The rock art of Tamil Nadu

A RECENT issue of Kalvettu, the journal of the Department of Archaeology, Government of Tamil Nadu, provided me the first list I'd seen of the monuments in the State protected by the Department. And they numbered only 87! And if to them you add the monuments in Tamil Nadu protected by Archaeological Survey of India - whose list I have not seen, but which is unlikely to include more than a few score monuments - the State then has less than 200 protected historic monuments. And for a State that proudly proclaims a heritage over 2000 years old and great kingdoms, not to mention other ruling powers, every couple of hundred years, less than 200 protected monuments seem an inordinately small number. Which is why we need a Heritage Act for Tamil Nadu sooner rather than later - but, as things stand, heritage does not appear a priority, with little attempt to protect what is already declared protected and even less attempt to capitalise on the opportunities the protected offer.

The State Department of Archaeology's list appears to have stirred up little interest in the media in the State, but whether it was the list, or otherwise, one national magazine, Outlook, recently drew attention - mine included - to some protected sites in Tamil Nadu that very few in the State are likely to have even heard of. Yet, places like Chettavarai, Alampadi and Kilvalai in Villupuram District are so rich in prehistoric rock paintings that the experts speak of them in the same breath as Bhimbetka in Orissa, which is an UNESCO world heritage-nominated site and draw not only for scholars but also tourists. Yet Tamil Nadu has 50 more such sites, with paintings as well as engravings or etchings, protected and unprotected, and certainly not exploited. Even more certainly, they endangered by granite quarries, local vandals and political artists.

The State Department of Archaeology dates the Kilvalai paintings to 1000 B.C. Chettavarai's and Alampadi's paintings are believed to be even older. Yet another protected site is at Vettaikkaranmalai, near Narasimapuram, in Coimbatore District. And there are several other sites of various ages in Dharmapuri, Dindigul and Tirunelveli Districts. A recent find by ROOTS, a Madras-based NGO, comprising artists, art historians and archaeologists, headed by Prof. G. Chandrasekaran of the Government College of Fine Arts, Madras, has been at Porivarai, near Karikkiyur, in Erode District. It is reported to be by far the largest rock `canvas' found in Tamil Nadu, measuring 120 feet by 15 feet, and is described by Chandrasekaran in the report as "breathtaking".

Such prehistoric wealth deserves a better deal than the occasional signboard and the even less frequent fencing. Not only do these sites need to be properly protected and conserved, but they need to be made better-known and more tourist-friendly - but ensuring at the same time, through significant entrance fees - that will help pay for their conservation - that only those genuinely interested have access to what, from all accounts, is quite a treasure.

courtesy THE HINDU