General Studies (Paper - 1) : Model Question & Answers

Question: “Prehistoric rock art of India represents socio-cultural milieu of early man.” – Elucidate.

Answer: The candidate is expected to highlight:
(a) hunting and gathering activities of pre-historic men
(b) the emergence of family organisation
(c) magico-ritual activities.

(a) The scenes depict such animals as boar, bison, deer etc. either being chased or hunted with large bow and barbed arrows or with long barbed spear of stone. Besides hunting big animals, the daily activities of the people included fishing, honey collection, fruit gathering and mouse trapping.

(b) The paintings clearly indicate that in Mesolithic period, man was marching ahead towards organised family life. It can be inferred from a painting depicting two women with a small child playing close by. There is also a mourning scene around a dead child.

(c) It is believed that paintings probably had magico-religious significance. It is suggested by a painting of masked dancers along with animals. Scenes of men and women dancing together either arm in arm or as a group also gives the same indication. The technique of paintings was not so complicated.

The colours used by them were derived from the local minerals such as hematite, lime, etc. It is suggested that the earliest phase (upper Palaeolithic) were represented by linear representation of animals with stick-like human figures, whereas later (Mesolithic period) figures became more stylised with decoration on the body and, in addition to animals, human fights and hunting sung become more prominent.