Giant Geoglyphs Near The Golden City Jaisalmer In India’s Thar Desert May Be World’s Largest Drawings – Who Made Them And Why?

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - It's incredible how something so huge could go unnoticed for so long, but one can only be thankful these stunning drawings have finally been discovered.

According to researchers, these mysterious geoglyphs hidden in India's vast Thar Desert, near the 'Golden City' of Jaisalmer are so enormous they can never be seen in their entirety. The Golden City Jaisalmer in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located 575 kilometers (357 mi) west of the state capital Jaipur. The city was built on the foundation of yellow sandstone which is why it is called the 'Golden City' of India.

The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, encompasses 77,000 square miles of rolling sand dunes in eastern Pakistan and the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan.

Several Hindu memorial stones are located in the vicinity of the giant geoglyphs. Credit: Carlo and Yohann Oetheimer, Archaeological Research in Asia, 2021

Who made these enormous geoglyphs in India, and for what purpose? The geoglyphs were discovered by Carlo and Yohann Oetheimer, a father and son research team from France. Using Google Earth, the scientists searched for unusual features, and that's when they suddenly spotted these giant motifs in the sand.

Around the 'Golden City' of Jaisalmer, researchers identified several sites marked by geometrical lines resembling geoglyphs. At the time of the discovery, it was unclear what the formations were, but a drone survey could determine the patterns were man-made and no natural formations.

The largest of these geoglyphs is a huge spiral covering 100,000 square meters. The spiral pattern, called Boha 1 consists of a series of small geoglyphs.  The enigmatic spiral is made from a single looping line running for 12 kilometers (7.5 miles), over an area 724 meters long by 201 meters wide (790 by 220 yards). Another remarkable geometric figure is made in the image of a serpent.

The geoglyphs were created by unknown people for unknown purposes. Credit: Carlo and Yohann Oetheimer, Archaeological Research in Asia, 2021

The numbers speak for themselves. The Thar Desert's spiral drawing is the single largest geoglyph ever discovered. It is larger than any individual line or drawing found at the site of the famous Nazca Lines in Peru, or the Palpa Lines.

According to the scientists, "three memorial stones positioned at key points, give evidence that planimetric knowledge has been used to create this elaborate design".

Currently, there is no information about the geoglyphs' creators. Scientists can only offer speculations why unknown people took the time to draw these patterns in the Thar Desert.

"We collected indicators of antiquity suggesting that these lines may be at least 150 years old and possibly linked to the Hindu memorial stones surrounding them.

The lack of visibility from the ground raises the question of their function and meaning. So far, these geoglyphs, the largest discovered worldwide and for the first time in the Indian subcontinent, are also unique as regards their enigmatic signs," the team wrote in their science paper.

The spiral geoglyph as seen from the ground. Credit: Carlo and Yohann Oetheimer, Archaeological Research in Asia, 2021

The fact these patterns cannot be seen from the ground is why researchers think it is unlikely the designs were artistic expressions. Instead, they suggest the geoglyphs may have served as an unknown type of cultural practice. They also consider the possibility the geoglyphs in the Thar Desert were perhaps used to study the skies.

"This invites us to consider religious, astronomical, and/or cosmological meanings," the researchers say.

"Because of their uniqueness, we can speculate that they could represent a commemoration of an exceptional celestial event observed locally."

Future research will shed more light on this exciting discovery.

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The drawings are not old, but they are unique and should be preserved. The Oetheimer team hopes Indian authorities will protect this heritage site before it is destroyed by human activity.

The spiral symbol has been used by many ancient civilizations worldwide. The serpent has also been of great significance to ancient people. It seems the creators of the geoglyphs in this dry landscape in India also considered these symbols as important to their beliefs or unknown activities.

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer