V.S. Wakankar
Also called: Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar · Topic: Prehistory: Human Origins and Stone Age Cultures · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar was an Indian archaeologist. He discovered the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh in 1957. He spent many years recording rock paintings across India, so he is called the father of rock art studies in India. He received the Padma Shri in 1975.
Example
In 1957, Wakankar saw unusual rock formations near Bhopal while travelling by train. He explored them and found the painted shelters of Bhimbetka. Bhimbetka was later declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has hundreds of painted rock shelters, used in the Mesolithic period and even earlier.
Don't confuse with
- Robert Bruce Foote started Indian prehistory by finding a Palaeolithic handaxe at Pallavaram in 1863. Wakankar is known for rock art, not for the first stone tool.
Related concepts
- Palaeolithic age
- Acheulian tradition
- Handaxe
- Attirampakkam
- Isampur
- Hunsgi valley
- Pallavaram
- Didwana
- Soanian culture
- Hathnora