Prehistoric paintings were usually painted on rocks, and these rock carvings were referred to as Petroglyphs. The first prehistoric paintings were uncovered in Madhya Pradesh''s Bhimbetka caves. Paintings and sketches were the earliest art forms used by humans to express themselves on a cave wall as a canvas.

Historical Background

• Seven historical periods may be identified in the sketches and paintings.
• V.S.Wakankar, an archaeologist, discovered the Bhimbetaka paintings in 1957-58.
• These paintings typically depict animals such as bison, beers, and tigers. They are known as the ''Zoo Rock Shelter'' because they depict elephants, rhinoceroses, cattle, snakes, spotted deer, barasingha, and other animals.
• Prehistoric paintings can be divided into three major phases:
• Palaeolithic Period
• Mesolithic Period
• Chalcolithic Period

Upper Palaeolithic Period (40000–10000 BC)

• Since the walls of the rock shelter caves were formed of quartzite, minerals were employed as paints.
• Ochre or geru, when mixed with lime and water, was one of the most frequent minerals.
• They broadened their palette by using other minerals to create colours like red, white, yellow, and green.
• Large animals such as bison, elephants, rhinos, tigers, and others were shown in white, dark red, and green.
• Red was utilised for hunters and green was used largely for dancers in human sculptures.
• Remains of rock paintings have been discovered on the walls of caves in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Bihar, and Uttarakhand in India.
• Lakhudiyar in Uttarakhand, Kupgallu in Telangana, Piklihal and Tekkalkotta in Karnataka, Bhimbetka and Jogimara in Madhya Pradesh, and others are examples of early rock painting locations.
• Man, Animal, and Geometric Symbols are the three categories of paintings featured here.

Features of these early works of art

• Humans are depicted as a stick-like figure.
• In the early paintings, a long-snouted animal, a fox, and a multi-legged lizard are common animal motifs (later many animals were drawn).
• There are additional wavy lines, rectangular-filled geometric shapes, and a group of dots.
• Paintings are superimposed one on top of the other, starting with black, then red, and finally white.
• Bhimbetka is one of India''s and the world''s oldest paintings (Upper paleolithic).

Mesolithic Period (10000–4000 BC)

• This is the period with the greatest amount of artwork. Themes are numerous, yet the paintings are modest.
• The majority of the scenes are of hunters. Hunters wielded barbed spears, pointed sticks, arrows, and bows in groups.
• Some paintings depict traps and snares used to catch animals.
• Animal pointing was a popular pastime among Mesolithic people. Animals are chasing men in some photographs, while hunters are chasing them in others.
• The colour red was heavily used throughout this time period.
• The scale of the paintings shrank throughout this period in comparison to the Upper Paleolithic epoch.
• Group hunting is one of the most common scenarios represented in these paintings, and several others depict grazing and riding activities.

Chalcolithic Period

• The number of paintings employing the colors green and yellow increased throughout this time period.
• The majority of the paintings are depictions of battle scenes. Many paintings depict men riding elephants and horses.
• Some of them even have bows and arrows, indicating that they are ready for conflicts.
• They feature drawings of spotted deer skins drying, which supports the hypothesis that man perfected the art of tanning skins for shelter and clothing.
• Musical instruments such as the harp are also depicted in other artworks from this time period.
• Complex geometrical shapes such as the spiral, rhomboid, and circle appear in several of the paintings.
• The Jogimara caves in the Ramgarh hills in the Surguja district of Chhattisgarh include some paintings from the later period. These are thought to have been painted about the year 1000 BCE.
• In the Kanker area of Chhattisgarh, caves such as the refuge of Udkuda, Garagodi, Khaperkheda, Gotitola, Kulgaon, and others may be found.
• Human figurines, animals, palm prints, bullock carts, and other depictions of a higher and sedentary way of life can be found in these shelters.
• Similar paintings may be found in the Koriya district''s Ghodasar and Kohabaur rock art sites.
• Another intriguing location is Chitwa Dongri (Durg district), where we can see a Chinese figure riding a donkey, as well as dragon paintings and agricultural scenes.

Significance

• White, yellow, orange, red ochre, purple, brown, green, and black were among the colours used.
• However, their favorite colors were white and red. These folks manufactured their paints by crushing a variety of colored pebbles. Haematite turned them red (Geru in India).
• Chalcedony, a green-coloured rock, was used to make this green. Limestone was most likely the source of white.
• When mixing rock powder with water, sticky substances such as animal fat, gum, or tree resin may be employed. Plant fiber brushes were used.
• The chemical reaction of the oxide existing on the surface of rocks is thought to have kept these colours for thousands of years.
• Paintings have been discovered in both occupied and vacant caves.
• It suggests that these artworks were occasionally utilized as signals, warnings, and other similar purposes.
• Many of the new rock art sites have been painted over an older painting. Nearly 20 layers of paintings are visible at Bhimbetka, one on top of the other.
• It depicts the human being''s progressive evolution from one period to the next. Nature''s inspiration is combined with a hint of mysticism in symbology.
• Only a few drawings are used to express ideas (representation of men by the stick-like drawings). Many geometrical patterns are used.
• The majority of the scenes depicted hunting, as well as people''s economic and social lives. Flora, fauna, humans, legendary creatures, carts, chariots, and other figures can be observed.
• The colours red and white are more important.

The Prehistoric period is defined as a time in the far past when there was no paper, language, or written word, and hence no books or written documents. Until scholars began excavating Prehistoric sites, it was difficult to comprehend how Prehistoric people lived. Scholars have pieced together information gleaned from old artefacts, environment, animal and human bones, and artwork on cave walls to create a pretty accurate picture of what happened and how people lived in prehistoric periods.