Ancient Rock Art Found Deep in Andhra's Nallamala Forest

Rock art near Alatam near Krishna River

ONGOLE: Archaeologists surveying remote stretches of Andhra Pradesh's Nallamala forest have documented rock paintings and geometric motifs that may date to around 1500 BCE, adding evidence of prehistoric human activity to a landscape already rich in inscriptions spanning many centuries.

The rock art was identified near Alatam, along the Krishna River inside the Nallamala-Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, during a three-day field survey by the Epigraphy Branch of the Archaeological Survey of India. ASI Director of Epigraphy K. Muniratnam Reddy led the survey, conducted from June 11 to June 13, 2026, with assistance from Andhra Pradesh Forest Department personnel.

Researchers identified paintings and geometric designs in rock shelters and caves near Alatam and preliminarily associated them with the Megalithic and Early Historic periods. The earliest paintings have been provisionally dated to approximately 1500 BCE. However, Muniratnam Reddy said the rock paintings and geometric patterns require further study using scientific methods before researchers can draw firmer conclusions.

Across the three-day expedition, the ASI team documented 25 inscriptions in the Nallamala forest and Yerragondapalem region, spanning roughly the second century CE to the 16th century CE. Records identified during the expedition were associated with several major dynasties including the Satavahanas, Eastern Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, Reddy rulers and Vijayanagara Empire.

The most striking aspect of the survey is its chronological breadth. At one end are paintings that researchers believe could extend back to the second millennium BCE. At the other are Telugu and Kannada inscriptions from medieval and early-modern dynasties extending into the 16th century.

Nallamala is a vast, rugged forest landscape stretching across the Eastern Ghats. Much of the terrain remains difficult to access, and archaeological remains can survive in rock shelters, valleys and forest routes far from modern settlements.

For Telugu Americans interested in the deeper history of Andhra Pradesh, the discovery is especially compelling because the same survey landscape preserves evidence across radically different stages of the region's cultural history.