A team of archaeologists from the Haryana government’s museum and archaeology department discovered in June 2021 rare and ancient cave paintings, rock shelters, tools, and tool-making equipment in the rocky and forested area in Mangar Bani hill forest in the Faridabad district of Haryana, located in the Aravalli hills along Gurugram–Faridabad extension. The site of discovery is close to the national capital of Delhi and is spread across an area of 5,000 hectares. The findings were first spotted in May 2021 by an environmental activist, Sunil Harsana. As per an early study, this could possibly be the largest Palaeolithic site in the Indian subcontinent. The preliminary analysis shows that the paintings belong to Lower or Upper Palaeolithic era and therefore could be the oldest cave arts in India. The Palaeolithic era, also known as the Old Stone Age, dates back to 10,000 BCE.
According to Banani Bhattacharyya, deputy director of Haryana archaeology and museums department, “Haryana is known as the cradle of Indian civilisation. Earlier, 28 sites dating back to the Harappan and pre-Harappan era had been discovered in the state. However, cave paintings and rock art sprawling in such a large area have been discovered for the first time. This discovery suggests that the history here could be 1 lakh years old. While the rock art and tools are estimated to be about 1 lakh years old, the paintings might not be older than 20,000–40,000 years.” The estimates are preliminary and documentation and carbon-dating will accurately determine the exact time period this site belongs to.
About Findings
The major findings of the site include line drawings, which are the oldest, when humans had not really figured out how to draw complex patterns; drawings of different geometric shapes, foliage, animals’ and human figures, symbols look like cup marks, which had presumably been kept for some special purpose. The colours used for the drawings mostly are red or yellow earth, i.e., ochre, and white which means those particular drawings belong to the historic era. Many rock art and open-air ceremonial sites are spotted in the open air, a majority of them on the ceilings of the rock shelters.
Dating of Findings and Significance
The paintings are not yet dated but the archaeologists believe that some of these paintings belong to the Upper Palaeolithic period. The paintings are being seen in continuation with the Soanian culture, an archaeological culture of the Lower Palaeolithic in the Shivalik hills, Narmada, and Aravallis.
The caves and the paintings are reminiscent of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, which is home to the oldest known cave art in India, dating back to the Mesolithic Age, around 10,000 years ago. According to the archaeologists, the Mangar cave art is 20,000–40,000 years old but it needs to be established through archaeological dating.
The archaeologists also suggest that the area witnessed permanent human settlement for a longer period, evident from the evolvement of different drawing patterns and development of tool making skills. This biggest Palaeolithic site could be the tool-making factory of our ancestors.
It needs special dating techniques to establish that the drawing patterns and tools are of Stone Age because tools and technology of the Stone Age are of a particular time period. Therefore, the archaeologists, depending on typo-technological dating and studying the pigment, found that the evolution of tools in this site might go back to starting from the Lower Palaeolithic to Middle Palaeolithic then Upper Palaeolithic era. Significant remains from Lower Palaeolithic till Middle and Upper Palaeolithic period are found, which suggests the process of evolution.
Importance of Aravallis
The Aravallis demonstrate the earliest evidence of the stone age which we call the Lower Palaeolithic Acheulean culture. Palaeolithic artefacts have been reported earlier from various parts of Delhi and Haryana. In 1985–86, Dilip Kumar Chakrabarti and Nayanjot Lahiri surveyed and mapped prehistoric sites in Delhi and Haryana and traced 43 sites. In 1986, A.K. Sharma discovered the Palaeolithic site of Anangpur in Faridabad which was later excavated by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Archaeologists are worried about the fast deteriorating condition of the Mangar Bani site and demand the area should be declared a heritage-eco zone which will protect it from illegal mining and encroachment. Aravallis being the oldest mountain range in the world is full of important clues to help understand our origins as well as about the hidden past of the Indian subcontinent.
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