Goa is known to be a holiday destination offering a leisurely and relaxing time to visitors. But, its charm goes far beyond food and fun.
Recent discoveries on the biodiverse Socorro plateau, in Bardez taluka, have unveiled rock carvings, believed to be ancient petroglyphs. These images, intricately etched onto the rock surface, have drawn the attention of archaeologists and researchers.
Speaking to GT Digital, Rutwij Apte, a research associate at IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, Chennai, and a visiting faculty at CEMD Mumbai University notes that the carvings at Socorro bear a striking resemblance to mancala, an ancient board game.
Similar engravings have also been found in various rock shelters and along historical trade routes, hinting at the game's long-standing cultural significance.
Excerpts from an interview with Rutwij Apte:
Firstly, what are petroglyphs, and how are they created?
Petroglyph is a form of rock art. There are three different types of rock art: pictograph (paintings on a wall), petroglyph (carvings on vertical walls) and geoglyphs and earth figures (carvings on a horizontal surface).
They can be produced using two distinct methods – direct and indirect percussion, employing either metal tools or stone tools.
Why is the discovery of the mancala-like carvings significant in the context of archaeological research?
Mancala-like carvings can be found near rock cut architectures, which are specially carved on a trade route. Ancient trade routes of Western India are well studied and have been well-documented by different scholars.
Finding mancala type carvings indicates the human presence of a historic period.
What does the presence of mancala-related petroglyphs indicate for Goa?
Technically, this kind of board game comes under the form of petroglyphs of very recent times. Findings of this kind of art could indicate a human presence and a trade route near that region (for humans from that historic period).
How do these carvings contribute to our understanding of the lives of people in ancient times?
Merely finding carvings cannot help us reconstruct their ancient activities and lives. So, more explorations in that region are necessary to find and understand the holistic data of that region.
What techniques do researchers use to date and analyse petroglyphs like those found on the Socorro plateau?
Typological analysis is done to understand the period. For example, in the northern part of the Konkan, we have documented the geoglyphs where domesticated animal figures are totally missing, and that indicates that the humans who carved these figures could belong to pre-agriculture society. It is with the invention of agriculture that domestication of animals began.
In what way will the biodiversity of the Socorro plateau be impacted through this finding?
It won’t be impacted if the tourism industry is developed in a sustainable way. Along with this cultural heritage, natural heritage can also be added to Goa's tourism.
What are the current challenges in preserving these carvings?
Locals should get involved in this task so that they can contribute to preserving and conserving this kind of heritage. We can't rely only on government bodies every time. Creating awareness among the local people is a key factor in preserving heritage such as this.
The rock is lateritic rock. Erosion of lateritic stone is slow, and so naturally, it won't get eroded easily. Cleaning and daily maintenance could be done by locals.
Is there any future research or exploration planned for the Socorro plateau?
Yes, we are planning to visit the rock art of sites of Goa in December as a part of the DST (Department of Science and Technology, Central India) project.
They initiated the project name ‘Digital Documentation, Scientific Investigation and Conservation of Konkan Geoglyphs’. IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, IIT Madras, IIT Hyderabad, JNU and our NGO Nisatgyatri Sanstha are working on this project.