites in several parts of Tamil Nadu. The Department of Archaeology decided to consolidate these finest findings. A multi-disciplinary team is formed and given the task of documenting these ancient human expressions. The results of the constant effort are now in the hands of scholars and the general public to estimate the cultural values of this art tradition.
Prof. K.Rajan and Dr. R.Sivanantham, authors of the book, coordinated and interacted with the multi-disciplinary team and took earnest efforts in documenting the rock art of Tamil Nadu by taking frequent field trips to the inaccessible terrains. Their dedication and involvement in the field are reflected in the present monograph. Wholeheartedly, I congratulate the authors and the entire team for their immense contribution in bringing out the volume in a short period and placing the past before the future generation. I do hope the scholarly world will appreciate and encourage the Tamil Nadu State Archaeology Department to venture into such academic activities for the benefit of the nation.
The Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology has initiated an ambitious project of documenting the rock art of Tamil Nadu. Both professionals and amateurs have reported several stray discoveries, but proper documentation by the specialists is lacking. More than 250 rock art sites have been reported since the first discovery made at Mallapadi in 1978 near Krishnagiri. Several rock art sites are being added to the list, thanks to archaeologists and enthusiasts. In the course of time, it is felt that the documentation should reflect the perspectives of different categories of scholars so that one could get a holistic view of the nature of rock art. A multi-disciplinary team consisting of archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, folklorists, geologists, environmentalists and literary men have been formed to undertake a field trip to observe the rock art in situ from their perspectives without being influenced by the theories of one discipline on another. The perceptions of each specialist have been collected, collated and consolidated to get a panoramic view. The present monograph echoes the collective wisdom of the team. During the documentation, it is felt that many of the rock paintings were either faded or eroded or defaced or vandalised over the ravages of time. In most of the paintings, the hidden images are hardly visible to the naked eye, particularly in superimposed paintings. To overcome these deficiencies, a team comprising the technical staff specialized in AutoCAD, DStretch and 3D-Scanner has been formed to trace, photograph, videography and scan the paintings in situ so that the true picture of the paintings could be retrieved and reproduced with near accuracy. The entire team, consisting of both experts and technicians, was deployed in the field to document the paintings located in the deep forest and inaccessible areas. It is felt that mere documentation of paintings may not help; rather contextualizing the paintings within chronological and cultural settings is vital to visualize the cultural evolution and transformation of past societies. Therefore, the cultural context of each site has been given priority and the archaeological settings of the sites are closely observed. These multiple tasks naturally slowed down the progress of the documentation. As a result, the present monograph carries the information of merely 46 rock art sites, accounting for one-fifth of the reported sites, and the remaining 80% the rock sites need to be documented. We earnestly hope that future generations will take care of documenting the remaining rock art sites before they are completely erased from mother earth.
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