KARIKKIYUR SHELTER

(Kotagiri - IN)
11.433300,76.883300
Grottocenter / carte

Description

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A so-called rock surface site (rock shelter or recess) teeming with more than 500 paintings considers SUBRAMANIAM, T S (2008.01.15) as the relatively biggest rock art site in south India.SITUATION: Unknown. Somewhere in the vicinity of one village of Karikkiyur, which lies on the eastern slopes of the Nilgiris (Doda Betta, Doddabetta, Dodabetta) and about 40 km in an unidentified direction from Kotagiri (N11°26': E76°53'). CULTURAL HISTORY - rock art: The paintings on a massive rock surface at Karikkiyur are done in white kaolin or red ochre, and show men chasing bulls, which seem to be a sturdy lot, with big humps and long and straight horns. A particularly arresting scene shows several men chasing three bulls, done in X-ray painting. The bulls, originally painted in X-ray fashion in white kaolin, were later painted in red ochre. The Kaikkiyur paintings are dateable between 2000 B.C. and 1500 B.C. (SUBRAMANIAM, T S 2008.01.15).A so-called rock surface site (rock shelter or recess) teeming with more than 500 paintings considers SUBRAMANIAM, T S (2008.01.15) as the relatively biggest rock art site in south India.SITUATION: Unknown. Somewhere in the vicinity of one village of Karikkiyur, which lies on the eastern slopes of the Nilgiris (Doda Betta, Doddabetta, Dodabetta) and about 40 km in an unidentified direction from Kotagiri (N11°26': E76°53'). CULTURAL HISTORY - rock art: The paintings on a massive rock surface at Karikkiyur are done in white kaolin or red ochre, and show men chasing bulls, which seem to be a sturdy lot, with big humps and long and straight horns. A particularly arresting scene shows several men chasing three bulls, done in X-ray painting. The bulls, originally painted in X-ray fashion in white kaolin, were later painted in red ochre. The Kaikkiyur paintings are dateable between 2000 B.C. and 1500 B.C. (SUBRAMANIAM, T S 2008.01.15).

Documents

Bibliography 06/01/2018
  • Subramanian, T S 2008.01.15.

History

EXPLORATION HISTORY: 2004: The rock art site near Kaikkiyur was, of course, known to people familiar with the area since time immemorial when it was eventually discovered (SUBRAMANIAM, T S 2008.01.15) by unidentified others (no names mentioned), who probably guided K. T. Gandhirajan (art historian) and Prof. G. Chandrasekaran (Principal of the Government College of Fine Arts in Chennai) to the site. Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Caves nearby

Distance (km)NameLength (m)Depth (m)
16.8GORI CAVE
20.3TIGER CAVE, Ooty
20.3KURUMBA PRIEST (Cave of the)
50.7AVANASHI SUBTERRANEAN VAULT
106.8SANKARI DRUG (Cave at)
107.3SANKARI DRUG UNDERGROUNDS
110.8BAILEY'S DUNGEON, Seringapatam
111.8GAUTAMA RISHI CAVE, Seringapatam
121.0PANDAVA CAVE, Pandavapura - Kuntibetta