Prehistoric rock art found in hillocks of Mulugu in Telangana

Based on their style and subject matter, these images can be attributed to the Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Megalithic periods dating back to a time between 10,000 and 1,000 years ago.

Hyderabad: The hillocks of Telangana continue to reveal new historical treasures the more they are explored. The region offers evidence spanning prehistoric times to the modern era. An exploration conducted by two local youngsters in the hills of Mulugu district has brought to light rock art dating back to the Stone Age.

Locals and members of the Public Research Institute for History, Archaeology and Heritage (PRIHAH), Gaddam Kranthi Kumar and Tati Sambasiva Rao Dora, brought these images to light.

Located 30 kilometre from Mulugu town, the hillocks known locally as Moddu Gutta, Darvajala Gutta, and Nemali Gutta are evidence of Stone Age life in Telangana. These hills are part of the Bandlapahad forest reserve in Mulugu district.

Prehistoric paintings adorn the rock shelters of these hills. These paintings include anthropomorphic figures (human-like figures), depictions of animals such as deer, bulls, tortoises, foxes, and wild buffaloes, as well as various lines and designs. Most of these images are painted in red, while some are white. Due to natural changes, some of the figures have become so indistinct that they couldn’t be clearly identified.

Based on their style and subject matter, these images can be attributed to the Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Megalithic periods – dating back to a time between 10,000 and 1,000 years ago.

Among the paintings found on these hillocks, the most interesting ones are two large human-like figures present at the rock shelter of Moddu Gutta. These figures feature red and white decorative elements and display distinctive adornments on the head and body. One figure is depicted in a vertical posture with designs covering its entire body, while the other is horizontal, featuring unique ornamentation on its head and neck.

“The artwork on these figures exhibits a ‘superimposition’ effect, where images appear to be layered one over the other,” says Dr MA Srinivasan, General Secretary of PRIHAH, who is also an Assistant Professor at Suravaram Pratap Reddy Telugu University.

He opines that although human figures similar to these were found at Bommala Loddi near Tadvai, the ones at Moddu Gutta are more artistic and elaborately decorated.

There is another notable feature of Moddu Gutta: a cave located in the middle of the hillock. Measuring four metre in width, five metre in height, and approximately fifteen metre in length, presently this cave serves as a habitat for bats. The presence of cup marks and Neolithic grooves on the nearby rocks indicates that the area between these hillocks and the cave served as a human settlement during the Neolithic Age

Images of tortoises which have been depicted at Darvajala Gutta appeared to be superimposed – layered one over another. Along with these figures, white designs and other red-colored drawings are visible.

At the rock shelter at Nemali Gutta, there are white-colored depictions of deer and bulls. The presence of three Megalithic-era graves (dolmens) near Nemali Gutta serves as evidence of human habitation in these hills.

Bandi Muralidhar Reddy, an expert on prehistoric rock art, stated that these paintings are unique, noting that human figures of this particular style had not been seen before. He also confirmed that these paintings date back to the Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Megalithic periods..

Since SS Rangachari, retired Deputy Director of the Telangana Archaeology Department first brought Stone Age paintings to light in 1990 at Kosse Gutta and Bommala Loddi in Narsapur village of Tadvai mandal in Mulugu district, such paintings have been discovered across six hillocks in Mulugu district.

SS Rangachari says that there is extensive evidence of the prehistoric era stretching from Basara to Bhadrachalam, and urges that efforts be made to explore and preserve it.

Srinivasan urges the state government to consider the numerous megalithic burials discovered in Mulugu district and the rock art across these six hillocks as a single unit, preserve them, and develop Mulugu district into a heritage and tourist destination.

PRIHAH, an organisation engaged in the historical research, demands that if local youngsters like Kranthi Kumar and Sambasiva Rao were given scientific training, the forests and hillocks of Telangana could reveal even more historical treasures like these sites.