Rock paintings from Stone Age discovered in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh district

JAIPUR: Historians have discovered Stone Age rock paintings, cup marks on stones and sharp-edged artifacts in a village in Chittorgarh district.
The discovery adds valuable insights into early human life in the region. The site is about 50km from the Aalaniya river in Kota, one of the largest known locations for Stone Age carvings, further highlighting the rich prehistoric heritage of Hadauti and Chittorgarh areas.
A week ago, three locals observed unusual markings on a rock in a dense forest in Chittorgarh’s Amarpura village, near Rawatbhata. Told about this, historian and researcher Tej Singh of Maharishi History Institute at Kota visited the site with his team. They found cup marks and a mortar, likely used for grinding raw food.
“The cup marks are circular engravings on rocks, a common feature of early Stone Age humans,” Singh said. These markings are believed to date back 35,000-200,000 years, he added.

Singh suggested that this could be the oldest sign of human settlement in presentday Rajasthan, comparing it to a similar discovery inside a cave in 2003 about 200 metres from the current site.
“The 2.4kg mortar and sharp-edged stone found at the site indicate that early humans likely used the tools to grind wild barley, nuts and legumes. The findings have been shared with Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Jodhpur and the department of archaeology and museology (DAM) for further studies,” Singh said.
Jafarullah Khan, former superintendent archaeologist with DAM, pointed out that the entire Hadauti and Malwa region in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh were breeding grounds for human settlements through the Stone Age. “The latest discovery is in line with earlier findings along the Aalaniya and Chambal rivers. The Union govt should declare the area protected and conduct a major excavation to uncover more about our ancestors,” Khan told TOI.
Unesco’s website describes Chambal region and central India as having the largest concentration of known rock sites in the world. The Chambal basin covers parts of Rajasthan.