Glimpses of India-China Rock Art

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Rock art is a vital archaeological source to study and analyze the cognitive evolution of the human intellect across the world and is believed to be the first creative act of humankind, when there was no organized life and no political boundaries. It is primarily a tangible reflection of an intangible cultural heritage and reflects the ancient human psyche. In order to contemplate on these concepts in depth, it is necessary to identify the earliest reflections of the human mind within its cultural and behavioral context.

The collaborative venture between India and China in the field of rock art studies has opened new horizons for cultural cooperation between the two nations. Comprehensive studies in this field will help in opening up and revealing the antiquity of both the countries in time and space.

The present volume is an outcome of the research and display materials of the exhibition on Rock Art of India' held at The World of Rock Art Museum, Yinchuan, China in 2014-15 and 'India-China Rock Art Workshop-cum- Exhibition' held at IGNCA, New Delhi in 2016. It covers the rock art of India and China in two sections primarily focusing on the research, discovery, documentation and protection of rock art in both India and China. Both these nations are fortunate enough in possessing one of the largest concentrations of this precious and earliest world heritage. Rock art of both these countries possess a large body of evidence for human artistic, cognitive and cultural beginnings and its importance lies mainly in its archaeological and ethnological contexts.

The present beautifully illustrated volume aims to boost and promote rock art research both in India and China. It will not only interest scholars and students but also the people at large. It is also an important step in the journey of exploring together, the source of creative energies and modes of expression of our ancestors. It will certainly contribute to rectify and enhance our vision of rock art.

Dr. Bansi Lal Malla, an Art Historian, with specialization in Indian art and cultural studies, is presently associated with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi as5 Project Director. His areas of interest include both classical and vernacular traditions. He has been associated with IGNCA-UNESCO-UNDP project on 'Village India'.

Dr. Malla is the author of The Sculptures of Kashmir, Vaisnava Art and Iconography of Kashmir, Trees in Indian Art Mythology and Folklore, Conservation of Rock Art (ed.), Global Rock Art (ed.), The World of Rock Art: An Overview of the Five Continents (ed.), Rock Art Studies (Volume 1): Concept, Methodology, Context, Documentation and Conservation (ed.), Rock Art Studies (Volume II): Interpretation through Multidisciplinary Approaches (ed.), Rock Art of Andhra Pradesh: A New Synthesis by N. Chandramouli (General ed.), Cosmology and Cosmic Manifestation: A Study in Shaiva Art and Thought of Kashmir, Rock Art of India: Suitable Dating Techniques (ed.) and of a number of research articles published in professional journals. He is also in the editorial board of some of the important publications.

Dr. Malla has participated in many national and international conferences/workshops and has widely travelled in India, France, Italy, Iran and China in connection with his field studies and conferences.

Currently, Dr. Malla is engaged in documentation, ecological conservation and ethno-archaeological study of Indian Rock Art and also in Himalayan Studies.

India and China have had a glorious and hoary past. The cultural and economic relations between both these countries date back ancient times and both to are among the world's oldest civilizations. They grew in parallel and shared their cultural traits since the beginning of human history and this tradition has been continuing ever since.

The prehistoric periods of both the countries have been long and full of events. Both India and China are fortunate in possessing one of the largest concentrations of precious rock art. The first stirrings of man's inherent inventiveness perhaps manifested itself through the form of rock art. Hence, to celebrate what is undeniably one of the carliest forms of art, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), in its series of international events, organized an exhibition on 'Indian Rock Art' in China and an Indian delegation also participated in the 'Chinese Helan Mountain International Rock Art Summit Forum' in 2014. In order to further strengthen the communication and cooperation between India and China, IGNCA invited Chinese delegates to participate in the 'India-China Rock Art Workshop-cum-Exhibition, 2016'. This collaborative venture between the two countries in the field of rock art studies opens a new horizon for cultural cooperation. As rock art is an intricate and complex domain covering material and cognitive aspects of culture, a multidisciplinary approach is advocated to decode and understand it in all its dimensions and in this regard both India and China can work in close cooperation.

India and China, the two giants of Asia are unique examples of unbroken 21 century civilizations. They are naturally a pair of sister countries with a hoary past. Both have vibrant cultures and people with significant mutual influence in areas like art. philosophy, etc. They have stood up strong and tall from the very beginning to the present day, for thousands of years. The prehistoric periods of both the countries has been long and full of events. We do not know exactly when and how they started exchanging their cultural elements; however, we do know that they grew in parallel and shared their cultural traits since the beginning of human history and this tradition has been continuing ever since.

The early facts regarding the cultural relationship between the two countries are found in various Chinese written sources like Lich-tru, Thou-shu-dui-yi (the Book on Wonders of Chou), Lie-sien-chuan (Biography of Fairies), Shih-lach-chih (Sketches of Buddha), etc. For historical references about India, we still greatly depend on the travelogues of the Chinese travellers Hiuen Tsang, Fa Xian (Fa Hien), I-Tsing, etc.

The beginnings of Indian and Chinese civilizations seem somewhat similar. Although the records of ancient times in India are rather deficient, but according to references in Chinese sources on Buddhism, the condition of ancient India was quite similar to that of ancient China. Even before the transmission of Buddhism, the Shang-Zhou civilization and the ancient Vedic civilization showed some evidence of conceptual and linguistic exchanges. In the sixth century B.C., the birth of Confucius and Sakyamuni opened a new period of exchanges between these two civilizations.