HYDERABAD: Rock paintings in red, white and black depicting animals, human figures and symbols discovered at Turakalpalli in Nagarkurnool district provide evidence of human activity from the Mesolithic to the Historical period in Telangana.
The discovery was made by members of Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam (KTCB), Yadeshwar Dantekar and Kalagoni Kiran Kumar Goud. According to rock art expert Bandi Muralidhar Reddy, the paintings belong to different periods of history.
Researchers explained that the red-coloured paintings of the Mesolithic period included a large unidentified animal, a small reptile-like creature, a longhorn and faded triangles. Some red lines show superimposition, with one drawing painted over another.
The white-coloured paintings - featuring a humped bull with horns, humpless cattle with horns and a decorative circle with ten spokes - were attributed to the Neolithic period. In some places, white paintings were drawn over black ones, indicating they were created later.
Black-coloured paintings of the historical period included circles, double-lined rectangles with an 'X' mark inside, animals with six legs, long necks and long tails, and human figures holding a sword in the right hand. Other paintings depicted a person riding a horse-like animal while holding a sword, also classified as historical period rock art.
Deep grooves were visible on the rock surfaces at the site, which were used to sharpen Neolithic stone tools.
Sreeramoju Haragopal, convener of Kotha Telangana Charitra Brundam, said: "Finding rock art from different periods in one place shows that people from various eras lived here and painted scenes reflecting their lifestyle and culture. These images are the historical records they have gifted us."