Madhya Pradesh holds innumerable mysteries within her. One among them is Bhimbetka – where evidence of human evolution lies…where you can witness artistic side of early humans from the Stone Age. How extraordinary they are! Paintings inside the caves survived 100,000 years. The themes, skills and the materials used for paintings surprise the present day humans…how is that even possible? I had no idea about this place until I reached Bhopal. While I was waiting for the manager of the hotel to arrive, I was going through the leaflets in the lobby. One particular place caught my attention “Bhimbetka” where ancient rock paintings can be found. I searched online, there were few blogs/videos yet whatever descriptions I collected was sufficient for me to decide my next destination!
I, being a history lover, went to see the enchanting cave paintings of Bhimbetka, learnt how people from the prehistoric period apart from hunting also spent time on creativity aspects.
Where is Bhimbetka?
Bhimbetka painted rock shelters are located about 45kms north east of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Situated along Bhopal-Hoshangabad Highway, nearest village to these rock shelters is Bhiyapura in Raisen district. According to Archeological Survey of India “the fringes of the ancient Vindhyachal ranges are home to the extraordinary rock shelters and paintings, its awesome rocks are fortifying the ancient treasure within. Situated amidst lush greenery of dense forests, rocky terrain and craggy cliffs, the rock shelters of Bhimbetka present a breathtaking view extended to Obaidullaganj, a small town in the vicinity of Bhimbetka“.
How did Bhimbetka get it’s name?
According to local people, second brother of Pandavas from Mahabharat, Bhim had stayed in these rocksheleters during exile period of the Pandavas. He used to sit and discuss the issues with the local people here. Hence this place got it’s name as Bhimbethika (Bhim’s Seat) which later on became Bhimbetka.
How to reach Bhimbetka?
Bhimbetka is accessible from any city in India. You can come via taxi, train or air to Bhopal (capital of Madhya Pradesh). Nearest railstation to Bhimbetka is Bhopal Junction and nearest airport is Raja Bhoj Airport. We did daytrip to Bhimbetka and Bhojpur Shiv Temple from Bhopal by Ola cab. There is bus service also from Bhopal to Bhimbetka. NH-12 connects Bhopal and Hoshangabad.
Entry fee:
Vehicle parking fee varies depending on the type of vehicle. As we were in cab, parking charge was Rs.150/-, for two-wheelers Rs.50/-, autorickshaw Rs.100/-, Bus/minibus Rs.300/-. If someone is willing to walk upto the caves, entry fee is Rs.12/-.
Useful Tips:
1. October-March is the best time to visit Bhimbetka.
2. There is no shop inside, so fill your stomach before you enter Bhimbetka.
3. In order to not to litter Bhimbetka try not to carry any plastic bottles or junk food items. [We need to keep all touristy areas clean]
4. Timing: 6.30am to 5.30pm everyday
5. It takes 2-3 hours to see all the caves without any rush (walking distance is approx. 1.5kms)
6. Carry cap and drinking water; wear sunscreen.
History of finding Bhimbetka
Bhimbetka was brought to the notice of the academic world by Shri V.S. Wakankar of Vikram University of Ujjain in 1957-58 AD. He was later conferred Padmashree by Government of India for the discovery and research work carried out on Bhimbetka.
The excavations carried out at Bhimbetka proves human occupation on this land since Lower Palaeolithic till Medieval times. Inside the complex you will find 15 rock shelters occupied by the early men and their lives depicted through paintings. The subject matter of the paintings are human and animal figures, composite figures such as hunting scenes, battle scenes and cultural scenes that include dancers and musicians, daily life and many more, painted with mineral colors namely ocher and white. At Bhimbetka you will experience not only early human creativity but also natural geological formations, various shaped rocks and flora and fauna in their natural environment.
In the year 2003 Bhimbetka was included in UNESCO’s World Heritage list for fulfilling the following criteria: (III) Bhimbetka reflects a long interaction between people and the landscape, as demonstrated in the quantity and quality of its rock art. (V) Bhimbetka is closely associated with a hunting and gathering economy as demonstrated in the rock art and in the relics of this tradition in the local adivasi (tribal) village on the periphery of this site.
