Early Explorations and Discoveries

1.Foundational Work: Vishnu Wakankar is often regarded as the father of Indian rock art studies. His seminal discovery of the Bhimbetka shelters in 1957 marked a crucial milestone. Wakankar's work, particularly in attributing some images to the Mesolithic and late Palaeolithic periods, greatly spurred research in this field.

2.First Recorded Discovery: The first known discovery of rock art in India was by Archibald Carlleyle in 1867 in the Vindhya hills of Mirzapur District, predating the discovery of Europe's famous Altamira cave paintings.

Development of Rock Art Research

Phases of Research

Yashodar Mathpal identifies three significant phases in the evolution of rock art research in India: