Indian Paintings: Prehistoric Paintings

The prehistoric paintings were generally executed on rocks and these rock engravings were called Petroglyphs.
One of the key examples of prehistoric paintings in India is in Bhimbetka caves in Madhya Pradesh.

Phases	Features
Upper Paleolithic Period (40,000-10,000 BCE)	Colour pigments were derived from minerals of rock shelters. One of the most common minerals was ochre or geru. The human figurines consisted of hunters (depicted in red) and dancers (depicted in green).
Mesolithic Period (10,000-4000 BCE)	This period mainly saw the use of red colour. In comparison to the Upper Paleolithic Period, the size of the paintings became smaller. Commonly depicted scene was of group hunting.
Chalcolithic Period	Major colours used – green and yellow. Most of the paintings depicted battle scenes. For example – Jogimara Caves in the Ramgarh hills of Chhattisgarh.

Bhimbetka Rock Paintings

Location – Vindhyan ranges of Madhya Pradesh.
The caves of Bhimbetka were discovered in 1957–58 by V. S. Wakankar.
It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
The paintings at Bhimbetka belong to the Upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Chalcolithic, early historic and medieval periods.
Major colours used – red ochre, purple, brown, white, yellow and green.
Themes of the paintings – Every-day life of prehistoric men often depicted by stick-like human figures.