About the rock paintings-
- The place where paintings have been identified is called Rukkal Muniyappan, is where a deity of Muneeswarar is located.
- It is worshipped by tribal people, including the Sholagar, the Kurumbar and the Bedagampana Lingayat.
- A rock, 30 feet high and 250 feet in length, has paintings in red ochre and white.
- A hunting scene in red displays human figures and a herd of deer standing opposite each other, while in some images, deer of various sizes are presented.
- About 30 feet above the ground, an anthropomorphic painting, four feet high, was seen.
- It looks similar to the Mother Goddess megalithic structures identified at T. Mottur village in Tiruvannamalai district.
- Two deer and a few animals can be seen beneath the leg of the painting, which depicts the deity blessing humans with resources for hunting.
- The painting is located at the tallest place, which is not easily accessible.
- As per Rock art field scholar, the elephant, tiger, and deer paintings are seen separately, while the middle row has the painting of a human.
- It comprises a man standing on a crescent-shaped object and some other symbols, and is considered to be a picture of a boat ride.
- The bottom layer depicts the racial conflict between people, with three warriors opposing 10.
- The conflict between the racial groups is depicted at three more places as ethnic groups fight to dominate or rule the region.
- The bottom row at the accessible height has hundreds of paintings, including those of humans, animals, people dancing in groups, signs, and symbols of prosperity.
- A few paintings are overlapped, and it is challenging to conclude the meaning of those pictures. These overlaps overlook its archaeological evidence but anthropologically, it shows the people’s connection with this place at different periods of time.
Kurumba people-
- Kurumba, a people living in the Cardamom and Nīlgiri hills, west-central Tamil Nadu state, southern India.
- Originally pastoralists, the Kurumba were probably identical with or closely related to the Pallavas.
Sholagar people-
- Soliga, also spelled Solega, Sholaga and Shōlaga, is an ethnic group of India.
- Its members inhabit the Biligiriranga Hills and associated ranges in southern Karnataka, mostly in the Chamarajanagar and Erode districts of Tamil Nadu.
- Many are also concentrated in and around the BR Hills in Yelandur and Kollegal Taluks of Chamarajanagar District, Karnataka.
- The Soliga speak Sholaga, which belongs to the Dravidian family.
Bedagampana Lingayat-
These community demanded State government to create a new community named Bedagampana and take immediate steps to include it in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list.