Of all the tourist destinations in Gujarat, Devgadh Baria features among the top in one’s travel list. Located in the foothills of east Gujarat and on the bank of the Panam River, its picturesque appeal makes it a must-visit spot. The presence of sloth bears, jackals, hyenas, foxes, and panthers further adds to its allure.
Now, the place has assumed significance for its archaeological marvel. According to a report, a forest department team chanced upon rock paintings dating back at least 5,000 years there. Interestingly, the report claims, it’s the sloth bear that has been guarding the forest’s archaeological pieces.
Archaeologists have claimed that humans in the Mesolithic age inhabited the area and many of the paintings have withstood the ravages of time. A few have been partly erased over the years. Former MS University professor, also an expert on rock paintings, VH Sonawane, was quoted as saying, “From the photographs, it looks like the figures drawn on the rock on the hill were of different times. A bull and humans drawn are potentially from the Mesolithic era.”
According to the report, Sonawane discovered the first rock paintings of Gujarat at Tarsang in the Panchmahal district in 1971.
“The paintings have remained intact or just partially erased as the cave is located in a protected forest area and the presence of a sloth bear,” assistant conservator of forest Prashant Tomar, who photographed the paintings, told the daily. He added that the mountain was in a reserve forest area.
Sonawane said that the Tarsang rock paintings from the Mesolithic era were rare. Such paintings also exist in Chhota Udepur district, Idar in Sabarkantha, Amirgadh in Banaskantha, Chamardi in Bhavnagar district, and Thangadh in Surendrangar.
Tweeting the pictures, Anshuman Sharma, Conservator of forests, Vadodara range, told the daily, “Locals told us there are more such boulders with paintings in the forest. We will request the government to get these caves examined by the archaeology department. These paintings are peculiar with animals and some are those of horns.”
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