Prehistoric Rock Art and Stone Tools Discovered in Bhondsi Aravalli Forest

Wildlife enthusiasts exploring the Bhondsi stretch of the Aravalli forests in Gurugram have discovered a cluster of ancient petroglyphs, prehistoric stone game boards, and stone tools. The find, which occurred four months prior to its documentation, reveals a rare continuity of human activity in the region, linking early tool-making traditions with later ritual and social life.

The discovery began when wildlife photographers, including Yatin Verma, noticed a stone surface marked with dozens of carefully carved cup-shaped depressions, geometric grids, and a large foot-shaped engraving. Subsequent examinations of the site revealed ancient petroglyphs, possible stone game boards, and stone tools, including an Acheulean bifacial hand axe found near a rock art cliff.

Akash Gupta, a PhD scholar and faculty member at Delhi University’s Satyawati College who examined the Bhondsi material, explained that the site shows evidence from multiple prehistoric phases surviving within the same landscape. According to Gupta, handaxes and cleavers point to early stone-tool traditions, while other tools indicate Middle Palaeolithic activity from 300,000 to 50,000 years ago. The cup-shaped depressions, or cupules, and rock-art-like markings likely belong to later symbolic or ritual phases, specifically from the Mesolithic period.

Teams from the Chandigarh Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Haryana Archaeology Department have documented the site and submitted a preliminary report.

Kamei Athoilu Kabui, Superintending Archaeologist with the ASI’s Chandigarh Circle, confirmed that the local exploration team worked alongside local villagers to find the in situ petroglyphs and stone tools. Kabui emphasized that the site must be protected from the land mafia, calling on the state government department to take further protective measures.

Anil Tiwari, Deputy Superintending Archaeologist of the ASI Chandigarh Circle, noted that while a brief report has been prepared, there remains significant scope for further research and exploration at the Bhondsi site.