Shiva Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==== Prehistoric art ==== Prehistoric rock paintings dating to the [[Mesolithic]] from [[Bhimbetka rock shelters]] have been interpreted by some authors as depictions of Shiva.{{sfn|Neumayer|2013|p=104}}{{efn|reference=Temporal range for Mesolithic in South Asia is from 12000 to 4000 years [[before present]]. The term "Mesolithic" is not a useful term for the periodization of the South Asian Stone Age, as certain [[Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes|tribes]] in the interior of the Indian subcontinent retained a mesolithic culture into the modern period, and there is no consistent usage of the term. The range 12,000β4,000 Before Present is based on the combination of the ranges given by Agrawal et al. (1978) and by Sen (1999), and overlaps with the early Neolithic at [[Mehrgarh]]. D.P. Agrawal et al., "Chronology of Indian prehistory from the Mesolithic period to the Iron Age", ''Journal of Human Evolution'', Volume 7, Issue 1, January 1978, 37β44: "A total time bracket of c. 6,000β2,000 B.C. will cover the dated Mesolithic sites, e.g. Langhnaj, Bagor, '''Bhimbetka''', Adamgarh, Lekhahia, etc." (p. 38). S.N. Sen, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA23 ''Ancient Indian History and Civilization''], 1999: "The Mesolithic period roughly ranges between 10,000 and 6,000 B.C." (p. 23).}} However, Howard Morphy states that these prehistoric rock paintings of India, when seen in their context, are likely those of hunting party with animals, and that the figures in a group dance can be interpreted in many different ways.<ref>{{cite book |author=Howard Morphy |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XhchBQAAQBAJ |title=Animals Into Art |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-317-59808-4 |pages=364β366 |access-date=30 January 2024 |archive-date=31 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331131700/https://books.google.com/books?id=XhchBQAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page