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Throughout Ladakh, rock art or petroglyphs are a common sight along pilgrimage routes. Most of the art on the rocks seem irrelevant to contemporary artistic traditions, but different styles point to broader art cultures as a point of reference. Their inscriptions and carvings are often a unique intersection of cultures — with specific motifs and symbols from across the spectrum of central asian art.
The Domkhar Sanctuary in Ladakh is a site that has a unique combination of art styles. Motifs vary from horse-looking drawings in a Mongolian art style, similar to those of the Altai Mountains, to hunting scenes, which were possibly the most recent petroglyphs from the Neolithic age, that resemble carvings found in Burzahom in Kashmir.
It is hard to know the exact age of petroglyphs that exist across Ladakh, but various sources quote 2000 to 5000 years. What is known is that this tradition persisted until the spread of Buddhism in the region, since newer petroglyphs do contain religious symbols and motifs that are said to have been carved during the spread of the religion.
The Tangtse Boulders are another example. Several decorated boulders adorn the village of Tangtse, and the carvings in this region are often textual. Inscriptions are found in Thokarian, Sogdian, Arabic, Brahmi, Sharada and Tibetan languages and all of these belong to different time periods. These carvings have helped us understand trade routes, and cultures that have changed and influenced Ladakh throughout the ages.
The Chilling Valley on the other hand, consists of figures that cannot be added into any category of artistic traditions. The features here like dots inside body shapes are not found anywhere else in Ladakh, and also don’t have a culture that they can be traced back to. Recognised possibly as bird heads, some anthropomorphic figures are a peculiarity that cannot be traced back to an origin.
The Dha-Bema site is also special; it hints at the historic existence of the Dardic or Kashmiri culture and race because of its artistic style, but most engravings defy any interpretation.
Petroglyphs in Ladakh have been a continuous medium of carving and documentation through changing landscapes, cultures and artistic traditions. The interpretations of these carvings are innumerable; whether one chooses to view these as representations of religion and God, cultural heritage, a form of art or a combination of all of these — it's still entirely up for debate. But, even if nothing is scientifically or historically conclusive yet, it underlines the existence of art, expression, and documentation in a civilisation far older than ours.
