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| Rock carvings |
The fascinating prehistoric rock etchings found on
the walls of these caves have drawn the serious attention of
archeologists and historians worldwide.
With at least three distinct sets of
petroglyphs, the earliest thought to date back over 5000 years, it is
assumed that the Edakkal caves had been inhabited at various stages in
history.
The name “Edakkal”
literally means “a stone in between”, and this describes how the cave is
formed by a heavy boulder straddling a fissure in the rock. Inside the
cave is on two levels, the lower chamber measures about 18 feet long by
12 feet wide and 10 feet high and can be entered through an opening of 5
x 4 feet. A passage opposite the entrance leads upward to a small
aperture in the roof through which one climbs up to the next storey
whose interior is about 96 feet long, 22 feet wide, and 18 feet high.
Light enters the cave through a big gap at the right-hand corner of the
roof where the boulder does not touch the facing wall.
Legends of the Caves
The name Ambukuthimala is ascribed
to the local legend which has it that the caves were formed by arrows
fired by Lava and Kusha, the sons of Sri Rama, legendary hero of the
Ramayana.Even today there are many who believe that Lord Rama killed
Surpanakha, the sister of Ravana, in the narrow fissure at the southern
end of Edakkal cave.
A local legend associates Kutti
Chatan (the little devil of Malabar) with the goddess Mudiampilli, and
until recently local people undertook an annual pilgrimage to the peak
of the hill to perform a puja (ritual offering) in her honour.
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| Our team |
The Colonial Discovery of the Caves
On a hunting trip to Wayanad in
1890, Fred- Fawcett, the then superintendent of police of the Malabar
District, happened to see a Neolithic Celt (stone axe or chisel)
recovered from the coffee estate of Colin Mackenzie. An enthusiast in
prehistory, Fawcett made local enquiries and went round exploring the
Wayanad high ranges. In the course of his rambles he was shown the
Edakkal rock-shelter situated on the western side of Edakkalmala. He
identified the site as a habitat of Neolithic (i.e. late Stone Age,
c4000BC to c1700BC) people on the basis of the nature of representations
on the cave walls, which appeared to him as engravings made of
Neolithic Celts. It was an exciting discovery, as these were the first
specimens of abraded drawings found in India.
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