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Abstract
Since the early 2000s, over one thousand petroglyphs (open air rock engravings)have been discovered in the western coastal region of Konkan in Maharashtra State, India. These
petroglyphs include life sized representations of fauna such as elephants, rhinos, sharks and
peacocks. While some representations depict larger than life human profiles, others depict
abstract geometric compositions spanning approximately 25 x 28 feet. Only a handful of these
petroglyphs are part of the local religious milieu. Up until recently, the local population had only
been aware of a small set of petroglyphs in isolation as sites associated with Hindu temple
complexes or locations visited during special religious celebrations. However, the vast majority
of petroglyphs had been lost to time and were virtually unknown to the contemporary local
population. Since the early 2000s, archaeological investigations have been conducted in this
region bringing a number of new discoveries to light. Since 2022, several sites have been
nominated for inclusion to the UNESCO world heritage site list. The purpose of this dissertation
is threefold: 1) To highlight some of the unique features of these artistic expressions from the
Konkan region; 2) To raise awareness of the petroglyphs among scholars and students of
religious studies and related disciplines; and 3) To better understand and refine scholarly
approaches to studying the overlap between religious iconography, historical ecology, historic
preservation, and paleoart research in the Konkan region of Maharashtra State.