Archaeology department moves to take over pre-historic rock art site in the Nilgiris

Udhagamandalam: The pre-historic rock art site in the Parivarai forest area near Karikaiyur village in the Nilgiris will soon come under the custody of the state archaeology department. The site is 7km inside the forest near Karikaiyur, a Kurumba tribal village.

“We are in consultation with the Nilgiris district administration and the forest department for NOC to take over the site that houses ancient rock paintings,” T Udhayachandran, commissioner, state archaeology department told TOI.

“The initiative is under way.”

The rock art, dating back to 10,000 BC, is believed to have been done by local tribals depicting their lifestyle. However, these were found vandalized by miscreants over a period of time. Based on a representation by INTACH-Nilgiris chapter, J Innocent Divya, Nilgiris collector, wrote to the archaeological department to inspect the site.

“We wanted the archaeological department to take over the site at Parivarai for its heritage value. After we wrote to the department, it has initiated work to preserve the art,” Innocent Divya told TOI. “We are awaiting the NOC from the forest department to proceed.”

In the meantime, temporary measures were taken by the collector to safeguard the rock paintings by banning entry to the site. Two personnel from the forest and revenue departments had been deputed to monitor illegal entry of visitors.

Though the Parivarai forest is in the Nilgiris district, the forest range falls under the Sathyamangalam reserve forest. Hence an NOC is required from the DFO of the Sathyamangalam forest division to take over the site.

In the past few days, a team of 12 people, comprising five officials from the archaeological department and locals, have been cleaning the graffiti as part of preserving the rock paintings, Udhayachandran said.

The rock painting comprises some 500 images of humans and animals. The style, using red and white in wet colour technique, is similar to that found in Madhya Pradesh, one of the oldest rock paintings in the country. There are theories that right from the Stone Age, tribals lived in the Nilgiris.

Geetha Srinivasan, Convener, INTACH-Nilgiris chapter, said, “The rock paintings are of archaeological importance. It is a great resource for research scholars. Entry to the site is to be restricted.”

She added, “An enlarged photograph of the rock paintings could be displayed at the government museum in Ooty for tourists and the local public to have a glimpse.”