News Excerpt:

Miscreants have damaged the rock art paintings in the cave at Kumittipathi, a village near Coimbatore, by scribbling their names and tracing them with chalk.

About Kumittipathi rock art paintings:

• These are located in a cave on Pathimalai hill in Kumittipathi village near Coimbatore.
• The cave contains small pits and holes, which are believed to have been used to store water and other belongings.
• These cave paintings, believed to be about 3,000 years old, are among the most important rock art sites in the Kongu region.
• There are also megalithic burial sites in the region. If one links the prehistoric paintings with the megaliths, the art could date back to the 5th Century BCE.
• All the paintings at Kumittipathi are less likely to be of the same age. The elephant with large tusks, painted in white, is believed to be among the oldest, while a few others could have been drawn later.
• The artists have used an inorganic white pigment and natural gum to paint the figures.
• The paintings depict animals, a chariot (some say it is a peacock), human figures, and animals. They tell stories of the lives of prehistoric people of the region, their routines, and culture.
• Similar rock paintings can be found at Vellarukkam Palayam near Thondamuthur, Viraliyur, and Kovanur in the district, all on hilltops, depicting hunting and other activities.

About Kumittipathi region:

• It falls in the Palakkad Gap of the Western Ghats, a significant break in the mountain range, which has acted as a corridor between Tamil Nadu and Kerala since ancient times.
• There were ancient trade routes (Peruvazhi) in the Palakkad Gap between Anamalai and Ayyasamy Malai.

About Kongu region (Kongu Nadu):

• It is a commonly used name for part of western Tamil Nadu.
• The term is informally used to refer to a region that includes the districts of Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Karur, Namakkal and Salem, as well as Oddanchatram and Vedasandur in Dindigul district, and Pappireddipatti in Dharmapuri district.
• The name derives from Kongu Vellala Gounder, an OBC community with a significant presence in these districts.
• The region includes prominent businesses and industrial hubs at Namakkal, Salem, Tirupur and Coimbatore.

About Megalithic burial sites:

• According to V. Gordon Childe the term ‘Megalith’ is derived from two Greeks words, megas means large and lithos means stone.
• In other words, the Megaliths usually refer to the burials made of large stones in graveyards away from the habitation area.

Conclusion:

The Kumittipathi cave hosts many prominent rock art paintings. However, these paintings are currently at risk of destruction. Therefore, it is imperative to protect the paintings as they serve as a testimony to our ancient lives and culture, which need to be preserved for future generations.