Edakkal Caves

The Edakkal Caves are one of the most important prehistoric sites in South India. They sit about 1,200 feet up Ambukuthi Mala, near Sultan Bathery.

They are not true caves but a natural rock shelter. Edakkal means "a stone in between": a huge boulder is wedged between two larger ones, leaving a cleft more than 30 feet deep. Inside are two chambers, a lower one about 18 by 12 feet and an upper one about 96 by 22 feet.

The walls are covered with engravings dating from roughly 6000 BCE to 1000 BCE: human figures, animals, tools, wheeled carts and patterns of crosses, triangles and spirals. The range of styles suggests people came back to the site many times. Some symbols, such as a man holding a jar, have been compared with signs from the Indus Valley Civilisation.

The climb up Ambukuthi Mala ends with about 300 steep steps. Railings keep visitors back from the carvings, and conservation rules apply. Ancient burial chambers called muniyaras have also been found in the hills nearby.