VIRTUAL TOUR PROGRAM REPORT - EDAKKAL CAVES

 Exploring Edakkal caves 

                Life in the times of corona virus  means a halt on travel .However a virtual trip to edakkal caves can spark intense interest as well as  nutur thinking skills .We all know trip and tour s are important for interactive and new learning ,social interaction and exposure .So, to eradicate boredom and enhance knowledge while comfortably sitting at home . Sree Narayana Traning College ,Negunganda, provide link for the virtual field trip to edakkal caves to allow the students  to have 360 -degree view of the famous monument of Kerala by simply clicking and moving the cursor.    Google street view feature help me to see the incredible work of art of neolithic man.

 The name of Edakkal Caves literally means `a stone in between’. As the name indicates, it seems that one   large rock stuck over between two big boulders ones to create a cave.   Experts  are of the opinion that Edakkal Caves is not a cave in the real sense. It is a fissure in the rocks which had been created due to natural causes/ changing climatic conditions. Accordingly, the split in the rock is about 22 ft. in width and 96 ft. in length. The depth of the cleft extends to over 30 ft. Mild sun rays penetrating into it make the place even more beautiful.The walls of Edakkal Caves  were covered  with various engravings, prehistoric line drawings. These markings were representations  that the caves were occupied by various sets of people during various stages of history. There  inside something about these  etchings.   For some reasons,  mobile phones are not allowed to use inside the caves for picture taking.As pointed by , three distinct sets of petroglyphs can be seen in the caves and some depictions are as old as 7000 years. It is said that Edakkal Caves is the only known place for stone age carvings in South India.

Further that the carvings belonging to the Neolithic and Mesolithic Age include ancient stone scripts, ancient weaponry figures, symbols, figures of various animals and human beings etc.The rock surface is full of linear motifs and one can see weird shaped figures, crosses, triangles, tridents, squares, stars, wheels, spirals, plant motifs, pot shaped items, various animals and human figures.  Many of the human figures have raised hair, some have masked faces and all these figures are eye-catching and have archaeological significance. Apart from these pictorial carvings, ancient inscriptions, including a Tamil Brahmi script have been identified from the caves. That  pointed some images of a tribal king, a queen, a child, a deer and an elephant on the wall. A human figure with headgear, another on a wheeled cart and some male and female figures too can be seen. All these  symbols  suggest the presence of prehistoric men.

                                        Visiting Edakkal Caves was indeed physically challenging, but it was as well very enriching.  At least, I can say that once in my lifetime I have experienced the Edakkal Caves of Wayanad, Kerala by the virtual way . I think we can took it in a real manner in became an unforgettable experience . The impotance of educational tours includes giving students the chance to bulid  closer bonds with their collegemates,experiencing new environments and enjoy some days away from the busy college shedule.Getting away from the everyday atmosphere .But  virtual tour is only possible in this pandemic situation . I immensely thankful to the faculties in  our college  espesially Chithra teacher , our  principle for  giving the right way to explore the place in virtual manner .Thankyou for your commitment to making our virtual tour a priority during these challenging times.

Reference 

https://www.p4panorama.com/panos/EdakkalCaves/