What is Red Ochre?
Rock paintings in red ochre, believed to be around 4,000 years old, have been recently discovered at Karadimalai in Ottampattu Thandari village in Villupuram district, Tamil Nadu.
- Red Ochre is a natural earth pigment, typically composed of iron oxide that ranges in color from yellow to deep red.
- It is one of the earliest pigments used by humankind, with a history stretching back tens of thousands of years.
- Early people applied it for frame and face painting, cave drawings, and ritual burials, which illustrates the pigment’s cultural importance.
- It was used in Ancient cave paintings.
