Pre-historic rock paintings found in cave

Nizamabad: Hundreds of pre-historic rock paintings have been discovered in a cave near Mattamralla Thanda of Yellampet village in Machareddy mandal which is part of the old Nizamabad district. The paintings have come to light following the efforts by a resident of the thanda, Linganna, a research scholar of the Kakatiya University. He has been assisted in this endeavour by another researcher Jainath Kumar. Earlier, a professor of the University of Hyderabad K P Rao is said to have visited the spot and taken photographs of the paintings.

Two years earlier a journalist Venugopalachary had seen the paintings in the 30 x15 ft cave. On January 13, on the Bhogi festival day, members of the new Telangana team Ramoju Harigopal, Vemuganti Muralikrishna, assisted by one Nagaraju, and a poet/assistant professor Dr V Shankar, Venugopalachary, Ahobilam Karunakar, Somuleti Mahesh, Ramakrishna and local residents Bukka Lingam, Maloth Bharath Kumar formed the team which found the paintings.

Although the paintings are said to be large in number they got attached because they were stated to be superimposed. Most of them pertain to the Stone Age. Behind them are found in thin lines figures of men and deer at one or two spots. The paintings are also from the Copper Age as also Medieval and post-Stone Age periods. The scrappers, flake knives, microliths, granite, stone implements of various sizes, ash-coloured earthen pot, roof tiles, besides stone walls, have been found recently by the team members as proof of the paintings belonging to the pre-Historic period.

The figures found on the paintings include two tigers, three persons performing mass dance; a group of six men with a person down on the ground; a deer with a man standing next and on top of it; a Rangoli; an axe on the left top of the cave carries a picture of a knife with two persons standing on its either side. On top of the two persons is mark of a Trident (Trishulam) which is found at two other places.

The figures also include six persons performing a group dance. Seen at their side is a ‘Tribhujam’ at the bottom of which are seen three lines. Adjacent to the lines are a plus mark and a hourglass-type figure of a man. Three more lines are also seen below which there are two men holding weapons, a cattle shed and a man with a weapon.

Next to him is found a huge deer. Next to the animal are three rows of earthen pots, with men standing behind along with another deer and an ox, besides two or three horse-shoe shaped toys and a group dance sequence. Towards the roof top on the eastern side of the cave are two figures, one of which is a deer and a man lying in front of three persons.

By Srikanth Panchareddy