Important Indian Artefacts - Part 2
Here are 4 more underrated Bharatiya artefacts from our cultural history that every Gen-Z Indian should know!
1) Bhimbetka Paintings
Usually when we think of very old history, we think of cave paintings found in Europe, but our own Bhimbetka in the Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh has these relics preserved from between 30,000 to 1000 BCE.
Depicting scenes about animals, humans, families, hunting … they show that creativity & storytelling existed in our genes (and in the people of our Subcontinent) long before we started becoming a society.
Today the Rock Shelters Complex is a UNESCO World Heritage site that’s a must-visit for every Indian.
2) Vishnu Anantasayana Panel
This iconic stone sculpture from the Gupta period (~5th century CE) shows Vishnu lounging on his cosmic serpent Sheshanaga, dreaming up our multiverse, depicting the story of how we think about the cosmos & its creation.
You can catch him in Mumbai’s Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangralaya Museum, which by the way, has many other gorgeous artefacts & pieces depicting other gods like the dancing Ganesha, Durga Ma, Varuna and Varaha Avatar … so you can take your next date there!
3) The Stone Chariot of Hampi
This beautiful Ratha dates back to the mid-16th century CE during the Vijayanagara Empire.
Made of granite, it also acts as a shrine of Garuda, the Eagle, who is Vishnu’s vahana i.e. vehicle.
With the wheels & elephants & other mythical stories carved in, it acts as proof of how skilled our engineers & artists were in that day & age, without any access too modern tools or technology.
It’s found in the Vittala Temple Complex in Hampi, Karnataka, with Vittala being a form of Vishnu who’s commonly worshipped in Maharashtra & some parts of Southern India as well.
4) Madhubani Paintings
These folk paintings, born in the Mithila region of Bihar, trace back over 2,000 years and are said to have begun when King Janaka commissioned his kingdom’s women to decorate walls for Sīta’s wedding to Rama.
Traditionally drawn with natural dyes and fingers or twigs on mud walls, they feature gods like Krishna, Shiva, Lakshmi and Durga, alongside peacocks, fish and the Sun. Then, during the 1960s drought, women began painting on paper to gain extra income, turning a sacred ritual into a global art form.
You can see them in the Bihar Museum at Patna, also in Japan, Mumbai, Delhi, Darbhanga, and all over.