i. Prehistoric Paintings

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i. Prehistoric Paintings

The origins of Indian painting can be traced back to the Upper Palaeolithic age, with the earliest known artworks found in the Bhimbetka caves of Madhya Pradesh. These prehistoric rock paintings mark the beginning of India’s rich artistic tradition. The rock art at Bhimbetka is categorized into various groups based on stylistic elements, painting techniques, and layers of superimposed figures.

Another significant site of prehistoric art is found at Lakhudiyar, where rock shelters along the banks of the River Suyal showcase ancient paintings that further enrich the legacy of early Indian visual expression.

The richest paintings have been reported from the Vindhya ranges of Madhya Pradesh and their expansion to the Kaimur range.

The earliest Indian paintings were the rock paintings of pre-historic times, the petroglyphs as found in places like Bhimbetka, Ajanta caves, etc.
Significance of these paintings: These ancient paintings help us better understand early humans, their way of life, their eating habits, their daily activities, and, most importantly, how they thought.
Stick-like representations of humans are used. The main animal motifs include a fox, a lizard with many legs, and a creature with a long nose. There are also wavy lines, geometric patterns with filled rectangles, and clusters of dots.

Evolution of prehistoric paintings

The evolution of the prehistoric period consists of Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Chalcolithic Age.

Paleolithic Age Art
About	The prehistoric period in the early development of human beings is commonly known as the ‘Old Stone Age ’ or ‘Palaeolithic Age ’. The Paleolithic period can be divided into three phases: (1) Lower Palaeolithic (2.5 million years- 100,000 years ago) (2) Middle Palaeolithic (300,000- 30,000 years ago) (3) Upper Palaeolithic (40,000- 10,000 years ago) We did not get any evidence of paintings from the lower or middle paleolithic age yet. In the Upper Palaeolithic period, we see a proliferation of artistic activities. Subjects of early works were confined to simple human figures, human activities, geometric designs, and symbols. The first discovery of rock paintings in the world was made in India (1867-68) by an Archaeologist, Archibold Carlleyle, twelve years before the discovery of Altamira in Spain (the site of the oldest rock paintings in the world). In India, remnants of rock paintings have been found on the walls of caves situated in several districts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Bihar, and Uttarakhand. Some examples of sites of early rock paintings are Lakhudiyar in Uttarakhand, Kupgallu in Telangana, Piklihal, and Tekkalkotta in Karnataka, Bhimbetka and Jogimara in Madhya Pradesh, etc. Paintings found here can be divided into three categories: Man, Animal, and Geometric symbols.
Some of the characteristics of these are:	Human beings are represented in a stick-like form. A long-snouted animal, a fox, and a multi-legged lizard are the main animal motifs in the early paintings (later many animals were drawn). Wavy lines, rectangular-filled geometric designs, and a group of dots also can be seen. Superimposition of paintings – earliest is Black, then red, and later White. In the late historic, early historic, and Neolithic periods the subjects of paintings developed, and figures like Bulls, Elephants, Sambhars, Gazelles, Sheep, Horses, and styled human beings, tridents, and rarely vegetal motifs began to see. The richest paintings are reported from the Vindhya range of Madhya Pradesh and their Kaimurean extension into U.P. These hills are fully Palaeolithic and Mesolithic remains.
Two major sites of excellent prehistoric paintings in India	(1) Bhimbetka Caves, Foothills of Vindhya, Madhya Pradesh. (2) Jogimara caves, Amarnath, Madhya Pradesh.
Upper Palaeolithic Period
About	Paintings are linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge animal figures, such as Bisons, Tigers, Elephants, Rhinos and Boars beside stick-like human figures. Mostly they are filled with geometric patterns. Green paintings are of dances and red ones of hunters.
Mesolithic Period Art
About	The largest number of paintings belongs to this period. Themes multiply but the paintings are small in size. Hunting scenes predominate Hunters in groups armed with barbed spears pointed sticks, arrows, and bows. Traps and snares used to catch animals can be seen in some paintings. Mesolithic people loved to point to animals. In some pictures, animals are chasing men and in others, they are being chased by hunter-men. Animals were painted in a naturalistic style and humans were depicted in a stylistic manner. Women are painted both nude and clothed. Young and old equally find places in paintings. Community dances provide a common theme. Sort of family life can be seen in some paintings (woman, man, and children).
Chalcolithic Period Art
About	Copper age art. The paintings of this period reveal the association, contact and mutual exchange of requirements of the cave dwellers of this area with settled agricultural communities of the Malwa Plateau. Pottery and metal tools can be seen in paintings. Similarities with rock paintings: Common motifs (designs/patterns like cross-hatched squares, lattices etc) The difference with rock paintings is Vividness and vitality of older periods disappear from these paintings.

i. Prehistoric Paintings

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