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Tamil Nadu
“We must educate our teachers and students on our heritage sites” 
K.T. Gandhirajan 
His discoveries were not by chance, but were a result of sheer hard work. K.T. Gandhirajan, rock art specialist, has toured Tamil Nadu extensively in search of rock art. His research has thrown new light on Jain sculptures, and put Tamil Nadu on India’s archaeology map. In this interview with R. Sujatha, he says that it is time to start a movement to protect the State’s heritage sites. Mr. Gandhirajan has a master’s degree in Art History and Aesthetics from Madurai Kamaraj University. He has taught postgraduate students at his alma mater, the College of Fine Arts in Egmore. His M.Phil thesis was on ‘Mural Paintings in Tamil Nadu’. His research sent him to various parts of India, and helped him learn more about the country’s numerous art forms. He has studied over 20 temple paintings in the State. “I visited Bhimbetka, an international heritage site near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, and was inspired by the pre-historic rock art there. I returned to Tamil Nadu to find out if we had such paintings here. Archaeologists here had identified 50 rock paintings, but no detailed research was available. Most of the rock paintings are in Villupuram district,” he says. The Nilgiris had another revelation for him. “With the help of tribal children I went to the interior parts of the Nilgiris in 2004 and discovered a huge site, nearly 5,000 years old.” He found the rock art there illustrating the life of a people that lived by hunting. Pastoral life, entertainment, flora and fauna were depicted on rocks in red and white as seen in Bhimbetka. “We identified nearly seven sites in and around the Nilgiris. Now I am cataloguing and analysing all the rock paintings in the State,” the explorer says. Disappointed with the poor awareness of heritage sites in the State, he helped organise exhibitions of rock art in Chennai, and conducts workshops for tribal children in the Nilgiris. “The local people are not aware of the importance of rock art. They build fires, scribble over the art. Sometimes, nature also contributes to the damage of this ancient art form. In many ancient temples murals have been whitewashed. This is because there are not enough books on rock art in the State when compared to other parts of south India,” he says. “Rock art studies are important in modern archaeology. We must educate our teachers and students on our heritage sites. We could use digital technology,” says Mr. Gandhirajan, who is studying Karnataka’s Bidri art now.
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