Sitabinji Rock Paintings

Sitabinji Rock Paintings are located in Sitabinji village in Keonjhar district, Odisha, about 30 km from Keonjhar town. The site is known for the Ravana Chhaya rock shelter housing an ancient fresco and prehistoric rock art on sandstone boulders. Notable for its early tempera painting depicting a royal procession, considered among the earliest frescoes in eastern India, the site combines archaeological importance with a forested, rocky landscape.

Visitors can expect a large natural sandstone rock shelter known as Ravana Chhaya set in a forested, boulder-strewn landscape near Sitabinji village. Inside the shelter is a faded fresco painting depicting a royal procession with an elephant, horses and attendants, along with traces of prehistoric rock art on surrounding rocks. The site is open-air, requires a short walk over uneven rocky ground, and offers a quiet archaeological and natural setting with interpretive interest rather than built facilities.

Sitabinji preserves prehistoric rock art and a celebrated fresco in the Ravana Chhaya shelter dated to the Gupta period, around 4th to 6th century CE. The tempera fresco depicting a royal procession is regarded as one of the earliest frescoes in eastern India and shows early Indian painting techniques. The site provides evidence of continuous human activity from prehistoric times to the early historic period.

The site is locally associated with the name Sitabinji and the Ravana Chhaya legend, and holds cultural value as an early example of Indian mural painting tradition. It is an important destination for heritage and archaeological tourism in Odisha and is studied for its artistic and cultural links to classical Indian art.