[feniv]

A simple explanation for it would be a farming layout for irrigation.

[ketanmaheshwari]

Native of Thar here. Not from a farming family but it is extremely likely that this is for farming. Land tend to be arid and barren so selected passages that are low lying are cultivated just before monsoon season in the hope that water logging in the monsoon will irrigate it to get some crop.

I also translated the only book about the culture of Thari people from that region. Pdf link for anyone interested: https://github.com/ketancmaheshwari/dhati-book/raw/master/ma...

[baybal2]

Depends on the age.

If it comes from time before agriculture, then it might be a remaining of an ice age hunting trap.

[grandchild]

It says in the article that they're fairly recent (around 150 years ago). So agriculture seems likely.

[baybal2]

Then, most likely they are.

[mhuffman]

Yes, and it looks like a "space filling" pattern with enough room between to do something like farming. It does not look like an abstract artwork.