The Maharashtra government is making technology meet archaeology by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to scientifically analyse, classify and interpret the origin and cultural etymology of thousands of prehistoric petroglyphs scattered across the Konkan region, a move that could significantly strengthen India’s bid to secure UNESCO World Heritage status for these ancient sites.The state government has allocated Rs 15 crore for this project, which is estimated to take four years.Petroglyphs are stone carvings of animal figures or humanoids, found in the lateral plateau regions across Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of coastal Maharashtra. The carvings mainly comprise figurines, including turtles, elephants, peacock and rhinoceros. These were discovered throughout a series of expeditions and excavations carried out between 2017 and 2023.According to archaeologists and experts, the origin of these carvings ranges between 20,000 BC and 10,000 BC and is older than the Harappan civilization whose earliest phase dates back to 7,000 BC-5,000 BC. The carvings have an average size of 50 square metres by 20 square metres.Tejas Garge, director at Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Maharashtra, said that these carvings cover a total area of 150 square kilometres spread across 107 villages in the Konkan region.In 2025, these structures were added to the temporary list of UNESCO world heritage sites in India. However, permanent status is yet to be granted. The state government has now appointed IIT Pravartak — the technology innovation hub of IIT Madras — for carrying out a digital assessment and documentation of these petroglyphs.“These petroglyphs are the earliest evidence of art in the Indian context on such a large canvas. The figurines clearly depict the cognitive ability of human beings to visualise nature and replicate them in the form of these carvings,” Garge told The Indian Express.Story continues below this adGarge said that among the carvings discovered, there was none depicting horse or bull. It appeared uncanny to the experts initially, since bulls an horses are common in the pre-historic drawings and art forms in the Indian sub-continent where horses arrived between 1,500 and 1,000 BC, while agriculture was introduced during the 9,000 BC, he said. The petroglyphs were discovered in 2007 by a group of people from Ratnagiri led by local resident Sudhir Risbud (52). (Photo: Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Maharashtra)“The absence of horse figurines indicated that the carvings were created during the pre-historic era and the absence of bulls established that they were created during the pre-agricultural era. Therefore, it became clear to us that the origin of these carvings dates back to the Mesolithic era or the middle stone age period,” Garge added.Archaeology meets technologyThe petroglyphs were discovered in 2007 by a group of people from Ratnagiri led by local resident Sudhir Risbud (52). In 2021, Risbud, through a non-profit body Nisarga Yatri, secured funding from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) for documenting these figurines. More than 150 villages were surveyed in the Konkan belt where petroglyphs were found in 107 villages. The initial survey involved photographing the structure and recording the locations and their size.“We started identifying these carvings from 2012 by using our own funds and till date have been able to find out 3,000 such figurines. They are huge in size therefore manual documentation is not possible. High-end drone cameras are needed to carry out proper documentation of these carvings,” Risbud told The Indian Express.Story continues below this adNow the state has appointed the IITM Pravartak for a scientific assessment of each of these figurines.Speaking with The Indian Express, Shankar Raman, CEO of IITM Pravartak, said that one of the key objectives of the assessment will be to find out the cultural etymology of these carvings. Usually, the age of materials are determined by carbon dating but Raman stated that this methodology is not feasible for coastal cities.“The petroglyphs are spread across coastal Maharashtra that is also known for receiving very heavy rainfall. Therefore, there are portions of stone carvings that are already eroded. The rocks also have geomagnetic properties, which pose a problem in carbon dating,” Raman said.He said that as part of the documentation project, high resolution aerial photographs will be taken using drones and the images will be scanned using an AI-powered system where the patterns will be identified, while filling missing lines and eroded portions. The experts will then assess the figurines minutely to depict similarity with other petroglyphs found across the globe, like those from the Mesopotamian civilisation or any other civilisation that existed during that period. The tools used for making these carvings will also be identified along with the reasoning behind each figure that was drawn.Story continues below this ad More than 150 villages were surveyed in the Konkan belt where petroglyphs were found in 107 villages. (Photo: Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Maharashtra)“The drawings will be compared with the traditions, folklore and food habits of local tribal belts. The area that these petroglyphs cover is very vast and our volunteer members are already on the ground speaking with local tribes and community leaders to understand their folklore,” Raman stated. He added that the project may also bring into light the subcontinent’s status of flora and fauna during that era.Road to UNESCO tagFor a site in India to obtain UNESCO World Heritage status, the process generally follows a sequence involving the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Government of India, the state governments and UNESCO.ASI or a state government identifies a site with potential Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). Detailed studies are conducted on its history, archaeology, culture, ecology, authenticity, and integrity.A site must first be placed on India’s Tentative List, which is maintained by the Government of India and submitted to UNESCO — which requires the site to be on the Tentative List before it can be formally nominated. In this case, the petroglyphs are already present in the tentative list.Story continues below this adFollowing this, a detailed dossier is to be prepared with historical and archaeological significance, comparative analysis with similar sites worldwide, conservation status, legal protection measures, management and tourism plans, maps, boundaries, and buffer zones.Garge said that a key objective behind appointing IIT Madras for this study is to find out and record all these relevant factors in the dossier for the final submission.“The ASI’s slots for nominating sites for UNESCO status have been booked till 2028-29. Therefore, we are targeting our pitch for 2030 and going by the timeline of our study, it will be concluded at the same time,” Garge added.