Table Of ContentARTISTIC APPRECIATION OF THE ROCK ART OF
CHATURBHUJNATH NALA
A Thesis
submitted
for the award of the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in
DRAWING AND PAINTING
Research Scholar
ARTI SHARMA
Prof. Ashvini Kumar Sharma Prof. Giriraj Kumar
Supervisor Co-Supervisor
Department of Drawing and Painting
Faculty of Arts
Dayalbagh Educational Institute
(Deemed University)
Dayalbagh, Agra-282005
(2019)
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iii
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Abstract
Rock art is our heritage and spread in all over the world. In India, it is widely spread from East
to West and North to South. Rock art is the best expression to understand the life of the ancient
period. No other way is remain to know anything about the pre-historic period.
Rock art of India is divided into seven zones. One of them is Central India zone; that is highly
enriched with the rock art. The gallery of Chaturbhujnath Nala is one of them that prosperous
the list of rock shelter in the Central zone.
The art of Chaturbhujnath Nala is a reflection of celebration of life through time. The figures of
Mesolithic Stone age reflect the typical spirit of dynamic life, full of gaiety and enthusiasm with
creative ideas and styles of execution. It is evident in the development of human forms,
headgears, mode of life, socio-cultural life, tactics and technologies etc.
Hunting scene, action of running and dancing were the most preferred activities in the Stone
Age and scenes of depicting affection with nature and wild life forms were the second choice to
express on the walls. These themes are related to their joy and experience. Some rock shelters
are most preferred shelters of such scenes. These rock shelters have open area and water pools
in front of them in the Nala, which retain water for longer time.
After nomadic hunter food gatherers they developed regularly and reached to the stage of cattle
domestication. This was a step forward towards settled life. In this period they started paintings
of cattle riding, cattle domestication, family groups, group dance, spiritual themes, designs,
symbols, motifs, bullock cart, ploughing, group move of human and animals, load bearers, boat
riding, abstract human and animal forms, indoor game (Chopad) and chariot riding etc. These
paintings are the direct way to know about the life of that time. The topics found in the gallery
of Chaturbhujnath nala purely indicates toward a settled life. The society of this place was
developing continuously and they received lots of information to live life with facilities.
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Acknowledgment
All praises to God Almighty who blessed with the courage, strength and the opportunity to
bring my Ph.D. to completion. No doubt he responds to those who seek his guidance, both in
desperation and contentment.
This project has been shaped by the crucial contributions of many wonderful people to whom I
am greatly indebted. First of all, I would like to thank the people, who contributed the most and
helped me in so many ways, Prof. Giriraj Kumar and Prof. Ashvini Kumar Sharma. Their
wisdom, thoughtful insights, and valuable suggestions guided me at every step in my research.
Their confidence and faith in me kept me going at times when I felt completely lost. I would
like to thank the other teachers of the Department of Drawing and Painting who always kept an
eye on my progress and provided help whenever I approached them. A special thanks to the
Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Dayalbagh, Agra that allowed me to fulfill my dreams of
Ph.D. research and for all what I have learned as a part of knowledge along with a disciplined
environment during my stay of more than eleven years for research and other studies.
My special thanks to Prof. P.K. Kalra, Director, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Dayalbagh,
Agra, who permitted me to carry out the research work in the Institute by providing all
necessary facilities and also been a source of inspiration always. Further, I would like gratefully
acknowledge Prof. Anand Mohan, Registrar, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Dayalbagh, Agra,
Prof. J.K Verma, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Prof. Ragini Roy, HOD, Department of Drawing
and Painting, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Dayalbagh, Agra, for always been there to
support and encourage me at every stage of my research.
I would also like to give special thanks to my husband Mr. Manish Sharma and in-laws, who
have been great moral support to me. The much needed emotional support always came from
the most important people in my life, my brother Hitesh, who always encouraged me directly or
indirectly to stand up again in bad conditions, my mother Manju Sharma, my father Dinesh
Kumar Sharma, my sister-in-law Seema, my sister Gunjan and my little angle Hiteksha.
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My thanks is also due towards my friends Shivani Gupta, Pragati Garg, Sakshi Gupta, Neetu
Yadav, Divya Singh, Reeta Sharma, Richa Yadav, Srashti Jain, Avijeet Kumar Sinha, Anshuli
Shukla, Aparna Shrivastava, Deependra Mishra, Ruby Rathor, Kavita, Varsha, and Sonali, who
never failed to cheer me up. Their prayers and emotional support kept me going through the
most difficult of the times. Special thanks to younger aunty (Chachi) Neerja Sharma, who
promoted me to take higher education.
