PAIR OF HUMAN FOOTPRINTS IN ROCK ART FOUND IN MANGALORE

Why in the news?

  • A pair of human footprints in rock art form has been discovered near Boloor Panne Koteda Babbu Swami shrine in Mangalore.
  • The footprints are estimated to date back to the first or second century A.D.
  • This discovery marks the first evidence of rock art in Mangalore city.

About Rock Arts:

  • Rock arts: ancient, human-made markings/paintings/sculptures on natural stone.
  • Includes paintings, drawings, engravings, stencils, prints, carvings, figures.
  • Found in rock shelters, caves, boulders, platforms.
  • India has a large, diverse rock art repository.
  • Examples: prehistoric rock paintings, rock-cut architecture, rock sculptures.
  • Three forms:
    • Petroglyphs: carved into rock
    • Pictographs: painted onto surface
    • Earth figures: formed on ground

About Rock-Cut Architecture:

  • Structures carved from solid natural rock, prominent in India’s cave temples and monasteries.
  • Location: Largest, most famous caves in Western Deccan.
  • Era: Constructed during Satavahana rule and successors.
  • Timeline:
  • 2nd century BC to 2nd century AD
  • 5th to 7th century
  • 7th to 10th century