Cave Paintings Near Fatehpur Sikri
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Nai ki Bhoot Cave |
Most of these hillocks have been mined for the stone but the few remaining are being protected after an order issued by the Supreme Court in India. These hillocks have open air caves that have paintings claimed to be from the Mesolthic period (+3,000 BC). I believe these pre-historic cave paintings were discovered in the 1970s, however, no work was (and has been to date) undertaken to protect and conserve them. Some caves have been vandalised and/or the art has faded over time.
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Cave Painting in Cheel Ki Gufa (the Eagle's Cave) |
I jumped on the opportunity to visit these cave paintings on a recent visit organized by some friends from Agra. We visited three villages that are off the highway between Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. It is believed that there are several other locations where these paintings still exist.
Ancient Cave Paintings near Fatehpur Sikri |
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Steep access to one of the caves |
For those of you with mobility issues, the steep climb up these hillocks will be a challenge. For those of you with vertigo, you will not be able to access some of the caves as you will have to walk on narrow rocky ledges with a drop of approximately 100-150 feet. In one of the caves you have to crawl or hunker down on your belly to get inside.
Sounds like mission impossible but when you think of it, the humans who inhabited these caves handpicked these locations primarily for their inaccessibility. They wanted to ensure their safety was not compromised by wild animals and their enemies. They had a vantage point from where they could see far beyond and the caves were deep enough to hide them should they sense danger approaching. If the unwanted did make it up the hill, the entrance to the caves were narrow enough to allow only one individual to enter giving the resident cave men/women enough time to strike that individual down.
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Paintings in a cave called Rani ka Khatola |
The paintings we saw primarily depicted wild animals, people, bullock carts, mystical figures (looks like a bulls eye but could also be the circle of life) and a procession. One of the caves even depicted a bird in a cage, perhaps this was painted much later than the others. The colors used are red and black. When asked, the locals knew nothing of these cave paintings. An elderly man who was from the village said that the paintings were drawn several hundreds of years ago by a bride who languished the death of her family that perished when a huge piece of rock fell on them. They were apparently on their way to the groom's house.
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There is lack of credible documentation on the origin, meaning and symbolism of these cave paintings. The cave paintings are also not protected and their existence is threatened as more and more hands will touch them. The area is used by cattle herders and local kids use the caves for their amusement. If no serious effort is undertaken by the government to protect and conserve these historical sites, I have no doubt that they will be lost in the sands of time.
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This cave is named Cheel ki Gufa |
I would like to thank the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Fatehpur Sikri circle for leading us to the location of these paintings. Please leave a comment below if you have more information about these paintings, have studied and provided credible commentary or have older photographs. Thank you.
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ReplyDeleteKeep this going please, great job!
ReplyDeletethank you!
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