Rock Arts and dolments at Chinnar Wild Life Sanctuary, Alampatti / Alampatty and Marayur / Marayoor, Kerala.

14^th August 2017.

Marayoor Heritage Visit  was scheduled on 13^th August 2017. With high expectations of Rock Art Paintings and Dolmens of Marayoor, started our travelling from Valapady after our Hero stones and Neolithic Tools heritage visit in the tribal Villages of Kalvarayan hills to Udumalpet on 12^th Aug 2017. We traveled via Salem, Erode, Tiruppur and  to Udumalpet.  It  was told that the last bus to Udumalpet from Tiruppur is 22.30 hrs. When we reached Tiruppur it was 23.00 and missed the last bus. But luckily we got the last bus to Valparai and reached Udumalpet, standing all the way around 01.30 Hrs. Mr Santhosh and Nandakumar booked a room and escaped from trouble of searching a room in the dark night. 

It was 09.00hrs on 13^th August, 2017 ( scheduled time to depart from Udumalpet to Marayoor ), we gathered at Hotel room after having our breakfast and waited till 11.00 hrs to the last batch of 4 members to arrive. With a delay of 2 hours, we the 16 history enthusiasts started our travel to Marayoor through a Van. All the arrangements for the van and permission from the forest department were obtained by  Mr Sadasivam, a history enthusiast, archaeologist, etc.

ROCK ARTS AT CHINNAR WILD LIFE SANCTUARY,  ALAMPATTY.

This guided tour is being conducted by the Tribal Tracker Eco Development Committee under Anamudi Forest Development agency & Kerala Forest and Wild life Department. After filling up the members list and payment of Rs 300 each, a Tribal guide took us   in side the Chinnar Wild Life Sanctuary.

There are about 25 shelters has the rock paintings of both white kaolin and Red ochre in Anamalai hills area.  Patty means a shelter for the cattle. Shelter might have been used for both humans and cattle.  We had seen the rock paintings in 4 shelters of which two shelters has the white Kaolin paintings  and other two are red ochre paintings. As per the experts, these paintings are estimated to be of 9000 to 10000 years old. The paintings expresses the prehistoric human beings, their culture, the knowledge, worship, customs etc. The paintings contains the images of man, women’s dance, animals like cow, buffalo, Deer, elephant etc. They had shown the wealth of their land in a symbolic way with markings. Some of the signs matches with the Indus script.

LOCATION:CLICK HERE

In this red ochre art two deers are drawn. The Guide told us that when the horn fallen down, till it grows the skin will become soft and even a thorn will be sufficient to kill it.   The name of the rock shelter is called as Madathala 

 The ritual followed before taking honey from a tree. – in Red Ochre

  Honey Comb -in Red Ochre

 A Man is praying - in Red Ochre

 Dancing ?- in white Kaolin

 The animal is shown with inner organs -in white Kaolin 

The Palm impression in white Kaolin 

DOLMENS AT ALAMPETTY & MARAYOOR

ALAMPATTY.

On the way to Rock Art Paintings inside the rock shelters, the guide showed us the Dolmens of smaller sizes covered on  three sides and top. The dolmens are in a group maximum of 3, 5 nos etc,.. It was told that each group of dolmens belongs to a family.

MARAYOOR ( MURUGAN HILL ) 

The Megalithic period ( Iron age ) Dolmens are erected on this Murugan Hill are 5000 years old ( As per ASI- a certificate is available at Panchayat office).  The Dolmens are of big in size of about 6 feet high (  height is about 1.4 meters to 1.7 meters  and 3.5 meters length),  behind the  Govt High School. It is estimated that at least 2500 to 3000 Dolmenoids erected from the base to the top of the hill. The Dolmenoids has several burial chambers may be belonged to  a single family.  Some of Chambers has the hole like opening either on East or west side. This indicates that the person died during Dakshinayana or uttrayana. It was believed that the dead man’s soul/ sprit will go through these hole like opening. Depending on the status of the dead, stone structure is created around the Dolmen. It is happy to note that the local body had taken interest to protect these dolmenoids and erected fence around them.

LOCATION:CLICK HERE 

 A Dolmen has the white kaolin painting – what is the meaning ? 

---OM SHIVAYA NAMA---