Prehistoric rock paintings found on Hyderabad outskirts

The collections include three sets of couples engaged in erotic postures, human figures with a heavy body and eight monkeys standing one above the other.

Hyderabad: A series of rock paintings that denote the lifestyle of the prehistoric people and reflect their inner urge to express their experiences and exposure to the environment and ecology were found on the outskirts of Hyderabad. 

 “Rock paintings ranging in date between the Mesolithic period and Early historic period -8500 BCE-2nd century CE- were explored on the outskirts of Hyderabad city. The paintings also reveal the artistic skills of the people who stayed in these rock shelters between 8500 BCE and 2nd century CE,” said noted archeologist and PLEACH India foundation CEO, Dr E Sivanagireddy.

He said that based on the information given by Md Naseeruddin and Ahobilam Karunakar, Dr Sivanagireddy rushed to Yadaram village in Shameerpermandal, Medchal-Malkajgiri district on Wednesday along with them and examined the paintings on two huge boulders of the 3rd tier of the four-tiered boulder hill called as Pedda Antharalagutta located towards the east of the village.

According to him, there are a good number of rock paintings executed in red ochre colour representing humped and humpless bulls and stick-type and human figures of the Mesolithic period(around 8500 BCE), Exray type of bull seen with bones inside the body of a bull and silhouetted human figures of the Neolithic period (4000-2000BCE), geometrical designs with perfect angles within the precision of the iron age(1000BCE).

Other paintings include three sets of couples engaged in erotic postures, human figures with a heavy body and eight monkeys standing one above the other catching a honey suckle belonging to the Early historical-Satavahana times (1st-2nd centuries CE) on one vertical boulder and a humped bull domesticated by a man holding a rope tied to its neck on another vertical boulder belonging to the Neolithic period based on stylistic grounds.

Dr Sivanagireddy said that the locality could be developed as an Archaeological Tourism Circuit covering the other rock art sites located within the vicinity of this site such as Pyararam, Lingam Thanda and Bommalaramaram all in a radius of 25 kms and connected with Rajiv Rahadari and Outer Ring Road.

He appealed to the villagers of Yadaram to preserve the prehistoric paintings for posterity.