Katal Shilpa, Devihasol, Rajapur, Ratnagiri
Katal Shlipa or Petroglyphs are generally related with prehistoric peoples.
Katal Shilpa or Petroglyphs are beside Aryadurga Devi Temple of Devihasol village of Rajapur in Ratnagiri. Petroglyph means image created by removing part of a rock surface. Petroglyph is a rock engraving. These Katal Shilpa or Petroglyphs, found in thousands in Ratnagiri over the last few years, are the most important link to reach a phase of prehistoric times.
Devihasol is situated on a wide plateau located between the village called Bhu, Dasur and Bhalavali. The original name of Devihasol village is Hasol. Shri Aryadurga Devi from Ankola village in Karnataka came to the hasol village, so the name of the village became Devihasol. This Katal Shilpa is 15 kms from the Mahakali Temple of Adivare and 52 kms from Ratnagiri.
A frame of approximately 15 square feet is seen on the side of the Aryadurga Devi Temple of Devihasol. The frame is protected by chains on all four sides. Within the frame are serpentine figures at the beginning. This frame is divided into four parts. Various figures are carved in those parts. Some of them are understandable, while others are incomprehensible. There are also small and medium sized snakes in the four inner parts. In the center of this complete frame is a deep pit. The direction of this sculpture is east-west and a snake in the middle divides the sculpture from east to west. The carving is dark brown in color despite red Jambha stones surrounding it. Basically Jambha stone is very brittle. It has to be considered a mystery that such work lasts for thousands of years without cracking, without breaking. The compass is directionless on this carving.
There is a village called Bhalavali near Devihasol. There is a temple of Goddess Navadurga in that village. The festival of Aryadurga of Devihasol is on Margashirsha Vadya Ashtami. At that time, the palanquin of Navdurga Devi from Bhalavali comes to visit Aryadurga Devi. The two goddesses meet on the Katal Shilpa. Locals say that during that visit, a venomous snake named Furse (Echis carinatus) comes to the hollow in the middle of the sculpture and sits there for the whole day.
Human subsisted by hunting during the Stone Age, gradually settled down to a relatively settled life approximately 12,000 years ago. As the stone weapons he had for hunting were now more developed, the time he needed to hunt was greatly reduced. He used that remaining time to get busy, i.e. he started carving or painting things about the events happening in his life, the animals he saw, his own life in the form of pictures on the stone walls and on the ground. This type of art is called rock art or mural painting or engraving in archeological terms. This is considered an important stage in the history of art.
In the last few years, thousands of such mysterious and incomprehensible engravings created on this type of land are being found in Konkan. In the local language it is known as Katal Shilp. Do visit here once to see this beautiful, wonderful, linear and awe-inspiring sculpture.
