Rock Art of Chhatisgarh

Chhattisgarh a party of the ancient kingdom of ‘Kosal’ is a treasure trove on unimagined natural and cultural bounty. Besides its generally better known heritage of forest and mineral wealth, cascading waterfalls and rich tribal traditions, the area is incredibly rich in rock art from Mesolithic to historic period.

Chattisgarh’s  cultural heritage, archaeological antiquities, and monuments and rock art sites have seen sporadic academic interest, however they are yet to be properly discovered from a popular interest and touristic perspective. What is even more important is that these sites exist in abundance and need to be interpreted and understood  as regards variations in style, age, lifestyles of the times, a peep sight into the world view of the creators of these sites and their times, environmental implications, etc.   The rock art of Chhattisgarh was first mentioned in 1910 by C W Anderson, an engineer in the Bengal/Nagpur Railways, followed by C J Wellington (1910 to 1913). Since then a number of researchers have shed some light on this very valuable part of our national heritage, but progress in last 2 decades have been far less than expected.

Rock Art of Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh rock paintings date from Mesolithic to Historical period with some of them going back to the  prehistoric period.  A significant part of this heritage lies in thickly forested districts of Raigarh, Kanker, Koria and Bastar.  There are over 31 sites generally known but even more can be expected to be found with more comprehensive surveys. The sheer volume and diversity makes Chhatisgarh as much a repository of rock art as some parts of Australia and Africa. Some of the interesting sites among these ones are e. g.

Basnajhar: with more than 300 paintings of beautiful images of decorated elephants,  mermaids, horses, and wild buffaloes, along with life depictions by way of hunting and dancing scenes is a very interesting site.

Basnajhar Paintings

Kabra Pahar:  has paintings made in red ochre in a decent state of preservation with principle figures of  tortoise, buffalo, humans etc..

Kabra Pahar

Murelgarh: is known for multi coloured paintings on rock panels in mostly geometric patterns.

Murelgarh Rock Paintings

Chitwa Dongri: have distinct Chinese influence with depiction of a Chinese figure over a donkey, dragons and agricultural activities.

Chitwa Dongri

These places can be approached from Raipur. Many of the places do not have adequate tourist infrastructure and need to be explored with base at Raipur, Jagdalpur, and Kanker, which now are developing some quality eco resorts and homestays (in some cases by erstwhile royals offering world class hospitality.

The Other Home believes that the treasures of Chhatisgarh have the potential to make it a significant centre of attraction in the forthcoming years. Come explore Chhatisgarh with The Other Home.