From the Publisher
Prehistoric Rock Paintings of Bhimbetka by Dr. Yashodhar
Mathpal is the first exhaustive study of a single rock art
site in India. It covers the entire art activity in the form
of paintings found in 133 caves at Bhimbetka, Central India,
the largest concentration of rock paintings in the country.
For the first time copies of prehistoric cave paintings
have been made on the spot, in original colour, to scale and
with original background. All the superimpositions of figures
have been copied.
For the first time Indian rock paintings are dated 10, 000
years back on the firm ground of the archaeological findings
from the excavations of painted caves. For the first time
Indian rock paintings have been studied in their historical
perspective.
For example the first discovery of rock paintings was made
in India 12 years before their discovery of Altamira in Spain.
India is also the first country to recognize the antiquity of
rock paintings. For the first time too the maximum literary,
ethnologic and archaeological evidences have been researched
for evidence of drawing material, motivation and the antiquity
of rock paintings.
In his foreword to this monumental work Professor
H.D.
Sankalia says: "This work is unique because for the first time
prehistoric Indian paintings are evaluated by a scholar who is
artist by nature and training and a trained prehistorian, and
thus eminently qualified to write on the subject."
Besides being an artist of repute, Dr. Yashodhar
Mathpal, 44, is a prehistorian and student of Indian art.
A first class Master of Arts and diploma holder in fine arts,
he worked eight years under the guidance of Professor H. D.
Sankalia and Professor V.N. Misra, the doyens of Indian
archaeology.
Mathpal, who has won a gold medal and several other prizes
for his water colours, has nine one-man shows of his paintings
and four dozen research article to his credit.
He has discovered rock art sites and made comprehensive
studies of the paintings at Bhimbetka and of Shyamala hill in
Madhya Pradesh. He participated in the archaeological
excavations at Bhimbetka and directed the excavation of a
painted cave near Bhopal. As a post-doctoral fellow, Dr.
Mathpal is currently engaged in a study of the rock paintings
of Central India. He is also working for the establishment of
a folk culture museum at Nainital, Uttar Pradesh.
