Phuldungri

Here flower whispers rock smiles and silence speaks. This is Phuldungri  the valley of flowers. Here perched behind the sylvan serenity of  terraced  hills lies a rock shelter hidden under the dwindling foliage. The artist in ancient man wielded his twig brush inspired by the  Muse. Determined to  create  sheer  poetry on rocks,  Phuldungri  gave him the canvas to express his agony and ecstasy in rhythm and patterns.

Monochromatic and polychromatic depictions revel the sense of proportion and purpose  composition, stroke and lines vibrate on rock face  nearly melting its hardness. Common among the figures are creatures like bull, bison, lizard, snake, antelope, goat and tortoise. One marked feature at Phuldungri is this figure in white where superimposition is clearly visible over the honeycomb patterns in dark red. The figure in white is that of an animal. There are many superimposition forms available at Phuldungri and this clearly point at several phases of occupations. Human figures come alive in various shapes and sizes draped in headgear sporting various hunting and herding tools. The kaleidoscope of colour  and patterns gets accentuated with the geometric shapes. Duelsaws, zigzag rectangular patterns drawn in red ochre with fillings of bright white and sparkling yellow, adorn the sand stone rocks. Perhaps Phuldungri was at the zenith of rock art where group activities have been depicted in both  horizontal and vertical panels. Though not large in dimension, measuring only 23 Mets, by 7 Mets this rock shelter retains a prime of place in the rock Art heritage of Orissa. Phuldungri has remained obscure till date because of its isolation and inaccessibility. And thus little visited and least vandalised.