E-Paper
World Heritage status demanded for rock paintings
An independent researcher, who claims to have discovered primitive rock cave paintings in Alwar belt of Rajasthan that could shed light on prehistoric religion and culture, has asked Unesco to accord it World Heritage status.
An independent researcher, who claims to have discovered primitive rock cave paintings in Alwar belt of Rajasthan that could shed light on prehistoric religion and culture, has asked Unesco to accord it World Heritage status.
The paintings include a multi-deity shrine of a "sun fish, forest lord", buffalo and elephant, Fish Heritage and Environment Trust, a local NGO floated by J S Bakshi, claimed.
Bakshi, who is a heritage consultant with INTACH and WWF and Convenor of Matsya Heritage and Environment Trust, said the paintings suggested very strong "material evidence" that the region evolved the calculation of the calendar from the "vegetational propagation cycle".
Before the Indian 'Samvat' (calendar), "melting of ice used to be the criteria for calculation of time", he said.
He claimed the "very rare, multi-dimensional painting which is the first of its kind in the world" could tie loose ends in the documenting of Indian history.
Bakshi, who keen scholar of history, archaeology and anthropology, said he had requested the Rajasthan government "to file a suitable claim to Unesco" in a separate letter.
There was sufficient evidence indicating that these frescoes could shed light on primitive culture and customs like totemism, particularly worship of the fish in the 'Matsya' (fish) region of which the Alwar belt is a part, he said.
He also ascribed the development of the "dynasty symbol and the time-wheel monogram of Ashoka" to such paintings.
Bakshi submitted his claim to the Archaeological Survey of India, Jaipur, and Anthropological Survey of India, Kolkata, to move an official submission to Unesco.
