Madhya Pradesh: Rock paintings claimed to be older than Bhimbetaka awaits exploration in Buxwah

BHOPAL: Draped in dirt and surrounded by thick forests lay a treasure trove as old as 25000 year in Buxwah, a sleepy town of Chattarpur district.

Beneath it are deposited diamonds worth billions. The rock paintings that look similar to those found in Bhimbetaka but claimed to be older than the world heritage site near Bhopal and are all set to be ravaged once the digging for the diamond in Buxwah begin. Buxwah has been in news for the proposed felling of 2.5 lakh trees for the diamond project.

The

Archaeological Survey of India

(

ASI

) learnt about it '2 days ago' and 'is going to send a team soon', said the

Superintendent

archaeologist Dr Sujeet Nayan while talking to TOI on Thursday.

At first sight, the rock paintings may look similar to Bhimbetaka rock shelters but they are actually different. Though they are believed to be about 25000 to 30000 years old, no one in the state has tried to explore the site because of the diamond deposits beneath the area, district sources in the administration of Chattarpur claimed..

Dr SK Chari , an archaeologist by heart and professor of Fine arts at the Government Chatrasal Maharaja College in the district said, “I first discovered it in 2007 and worked till 2016. My research was published in the Research Journal of Bunelkhand in October 2016."

Chari said, "This is much much older than those found in Bhimbetaka. In Bhimbetaka, one can differentiate between a man and woman in the figures carved out on stones. Besides, they are more colourful."

But in Buxwah, one can not differentiate between the sexes of the images painted only in red on the stones, he explained.

In last many years, he said, he had informed almost all the government agencies about the paintings, he said.

The ASI superintendent said, “I have seen a small clip of the paintings. They are amazing. We will send a team of archaeologists and will myself visit the site for documentation to prepare a report.”

The activists raising the issue of the tree felling in Buxwah are also raising the issue of the archaeological treasure buried in the jungle and threatened by the diamond project, said Amit Bhatnagar, one of the activists.

The trees are likely to be felled for the diamond project in Buxwah the Bunder Mining Project, now facing stiff opposition.

A

PIL

was also filed in the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the project which had been secured by Essel Mining & Industries Limited (EMIL), an Aditya Birla Group Company, in 2019. The Bunder project was first owned by Rio Tinto , the Anglo-Australian MNC but was grabbed by the EMIL two years ago through bidding.

The government is tightlipped over the controversy. Before leaving the project in 2016, Rio Tinto was associated with the project for 12 years . It too faced issues related to the environmental clearances.

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