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CITIESPUDUCHERRY

Published:December8,201407:46IST|Updated:December8,201407:46IST
PUDUCHERRY,December8,2014

Preserverockartforposterity:experts
R.SIVARAMAN

OneoftherarepaintingsontherockatKilvalaivillageinVillupuramdistrict.Photo:SpecialArrangement
OneoftherarestartformofrockpaintingsdiscoveredinSouthIndiaisinanondescriptvillage,Kilvalai,locatedataround55kmfrom
Puducherry.
ExpressingconcernoversuchrareartsofearlymankindinKilvalaiandadjoiningplacesinVillupuramdistrictfacingdestructiondueto
variousactivitiesofvandalism,artloversandresearcherscallforearlystepsbyauthoritiestopreservethemforthebenefitofposterity.
ThepaintingsonthesmallrockcalledRattapparaiareinfoursets.Inthefirstset,threepersonswithamanmountedonahorse,another
pullingthathorsewitharopefastenedtotheanimalwhilethethirdmanisdepictedwithstretchedhandswelcomingothers.Thefourth
groupisapaintingofsixmenstandingandfewotherswithoutstretchedhands.
SuchpaintingsarefoundintheneighbouringvillagesSetavarai,Alampadi,Nayanur,Pollur,Padiyanenthal,ThengunamandSiruvalai.
K.T.Gandhirajan,anindependentartresearchersaid,ThepaintingsonrocksofKilvalaiarefoundinthreerockyareasandpaintedinred
ochre.Thatmightbe3000yearsold.ItisbelievedthatafewsymbolsofpaintingsaresimilartothatfoundintheIndusValleycivilisation.
Thismustbeanidealshelterforhuntergatherercommunity.Amongthethreerocks,twoarefacingdestructionsduetovandalismsuchas
mininginthenearbyareas.Duetorampantmininginthenearbyareasanddevelopmentofmicroorganisms,thepigmentofpaintingis
peelingoff.
AsaheritagerichsitesituatednearPuducherry,wheretouriststroopintheweekends,artloversalsosuggestthatthesesitescanbepromoted
underheritagetourism.
R.Rajarajan,AssistantProfessorofPainting,BharathiarPalkalaiKoodamsaid,Severalpaintingsaredestroyedduetorampantillegal
mininginnearbyareas.KilvalaiandothertwoplacesareundertheprotectionoftheDepartmentofArchaeology,TamilNadubutnostaffs
aredeployedthereeithertoprotectorguidethevisitors.
Printableversion|Apr22,20155:25:13PM|http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/puducherry/preserverockartforposterity
experts/article6671769.ece
TheHindu

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