3,000-year-old cave paintings found in southern India

Paintings that are over 3,000 years old, belonging to the Sangam period, showcasing the love and valour of Tamils, were discovered in the Andipatti hills near here on Sunday.

This cave painting depicts men, women and children dancing during a festival [Credit: Indian Express]

V. Narayanamorthy, Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Archaeological Research Institute, and his team came upon the paintings when they were inspecting some caves, west of Andipatti hills.

He said, “The faded paintings have been found in over 10 places in the cave and were painted in white colour using a mixture of limestone, natural gums and herbal extracts.”

One of the paintings shows a group of women carrying pots of water on their heads, while another shows men, women and children dancing together at a festival, holding hands. What’s interesting is that this kind of dance can still be seen in the Paliyar and Puliyar tribal communities, the archaeologists said.

Another picture shows people getting ready to sacrifice a goat for a festival.

The paintings also tell stories—one of an elephant captured and trained, on which the king goes for a ride surrounded by guards. Several scattered paintings depict men, women and tigers and hunts undertaken.

The caves were in frequent use about 2,000 to 3,000 years ago.

Source: The New Indian Express [March 04, 2013]