Rock Painting Of Sebalpani

Rock paintings have always been a medium to express human thought and philosophy. The rock paintings found in Sebalpani, have their own story to tell.

For art enthusiasts interested in what works of art can tell us about the time in which they were made, the rock paintings found in the caves of Sebalpani village in Banaskantha district pose a unique challenge.

Very few people know of these paintings and no historian or archaeologist seems to have mentioned them in his writings.

But what is evident from the paintings themselves is that they do not belong to a pre-historic period.

They depict life and activities of a period that must have a record in history but no one knows which period it is.

Sebalpani village is about 10 km from Ambaji town. Close to the village is a big formation of rocks and it is here that you will find the caves with the unique rock paintings.

Most of the paintings depict scenes of war with images of men carrying swords and riding horses.

The paintings seem to have been made first with white colour but some were later given a coating of red.

At another place on the rocks, there is a small image that looks like two women extracting butter from a pot full of buttermilk. There is almost no information on who painted these works of art or when they were painted.

In the mountain ranges in the north-east of Gujarat, there are several places like Tejgadh near Chhota Udepur and Tarsang near Lunavada, where such rock paintings have been found. But that such rock art exists near Banaskantha is definitely something new. The period when they were painted has to be ascertained first before one can come to any conclusion about their significance,

The rock paintings found in the caves of Sebalpani village in Banaskantha district poses a challenge to historians and archaeologists alike.

It is in human nature to express life and experiences in one form or another. Human beings have expressed themselves through rock paintings since pre-historic times, and passed on to the coming generations an account of life as they had lived it.

Some of the Sebalapani paintings have coatings of two colours, like red on white. There may be many more rock paintings in the area and they can be found with some archaeological research. As it is close to Ambaji which is famous as a place of religious significance, Sebalapani village can also be developed as a tourist destination of historic interest.

Incidentally, rock paintings have also been found at Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh and because of them the place has been listed as a Unesco world heritage site.

For more details you can contact Mr.Kiransinh Chavda – Director – Lokniketan - Ratanpur