Ancient Rock Carvings Discovered in Delhi's Central Ridge Near Delhi Polo Club
Environmentalists Pradip Krishen and Chetan Agarwal discovered presumed ancient rock carvings on quartzite rocks in Delhi’s Central Ridge, near the Delhi Polo Club, last week. The find marks the first likely record of a petroglyph in the Central Ridge, potentially dating back thousands of years and signaling a need for further historical and archaeological study.
Krishen and Agarwal spotted the carvings on a large rock during a walk. Krishen noted that although he had walked the path many times, the rock was easy to miss. Researchers later confirmed that the markings appear significantly old.
According to archaeologist Banani Bhattacharyya, former deputy director of the department of archaeology in Haryana, the linear petroglyph features intersecting vertical and horizontal incised grooves that form a ladder-like geometric design. She stated that while the carving is likely thousands of years old, establishing its exact age will require scientific dating.
Bhattacharyya added that similar petroglyphs, often associated with multiple cupmarks, have been documented at Mangar in the Aravalli region, suggesting possible cultural continuity from the prehistoric period. She called for urgent systematic documentation, high-resolution recording, and scientific dating to understand the cultural context of the engravings.
Dr. Mohd Zakir Khan, who holds a PhD in prehistoric archaeology, observed that the cupules appeared to be Mesolithic or from the Chalcolithic period, while the other carvings could possibly date to the historic period. He noted that the faint linear and geometric markings form a grid-like pattern resembling traditional board game carvings, such as chausath kothi or ashtapad grids, though weathering makes this speculative.
While this is the first such record in the Central Ridge, similar prehistoric markings and tools have been found elsewhere in the region. Stone-age tools and etchings were previously discovered at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in the late 1970s and in 2007. Prehistoric tools have also been documented around the Kamla Nehru Ridge in north Delhi, as well as in neighbouring sites like Bhondsi, Surajkund, Mohabatabad, Dhauj, and Kot.
