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Relevance: GS Paper I — Art & Culture, Ancient History; GS-III Conservation Source: ASI / news reports, 2026

1 · What happened

A dense set of ancient rock carvings has been found in the Bhondsi stretch of the Aravalli forests, Gurgaon, Haryana. It was first spotted by wildlife photographers tracking leopards, then reported to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The site is rare for its chronological continuity — signs of human activity from three prehistoric phases survive in the same landscape.

2 · Three eras in one place

A petroglyph is an image carved or cut into rock. (A pictograph, by contrast, is painted or drawn on rock.) Bhondsi has petroglyphs and stone tools spanning the Lower Palaeolithic to the Mesolithic.

Lower Palaeolithic
Acheulean Hand Axe
Bifacial hand axes and cleavers mark the earliest stone-tool-making traditions at the site.
Middle Palaeolithic
Flake Tools
Smaller, more refined stone flake tools (about 300,000 to 50,000 years ago) show advancing skill.
Mesolithic
Cupules & Game Boards
Cup-shaped cupules, geometric grids, two-player game boards and a foot carving — signs of symbolic, social life.
The Threats
Land Mafia & Mining
Real-estate encroachment near urban Gurgaon and vibration from quartz quarrying endanger the cluster.

  • Why cupules matter: They are the earliest known rock art; scholar André Leroi-Gourhan saw them as a sign of a “cognitive shift” in the genus Homo.
  • Recording tool: LiDAR (laser-based remote sensing) builds exact 3D digital records of each carving’s shape and depth.
  • Rewrites regional history: Establishes the Aravalli belt and NCR as a continuous early-human habitat, not an empty zone.

UPSC Value Box
Petroglyph Image carved/incised into rock (vs pictograph, which is painted on rock).
Cupule Hemispherical, non-functional depression hammered into rock; earliest rock art.
Acheulean Lower Palaeolithic tool culture; marked by bifacial hand axes and cleavers.
LiDAR Light Detection and Ranging; laser sensing that maps surfaces in 3D.
AMASR Act, 1958 Lets ASI declare sites of national importance and create protected buffer zones.
ASI Archaeological Survey of India; under the Ministry of Culture (here, Chandigarh Circle).
Aravallis One of the world’s oldest fold mountain systems.
Community Archaeology Citizen-led discovery and protection of heritage; how this site came to light.

MCQ Practice Question
Q. With reference to prehistoric rock art, consider the following statements:

  1. A petroglyph is a painting or drawing made on a rock surface.
  2. Cupules are regarded as among the earliest known forms of rock art.
  3. The AMASR Act, 1958 empowers the ASI to declare sites of national importance.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only    (b) 2 and 3 only    (c) 1 and 3 only    (d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

  • Statement 1 — Incorrect: A petroglyph is carved or incised into rock; a painted or drawn image is a pictograph. The definition is reversed here.
  • Statement 2 — Correct: Cupules — cup-shaped hollows hammered into rock — are treated as the earliest form of rock art.
  • Statement 3 — Correct: The AMASR Act, 1958 lets the ASI declare sites of national importance and protect them.
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