• Know about the not so heard Konkan petroglyphs.

Magnificent carvings in stone are observed in the Goliathic Stonehenge in England, in the towering pyramids in Egypt and Mexico, within the majestic ziggurats of Iraq and within the sacred temples of Meenakshi in Madurai, Khajuraho, Mahabalipuram and in Hoysaleswara shrine in Halebidu in South India. However, in the vicinity of the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats (Sahyadri mountain range), the Konkan Plateau, comprising Raigarh, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg of Maharashtra and North Karnataka, features a unique natural stonework.

The elevated Konkan Plateau, bathed with the waters of Gautami, Muchkundi, Arjuna and Kajali rivers, is one of India’s unique landforms. Upon its rocks, prehistoric humans have engraved several designs. 

In the Konkani language, it is called katal sculpture. In Latin language, this rock sculpture is known as ‘petroglyph’. This type of huge petroglyphs or geoglyphs can also be found in the Nazca Valley of Peru, South America, as well as in the aboriginal settlements in Australia, Europe and West Asia’s Jordan and Syria. In Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer, Boha geoglyphs were also discovered with a span of 1,00,000 sq. m. On soft laterite rocks, hard rock pieces have been scrubbed to make this sculpture. Some petroglyphs (Greek ‘petro’ = rock, ‘glyphos’ = writing) are circular in shape. It is a matter of regret that many invaluable petroglyphs are being destroyed and valuable prehistory is being obliterated. 

This article was first published in the Bhavan Journal.

The Konkan petroglyph was discovered by an electrical engineer, Sudhir Risbud. He has discovered over 1700 such prehistoric stone pictures or petroglyphs in 72 villages including Ukshi, Jambharun, Kasheli, Rundhetali, Barsu and others. These stone motifs including vegetation, wild animals, geometric designs, etc. had been dedicated by prehistoric ancestors to the Austric deities like Navla Devi, Ravalnath, Pawana Devi, Jogai Devi and Jaka Devi. The petroglyphs also feature huge pictures of elephants and rhinoceros. This rhino is the primitive form of the tribal goddess of fertility, Kojagauri. The picture petroglyph of the deity’s legs are found in the villages of Niwali and Rundhetali. The pictures of deer and peacock are also enlivened petroglyphs. 

The largest geoglyph in the Konkan plateau is found at Kasheli. It is a picture of a 2000 sq. feet wide elephant. This picture is also accompanied by small portraits of monkey, fish, deer, baby elephant and kangaroo. It is a puzzling matter whether there were any kangaroos within the Konkan plateau during the prehistoric period. In Rundhetali village, a large petroglyph of an Olive Ridley turtle was found. The petroglyph of a running deer has been discovered in Debur village. Implements to make petroglyphs have been excavated from Devache Gothane village. Before the Aryadurga shrine, there is a huge, quadrangular geometric petroglyph, which is the most intact petroglyph sculpture. It is bordered with serpentine motifs. UNESCO has included the Konkan petroglyphs on its tentative list of World Heritage Sites.

The villages—Barsu, Sogamwadi and Solgaon— feature an exquisite array of petroglyphs. Among those villages, Barsu has become a goldmine of petroglyphs with abstract, geometric motifs of creatures, fishes and reptiles which resemble prehistoric cave paintings in Bhimbetka, Altamira in Spain and Lascaux in France. Those petroglyphs were drawn with stone tools, in the Paleolithic Age, 25 to 30,000 years from now. There are some newer petroglyphs also, drawn in the Mesolithic Age, 10,000 years ago. There is a petroglyph by nomadic hunter-gather ancestors in Barsu where a swarthy hunter is found hunting two tigers with bare hands. This petroglyph resembles Indus Valley seals and Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh. That tiger hunter is 20 feet in height and 57 feet in width.

Mythologically it is believed that Devache Gothane is Parashuram’s village from where he threw his axe. There is a petroglyph with geomagnetic deflection within the picture of a huge human form, with his hands and legs pointing towards north, west, east and south directions. The Maharashtra Government has been pondering upon the fact of setting up a petro refinery in Devache Gothane village. If it happens, many petroglyphs are liable to be destroyed. The petroglyph of two gigantic feet is also found within Niwali village.

It is not known whether these petroglyphs were mere exhibitions or links with celestial bodies and supernaturalism. They might be objects of respect and divine worship. However, it is still mysterious why geometrical and abstract petroglyphs were drawn.

Also, the petroglyphs feature wild animals only which testifies that humans in that era did not learn cattle rearing. The hunter gatherers who sketched these petroglyphs were the forefathers of contemporary Oraon and Munda tribes. The petroglyphs may also be attributed to a Koli fisherfolk community, the Kadamba tribe who founded the first tribal empire in India. At present, the villagers have been keeping strong vigil to safeguard the petroglyphs from incursion.

It should be ensured that these artistic, prehistoric enigmas are not vitiated by tourist influx and media publicity, like Chile’s Painted Hills and Portugal’s Coa Valley.

This article was first published in the Bhavan’s Journal, September 16, 2024 issue. This article is courtesy and copyright Bhavan’s Journal, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai-400007. eSamskriti has obtained permission from Bhavan’s Journal to share. Do subscribe to the Bhavan’s Journal – it is very good.

Similar petroglyphs are found in Goa that is in Western India. Read about it