Who Stabilises the Painted Past? Interpretive Praxis and Community Engagement in Central Indian Rock Art

Sudeshna Biswas

Rock art, especially in the Central Indian context, has mostly been interpreted through stylistic classification and symbolic readings led by specialists. Ethnographic material, which refers to data collected from the study of cultures and communities, is often used only to support these interpretations through an analogical framework. Drawing on fieldwork in the Vindhyan region of Madhya Pradesh, this paper reflects on interpretation itself as a practical and ethical issue. I conducted informal conversations, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation during repeated visits to painted shelters with members of nearby Gond and Banjara communities. What emerged were not uniform explanations but varied responses. Some paintings were associated with ancestors, some were linked to present-day religious ideas, and others were treated as ordinary features of the landscape. There was no single shared meaning. Rather than attempting to reconcile these differences, this paper considers what it means for archaeology when multiple interpretations coexist. Researchers exercise authority over the representation of the past by selecting and stabilising a single explanation in academic writing. This approach impacts the framing of identity, heritage, and ownership. By reflecting on my role in this process, the paper argues that community engagement does more than add local voices to existing interpretations. It unsettles the assumption that meaning can be fixed. In doing so, the study, by providing a case from the region, contributes to ongoing discussions on ethics and praxis in Indo-Pacific archaeology.