Under the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act of 1960, the Maharashtra government last week declared 1,500 geoglyphs spread across 70 locations in 210 square-kilometre area of the Ratnagiri district as ‘protected monument’. These rock art specimens, scattered across the Konkan region, date back to prehistory, at least to the Mesolithic period (the transition period between the Stone Age and early farming), roughly 20,000 to 10,000 years ago, and extend into the early historic period. Through their anthropomorphic and zoomorphic depictions, they reflect intricate and complex interactions between humans and their environment as well as the ancient ecosystem.
This recognition did not come easily. It took local people over two decades to undertake an extraordinary citizen archaeology endeavour and explore over 45 such sites even before the government’s involvement. Today, with about 52 sites with 1,500 geoglyphs recorded in the 900 km Konkan coastline, this is a remarkable fleet. These newly declared protected monuments, along with numerous examples reported from parts of the country, have opened new areas of research and placed India on the map of its contemporary geoglyph sites, alongside Chile’s Atacama Giant and Peru’s Nazca lines.
This clearly indicates that the subcontinent, even in prehistory, was keeping pace with global trends. People stepped up when geoglyphs became a prehistoric global phenomenon in prehistoric times.
What is a geoglyph?
Geoglyphs are deliberately made colossal designs on the earth’s surface by excavating rock and removing sand, soil, and stone. They are representations of naturalistic or abstract forms, either a singular big form or an ensemble of smaller figures. Due to their size, they are visible from a distance, implying knowledge of proportions and mathematics.
In order to create these depictions, either additive or subtractive/extractive technique is used. In the additive technique debris or stones are piled on the surface to create an outline, whereas in the extractive technique, the upper oxidised layer is removed, thereby exposing the sandy layer of the rock.
Geoglyphs are either anthropomorphic, zoomorphic or simple geometric shapes. Sometimes they may represent abstract, complex images known as glyphs, repetitive spirals, labyrinths, among other things. These are often connected to religion and spirituality. They are of cultural significance and last a long time as a testament.
Ancient geoglyphs have been found in Europe, northern and southern America, Australia, Africa and Asia, with recent discoveries also reported from the Near East and India. The Cerne Abbas Giant, the Uffington White Horse, the Atacama Giant and the Nazca lines are some significant geoglyphs.
The geoglyphs of India
For a long time, there were no known examples of geoglyphs in India, despite the country’s rich heritage in rock art, which showcases regional and indigenous diversity. While sites such as Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh are famous for painted motifs on rocks, and Ladakh is full of etched patterns and designs on the rock surface (which is known as petroglyphs), the giant abstract or figurative geoglyphs—considered as ‘a remarkable open-air ensemble’—were missing from the subcontinent’s deep prehistoric past.
It was only in the 1980s that an enthusiast in Niwali, 15 kilometres from Ratnagiri, observed abstract relief patterns and markings on the side of the road. Engineer and Petroglyph conservationist Sudhir Risbud’s discovery of these odd patterns on the earth’s surface paved the way for new research and a new chapter was opened in the Konkan region’s prehistoric past. Over the next 25 years, Risbud and his friend Dhananjay Marathe researched other unknown sites and discovered 42 geoglyphs in the area. This endeavour was sponsored by a large number of enthusiasts and volunteers who contributed to the research, making it an outstanding example of citizen archaeology.
The Maharashtra government began to notice these outstanding geoglyphs in 2012 as a result of Risbud and others’ work, and by 2019 there were 52 locations with 1,000 geoglyphs. The state government designated these “Geoglyphs of Konkan region,” which were included in the UNESCO Tentative World Heritage List in 2022, as “protected monuments” last Sunday.
About 1,500 geoglyphs, scattered along 900 km of Konkan coastline, is a symbol of a rich cultural landscape. This is also by far the largest concentration of geoglyphs on the laterite plateaus of Konkan region. At Jambhrun, there are 50 geoglyphs, and at Kasheli has about 70 to 80 figures carved into the outline of a giant elephant, which was found along with a microlithic deposit (thus confirming its antiquity). Besides these two localities, Ukshi, Devihasol, Rundhe Tali, Devache Gothane, Kudopi, have also yielded excellent specimens of geoglyphs. However, at Barsu where the presence of 62 geoglyphs make it the largest cluster of geoglyphs in the coastal belt of Konkan.
At Barsu, one of the geoglyphs depicts a figure with two leaping tigers, spread across an area of 17.5 by 4.5 metres. The man, standing at four meters tall, is shown with raised arms, as if trying to keep tigers at bay. The tigers are stylised in rectangular shapes with wide open mouths. Despite their aggressive posture, they appear to be very static. Figures of a fish, a rabbit, and a peacock are shown next to the human torso, while the depictions on the other side of the body have corroded beyond recognition. Scholars have noted parallels between this composition and a motif found on at least two seals from the Harappan Civilisation’s excavated sites—Harappa and Mohenjo Daro.
Also read: Harappan cities had remarkable drainage systems. Delhi can learn a thing or two
World’s largest geoglyph
A paper published in Archaeological Research in Asia, by independent French researchers Carlo and Yohann Oetheimer in 2021, reported eight geoglyph sites in the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. They surveyed the area using Google Earth and drone imagery, which confirmed the existence of expansive geometric lines near the village of Boha. Moreover, the researchers noted a giant spiral adjacent to an atypical serpent-shaped drawing, both connected by a cluster of sinuous lines. These geoglyphs are span over 20.8 hectares, with more than half of the 48 km of lines being documented. The lines are etched into the ground around 10cm deep and 20 to 50 cm wide. Interestingly, three memorial stones were also positioned at key points along the geoglyphs.
So far, these are the largest geoglyphs known globally. The previous record is held by the Marree Man in Australia.
These geoglyphs from Rajasthan may be the largest but they are not the oldest. Researchers believe that they are only 150 years old.
Other than the Thar desert, geoglyphs have recently been reported from Karnataka’s Kollur region in the Udupi district, where, in 2019,a large abstract pattern was noted with Tulu script. More recently, a 3,000-year-old Iron Age geoglyph circle was discovered in Medchal-Malkajgiri district of Telangana.
It’s just the beginning of this new era of discoveries, which is full of curiosity. Although the identification of this new form of cultural material has just begun, researchers are yet to determine its chronology and its interconnection with the society. Ethnoarchaeological data may throw some light on its interactions with humans.
New discoveries undoubtedly come with the risk of destruction and preservation difficulties, as was the case with the Barsu geoglyphs in 2019, when certain areas of Barsu and Solgaon were designated as industrial areas. The government did manage to overturn this decision, but it has raised the need to create new guidelines to ensure the protection of these ancient sites.
Disha Ahluwalia is an archaeologist and junior research fellow at the Indian Council Of Historical Research. She tweets @ahluwaliadisha. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)