KARIKKIYUR SHELTER

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).