Rock & Old
More than an itinerary, I think roadside signboards
influence our travel plan. Because if you come across a never-heard destination,
detour certainly takes place.
In my case, the story goes like this. We were on the way to Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, nearly 90 km from Mapusa. It's a location where the borders of Goa meet the boundaries of Karnataka. Exactly 27.5 km before the final stop, we came across a signboard put by the Archaeological Department of Goa that read - Usgalimal Rock Engravings - 5kms.
It was an engaging sign, as the only famous rock-cut statue that I know is at Ancestral Goa, a centre that preserves old Goan living culture at Loutolim. It is here I saw a sculpture of Sant Mirabai strumming her tambori, which was carved on a vast expanse of laterite stone by Maendra Jocelino Araujo Alvares in just 30 days. Now, this was a real achievement that earned its name in the Limca Book of Records.
I know Goa was once part of the Kadamba dynasty, the Sultanate of Bijapur and finally by the Portuguese Empire. But none can be related to the carvings. So who made these? The answer was awaiting another kilometre.
We left behind SH8, took a village road and then drove another 700m of the undulated pathway, where once mining trucks regularly did to & fro trips. Inside, there was a big pond formed by the mining machines. The circular road to reach the pond was evidence of how deep the miners went on to extract the iron ore and how they flourished in their business.
From this place, only half a minute away flows the Kushavati River. The sound of its flowing water created a meditative moment. A huge rock floor bordered its shore, whereas a beetle-nut plantation stood on the other side of the bank, proving human existence. But there was no sign of a single man around. There was a makeshift cabin put by the Archaeological Department, but it was vacant. A signboard next to it gave details about the site and rock engraving sites across Goa.
I walked around the rock but couldn’t trace a single glyph. There was too much sunlight, and all I could see were deep cut lines. So, I took my mobile phone out and switched on its camera mode. To my surprise, it detected a well-carved bull beneath my feet. 
I kept walking with camera mode on and discovered an Indian Bison and then an unknown animal. The only two things that were visible were a labyrinth and giant feet. These figurines unearthed the fact that India's smallest state was once inhabited by the earliest human settlement.
According to sources, the petroglyphs were made 20,000 - 30,000 years ago by folks who existed during the Mesolithic or Upper Palaeolithic era. It was only during the monsoon of 1993 when the floods extracted the mud layers stuck over the engravings, the locals found these masterpieces. They reported the findings to the archaeologists, who got deeply delighted to know about the ancient art.
And like them, I too got excited to find animals, birds, footprints and various other aspects of life from the bygone era. The carvings were made on a laterite surface which is rock solid, and to create an impression on it was challenging. Still, the inhabitants managed to chisel their ideas. It's quite impressive to know how human minds were evolved and is still progressing.
Walking on the rock was like walking down history lane. It proved one’s existence then and how it is now. Strange, but true. All I can conclude is like many tourists in Goa, even I had a rocking time. Literally.
We left behind SH8, took a village road and then drove another 700m of the undulated pathway, where once mining trucks regularly did to & fro trips. Inside, there was a big pond formed by the mining machines. The circular road to reach the pond was evidence of how deep the miners went on to extract the iron ore and how they flourished in their business.
From this place, only half a minute away flows the Kushavati River. The sound of its flowing water created a meditative moment. A huge rock floor bordered its shore, whereas a beetle-nut plantation stood on the other side of the bank, proving human existence. But there was no sign of a single man around. There was a makeshift cabin put by the Archaeological Department, but it was vacant. A signboard next to it gave details about the site and rock engraving sites across Goa. 
I walked around the rock but couldn’t trace a single glyph. There was too much sunlight, and all I could see were deep cut lines. So, I took my mobile phone out and switched on its camera mode. To my surprise, it detected a well-carved bull beneath my feet. 
I kept walking with camera mode on and discovered an Indian Bison and then an unknown animal. The only two things that were visible were a labyrinth and giant feet. These figurines unearthed the fact that India's smallest state was once inhabited by the earliest human settlement. 
According to sources, the petroglyphs were made 20,000 - 30,000 years ago by folks who existed during the Mesolithic or Upper Palaeolithic era. It was only during the monsoon of 1993 when the floods extracted the mud layers stuck over the engravings, the locals found these masterpieces. They reported the findings to the archaeologists, who got deeply delighted to know about the ancient art. 
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