Natural Rock Shelters of India: Art and Paintings by Dr. Amiya Chandra and Shri Jagpal Singh throws welcome light on a very significant subject of prehistory, proto history and history of India. Rock art, mainly the paintings in natural rock shelters, are one of the important and additional source of information to reconstruct the life and culture of Mesolithic and onward periods. There are a good number of natural rock shelters in the Vindhyans area, both plain and painted, which have been attracting the prehistorians right from the later half of the 19th century. These have been located in Banda, Karwi, Allahabad, Mirzapur, Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh and Sidhi, Sahdol and Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh. Of the painted rock shelters mention may be made of Sarhat, Malawa, Kuriyakunj, Amawa, Uldan, Bargarh, Markundi, Majhawan, Kauakhoh and Chitrkut in Karwi; Ramgarhwa, Chhatarpalia, Chandatari, Lakhahar, and Chandawa group of rock shelters in Allahabad; Sahabia, Bediya, Ladbedia, Baga, Baghaikhor, Marchahwa, Khari Pathari, Munnibaba, Lekhahia (Bhainsore area), Panchmukhi, Kandakot, Chanmanwa and Lakhania' (Rajpur area), Lakhania, Kohbar, Ghora Mangar, Maldaria, Mahadaria (Ahraura area), and Tharpahara (Chunar Area) in Mirzapur district and Gahala-Shahpur on the bank of Karmanasa in Varanasi district. Among the important sites of Madhya Pradesh mention may be made that of Ghaghria. Many of the paintings of this area also have been included in present study. The painted rock shelters bear paintings on the wall and ceiling in red ochre, white and black pigment. The red ochre colour ranges from deep red to dull red. The paintings have been done either in out line or flat wash. It seems that the paintings have been executed by spreading the liquid or semi-liquid pigment by brush or pad. The painted motifs include hunting scenes, group dance, animals particularly stag and bovids, palm impressions, etc. The earlier researchers on the subject have divided the paintings in several groups on the basis of technique of presentation, state of preservation and superimposition. The first and earliest group, as the study of Prof. R.K. Varma shows, has been termed as imitative, naturalistic in which animals represented are in life size and in natural posture. No human figures or hunting scenes have been observed in this group. The colour is burnt red and the paintings are covered with a thin coating of patina. The paintings of this group are generally superimposed by those of the later period. The second group of paintings is termed as stylistic or suggestive and it is in large number in the area. No attention was paid to the proportion. Variety of subjects, animals, single or in small groups, hunting scenes, trap scenes, animals with riders, human figures, etc. are the subject matter of this group. The paintings in third group are symbolic in which pictures are reduced to an angle, a circle, a dot, a spiral line or a loop. The fourth group contains animals or human figures executed in white colour. The last group of paintings depicts caparisoned animals, yoked bulls, war scenes, procession, etc. The subject matter, technique and appearance clearly suggest that these belong to post Mesolithic period - farming cultures and continued upto historical period. Sometimes black pigment has been used in these paintings. The first four groups of the rock paintings in the rock shelters in the Vindhyas are valuable source of knowledge to construct the subsistence pattern of the Mesolithic hunting-gathering society, as is reflected by various ways of hunting, trapping, gathering, etc. The rock art especially the paintings throw welcome light on the hunting methods during the Mesolithic period. Ferocious big games like rhinoceros, bison, boar etc., were hunted in groups by spears and harpoons...