As we have more and more time accumulated looking under rock formations and digging through rubble, we find more answers to the questions we ave about our past. A lot of discoveries end up forming new questions but at least our questions are more specific with newly attained information. In Chhattisgarh, India, there are cave drawings dating back 10,000 years. While art in every form has its own value, it was what was depicted that caught international attention. The pictures are drawings of beings missing their noses and mouths. They are holding strange objects that have yet to be identified. They are shown next to obviously human figures which makes the distinction all the more obvious.

While the international community is finding these for the first time, local residents have know about them for generations. Chandeli and Gotitola are villages nearest the finding. Some of the local residents and their ancestors even worshiped this archaeological wonder. Stories have been passed down about the ‘rohela people’ (the little ones).  They narrate that the rohela would come out of the sky in ’round shaped’ objects. They would sometimes take some of the villagers, and the villagers were never seen again.

The paintings are in amazing shape for their age. Preserved in caves and in protected over hangs, we can see the craftsmanship and detail well. There is another image of a saucer like object that has fans coming off its hull. It is hard to look at the image and imagine anything but an UFO.

‘We can’t refuse the possibility of imagination by prehistoric men but humans usually fancy such things,’ lead archaeologist, JR Bhagat, warns. ‘The findings suggest that humans in prehistoric times may have seen or imagined beings from other planets which still create curiosity among people and researchers. Extensive research is needed for further findings. Chhattisgarh presently doesn’t have any such expert who could give clarity on the subject.’

He is very serious when he says more research is needed. These cave paintings are in the Charama region, Kanker district in the tribal Bastar region. Bhagat was called in to verify that it was a legitimate find, which he confirmed. There are no specialists of any kind in the region. While invitations to study the paintings have been sent, no solid plans of study have been announced.