Ancient Maharashtra rock art declared 'protected monument'

The Maharashtra government on Sunday declared the geoglyphs and petroglyphs in Ratnagiri as ‘protected monuments’ under the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1960, reported TOI.

The group of petroglyphs at Deud, Ratnagiri, dates back to the Mesolithic era (roughly 20,000-10,000 years ago), according to a notification by the culture department.

Geoglyphs and petroglyphs are different types of ancient art forms. They involve the creation of images or designs on the earth’s surface or rock surfaces.



As per the notification, the petroglyphs depict a rhino, deer, monkey, donkey, and footprints. The group of petroglyphs in the Konkan region are important as they represent the creations of Mesolithic humans. T he total area around the monument to be protected is 210 sq metres.

While seven, including a 17-ft long petroglyph, have been discovered in Umbarle village, Dapoli taluka, the eighth is in Borkhat village, Mandangad taluka.

Geoglyphs are spread across the 900 km of the Konkan coast in Maharahstra and Goa. Ratnagiri alone is home to more than 1,500 such artworks across 70 sites, seven of which are on the Unesco’s tentative World Heritage list.


“ While most common rock art in India are in the form of rock paintings, rock etchings, cup marks and ring marks, the large concentration of geoglyphs on the laterite plateaus (Sada) in Konkan are unique and most remarkable open-air ensembles of prehistoric human expression... These are distinct concentrations of pictorial representations that include marine and riverine (life, as well as mammals), reptiles, amphibian and avian life which vanished from the region centuries ago,” says the Unesco description.

There have been concerns amongst conservationists over a proposed oil refinery in Barsu. They have warned that it could damage the geoglyphs in the area.