In addition, a thank you to Dr. Mange Ram, Librarian, and other staff of the library, Dayalbagh
Educational Institute, Dayalbagh, Agra, who introduced me to the rules, regulation for the
thesis. I am also thankful to the library of A.S.I. Agra.
I pay my deep sense of gratitude to Yann Pierre Montella, Bert Shaap, Dr. P.K. Bhatt, Ramesh
Kumar Pancholi Ji, for their suggestions.
I feel to acknowledge my indebtedness to the guards of Chaturbhujnath Nala, who protect the
paintings from vandalism.
In the last, I would like to pay my gratitude towards them who helped me anyhow and
forgetting names in error and omission. I am apologetic.
Date: Arti Sharma
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Contents
Sr. No. Title P. No.
1 Certificate ii
2 Declaration iii
3 Abstract iv
4 Acknowledgement v-vi
5 Contents vii-x
6 List of tables xi-xii
7 List of figures xiii-xxiv
8 Abbreviation xxv
9 Preface xxvi-xl
• Rock art: a global phenomenon
• Distribution of rock art sites in India
• Geology and geomorphology of the Bhanpura-Gandhisagar plateau
• Rock art and archaeological traditions of the region
• Antiquity of the rock art in India
• Significance of rock art in the contemporary visual art
10 Chapter 1: Chaturbhujnath Nala 1-13
1.1. Natural setting and landscape of the site
1.2. Discovery of the site
1.3. Previous work
1.4. Chronological perspective of the rock art
1.5. Cultural history of the site: perspectives of rock art and
archaeology
11 Chapter 2: Exploration and study of the rock art of Chaturbhujnath 14-25
Nala
2.1. Study of the site
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2.2. Documentation of the rock art
2.3. Study and documentation of the superimpositions in rock art
2.4. Documentation of the site and space (as canvas) use pattern
2.5. Study of the state of preservation and factors responsible for it
12 Chapter 3: Parameters for artistic appreciation of rock art 26-33
3.1. Problems to apply six limbs of Indian paintings to appreciate rock
Art
3.2. Development of the concept of artistic appreciation of rock art
3.3. Parameters to appreciate rock art
3.3.1. Nature of rock art
3.3.2. Forms: a. iconic, b. non-iconic
3.3.3. Size
3.3.4. Style
3.3.5. Technique and treatment
3.3.6. Compositions and colour
3.3.7. Life Style: Head gears, ornaments, and Clothing style in
chronological perspective.
13 Chapter 4: General appreciation of the rock art of Chaturbhujnath 34-49
Nala
4.1. Nature of rock art
4.2. Techniques of execution
4.3. Superimpositions and state of preservation
4.4. General characteristics developed in the perspective of the economic,
technological and cultural developments in different periods
14 Chapter 5: Forms in the rock art of Chaturbhujnath Nala 50-62
5.1. Iconic forms and their variations
5.2. Non-iconic forms and their variations
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5.3. Miscellaneous
15 Chapter 6: Styles of animal and human forms in the rock art of 63-80
Chaturbhujnath Nala
6.1. Forms in outlines: Natural, geometrical, abstract (schematic) forms.
6.2. Silhouetted (completely filled in) forms: Natural, geometrical,
abstract (schematic) forms.
6.3. Decorative forms: Natural, geometrical, abstract (schematic) forms.
6.4. Partially filled in forms: Natural, geometrical, abstract (schematic)
forms.
6.5. Combination of partially filled in and decorative forms.
6.6. Quality of lines, colours and strokes.
6.7. Combination of the above two or more of the above.
16 Chapter 7: Compositions in the rock art of Chaturbhujnath Nala 81-92
7.1. Composition of animal forms and their activities
7.2. Composition of human forms and their activities
7.3. Composition of animal and human forms and their activities
7.4. Composition of landscape
7.5. Miscellaneous
17 Chapter 8: Life Style in the rock art of Chaturbhujnath Nala 93-109
8.1. Changes observed in life style with socio-economic and technological
developments
8.2. Head gears and ornaments/Fashion
8.3. Draping style/Fashion
8.4. Rituals and traditions
8.5. General spirit
18 Chapter 9: Analytical study and observation 110-127
9.1. Rock shelter wise distribution of the motifs
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9.2. Development in motifs and artistic elements
9.3. Observation of the site and space (as canvas) use pattern
19 Chapter 10: Visual presentation of the impression of the site and rock 128-133
art in it
I’ll try to bring out the ambience and intangible aspect of the life of the
artists of rock art of different periods at the site through paintings and
drawings as I will understand.
20 Conclusion 134-142
21 References 143-147
22 Bibliography 148-155
23 Appendix 156-179
