Kupgal petroglyphs
The Kupgal petroglyphs are works of rock art found at Kupgal in Bellary district of Karnataka, India. Thousands of petroglyphs have been found at Kupgal, which date to the Neolithic or even the old Stone Age. The site, which includes examples of rock gongs, was discovered firs…
Kupgal petroglyphs sit in a scrubby plateau near Hosapete, a half‑day drive from Hampi and a two‑hour rickshaw ride from the Bellary railway station, but the trek across dry granite fields is worth the effort only if you can stomach the heat of June–July and the inevitable dust that sneaks into every crevice of your kit. The site, rediscovered in 2006 after more than a century of neglect, is a maddening spread of shallow depressions and faint, weathered motifs – circles, concentric rings and crude handprints – that date back to the Neolithic, perhaps even the older Stone Age. The real secret is the natural “rock gongs”: stepped hollows that ring like temple bells when you strike them with a smooth boulder, a phenomenon that draws bewildered tourists and local schoolchildren alike, yet the sound dies quickly if you’re not patient enough to find the right strike point (the best is near the cluster of three slabs at the north‑west edge of the main outcrop). Skip the overpriced guide at the nearby tea stall; a local agronomist named Ramesh will point out the most legible panels for free if you offer a bottle of water. Bring sturdy boots, a hat, and a portable charger – the nearest power source is a modest government office two kilometres away. Two days is honest: one for the rock art and another to recover from the sun and chase the fleeting monsoon clouds that give the landscape a rare, lush tint. November to February is the only time you’ll see the site without a sweltering backdrop, and even then, expect tourists to be few and the silence to be broken only by the occasional echo of a struck gong.
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