GOA : Usgalimal Rock Carvings, Rivona
The Vibe:Prehistory carved into a riverbed.
Cut into a laterite shelf beside the Kushavati river in South Goa, these petroglyphs are among the oldest human traces in the state. They were identified only in the early 1990s.
The river runs shallow over rock, and the carvings emerge only when the light rakes across them. There is no building here, no gate and usually nobody else.
- Among the oldest recorded human artefacts in Goa, cut into the Kushavati riverbed
- Documented by the Goa state archaeology department after their identification in 1993
- Depictions include bulls, deer, human figures and a labyrinth motif
- Rarely appears on standard Goa itineraries despite its significance
Fit For
- 🌍 Culture travellers: "Prehistoric Goa, long before the Portuguese."
- 🧳 Solo: "A genuinely quiet site with no infrastructure."
- 📸 Photographers: "Raking light is the only way to read the carvings."
Highlights
- Petroglyphs of bulls, deer and human figures cut directly into the laterite shelf
- A labyrinth motif, unusual in Indian rock art
- The Kushavati riverbed setting, with no built structures at all
- Near-total absence of visitors, even in peak season — Hidden Gem
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