Forest and Archaeology departments accused of turning a blind eye to project
The conservation of prehistoric petroglyphs (rock carvings) on the Thovari hills near Edakkal Caves in Wayanad is yet to be a reality, thanks to the alleged apathy of officials of Forest and Archaeology departments.
The rock carvings at Edakkal caves have been protected by government agencies but a similar one at Thovarimala, just 5 km from Edakkal, is yet to be declared a protected monument by the Department of Archaeology.
Former Wayanad District Collector Kesavendrakumar had asked the State Archaeology Department in 2015 to expedite measures to declare the site as a protected monument and later his successor S. Suhas in 2018 had directed the Deputy Tourism Director to develop the site as a major ecotourism destination in the district . But all the steps to conserve the prehistoric monument remain on paper.
Miscreants who reportedly frequent the site had defaced some of the precious carvings by wanton etching. More than 50 motifs have been engraved on the rock walls and many of these resemble the rock carvings of Edakkal.
The cave, in the middle of a vested forest under the South Wayanad Forest Division, also provide visitors with a panoramic view of the place.
“Though the Edakkal cave carvings outdo the Thovari carvings in beauty, the interpretive possibility of the carvings at the latter is immense,” says historian M.R. Raghava Varier. “This monument is priceless and should be properly protected,” Dr. Varier, who has done extensive work on the antiquities of Wayanad, said.
The rock engravings at Thovari are similar to those at Edakkal in the style of depiction and different in content. The area around Thovari was rich in megalithic monuments and articles such as burials cists, burial urns, and stone circles. The place had also yielded neolithic polished stone axes, he said.
However, P.D. Prabhat, Deputy Director, Tourism Department, Wayanad, told The Hindu that they had asked the permission of the Forest Department to allot land to develop the area as a major tourist destination as per the directions of former collectors but the department was yet to take any steps. “We also requested the Archaeology Department to declare the site as a protected monument but it was also yet to be materialised,” Mr. Prabhat said.
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