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Edakkal Caves

Edakkal caves are two natural caves on Ambukuttymala, which is located 25 km from Kalpetta in the Wayanad district of Kerala. It houses one of the earliest rock arts to have been discovered.

The cave on Ambukuthimala Hill is situated at a height of roughly 4,600 feet to the Mean Sea level (MSL). It is divided into two sections. The bottom section is devoid of inscriptions and features a perennial water stream. Visitors arrive at a landing area after a steep climb, with a passage leading to the top level on the right. The upper section, nestled between two rock formations, is covered by a big boulder at the top. The far end of the cave stays exposed to the sky. The two rocks on either side have engravings with strange anthropomorphic figures and images.

According to paleographic findings, the inscription is from the earliest historic period.
However, the meaning of these inscriptions has been interpreted in different ways.

Etymology

Edakkal got its name from a stone called ‘kallu’, which is located on a rift called ‘eda’ in Malayalam. Thus, the word Edakkal means a stone on the rift. Although often referred to as a cave, Edakkal is actually a cleft or rift in the rock.

Discovery of the cave

Fred Fawcett, a British police officer in Malabar, was the first to discover the Edakkal caves in 1890. He discovered the area with the help of local tribal people and made numerous trips to the caves between 1894 and 1896, taking photos of it each time. According to British historical records, the Ambukuthy hills, where the Edakkal caves are located, are referred to as “Batteryrock.”

During 2010-2011, around 4 feet of debris was cleared from the cave. However, Fawcett did not report finding any prehistoric stone artifacts, indicating that the cave was likely never inhabited. Instead, it may have served as a site of worship and veneration, similar to a temple, for the Aboriginals who once lived in the area.

Fawcett noted that the coiffure and costumes depicted in the figures found at Edakkal bear a resemblance to those used in the devil dance of the Tuluvas or the Teyyam forms that are still performed today.

He also reported finding a Neolithic celt about 15 km away from the Edakkal cave site. On the basis of this finding, he determined that the location served as the home of Neolithic people in the late Stone Age (4000 BC–1700 BC).

According to a 2009 study by historian M.R. Raghava Varier, the region was found to have been home to the Harappan civilization. However, these arguments have also been contested. The Neolithic period is also characterized by sedentary life, pottery, celts, microliths, and livestock farming. Many sites in south India from the period contain terracotta and painted bulls. The absence of such pictorial representations suggestive of domesticated animals indicates that these engravings could not be from the Neolithic period.

Edakkal and its surroundings have been reported to contain a significant number of megalithic monuments. The intricate detail and finishing of the Edakkal engravings suggest that the creators may have used iron tools and technology developed during the megalithic period to craft them. This also indicates a megalithic past for the cave.

The Edakkal caves are currently a popular destination for tourists, students, and researchers. It also offers a panoramic view of the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka from its peak.

References