Bhimbetka is a group of rock shelters made of sandstone. The complex rises 100 meters from the Deccan traps amidst Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary. There are over 700 rock shelters in this region out of which more than 400 are distributed over the five hills in the main area; five hills are : (i) Bineka, (ii) Bhonrawali, (iii) Bhimbetka, (iv) Lakha Juar (East) and (v) Lakha Juar (West). Another group of rock shelters (vi) is located in the buffer zone known as Muni Baba ki Pahari. Bhimbetka consists of 243 rock shelters in which 133 have rock paintings. Tourists are allowed to visit main 15 rock shelters.
Paintings in the rock shelters were done at several stages using plant extracts, animal blood, red stone, wooden coal, animal fat etc. Archaeologists have divided the painting period into five timelines: 1. Upper Paleolithic, 2. Mesolithic, 3. Chalcolithic, 4.Early Historic and 5. Medieval. You will find use of white and red color prominently in cave paintings.
Rock shelter no. 1: To the right side of the entrance to Bhimbetka rock shelter complex no. 1 and no. 2 rock shelters are located. Shri V.S. Wakankar described as No. II F-23. Total height of this shelter is 20 meters from the present ground level. The base is quite narrow. “An excavation conducted for four continuous seasons from 1973 to 1976 brought to light the sequence of human occupation from late Acheulian (1.5 million years ago) to the end of Mesolithic period (10,000 BP). Tools like hand axe, cleavers etc. have been found from the lower level. Only a few drawings belonging to the historical period have been found in this shelter. On the ceiling drawings of two elephants are depicted. The smaller elephant is driven by a man holding goad in one hand and a spear in the other having a sword on his waist. Both the elephants have long uplifted tusks.
Nearby this place there is installation of “Bhimu” and his family – statues and early human activities to make the young visitors visualize and conceptualize how approximately hundred thousand years back our ancestors lived in this region.
Rock Shelter no. 2: This shelter is approximately five meters high from the present ground. The paintings in the shelter have faded due to the effects of natural elements such as water percolation, wind, heat etc. Total 46 figures have been documented in this shelter which include human, animal and some unidentified symbolic images. The clearest drawing in the shelter is of a horse rider painted in the center of the wall.
Auditorium Shelter (Rock Shelter no. 3): You arrive at Bhimbetka and the first thing you notice is a huge hall like place. This is called auditorium shelter. Due to several factors such as foot falls of the tourists/visitors causing cave sediments erosion, water percolation during monsoon and wind activity during summer made the surface undulation uneven. Hence Archeologists and Conservators in the year 2010 found a solution to protect this extraordinary place through laying garden net on the exposed surface and covered it up with sediments and ramming it to protect the archeological strata from further deterioration.
Rock shelter no. 3 due to its large size and grand appearance was designated as Auditorium Rock by Shri V.S. Wakankar. This cave is about 39 meters long, 4 meters wide and 17 meters high at the western end. Drawings of the pre-historic period are recorded in 17 places of the shelter which are red sienna, light red, burnt umber and sepia in color. Researchers have discovered 550 million years old animal fossil belonging to Dickinsonia genus on the ceiling of Cave no. 3 which appears like whitish leaf.
Rock shelter no. 3 (Auditorium shelter) has some cupules made on a huge rock on the western end probably as old as hundred thousand years; some scholars consider this as the earliest manifestation of human creativity.
Rock shelter no. 4: An elaborated painted rock shelter no. 4 known as zoo rock comprise of 252 animals of 16 different species. From here if you walk towards north you can enjoy the watershed of Betwa river and magnificent ambience.
Semi circular rock shelter no. 4 has a large projection measuring 14m x 6.2m with 3.2m high ceiling and a smooth and sloping floor of 3.3m above ground. It has been named as Zoo Cave by Shri V.S. Wakankar because of the depiction of large number and different varieties of naturalistic and elegant animal drawings. Other than animal drawings, 90 humans engaged in several activities, two rodents (squirrels), one bird (cock), six decorative designs, two enclosures identified as snares, one inscription in Sankha script and 99 fragmented figures. The shelter is amazingly decorated with as many as 10 layers of superimposed figures. Most of the drawings belong to pre-historic period and some belong to historical period (6th century BCE onwards).
Rock shelter no. 5: This shelter has two chambers, one above the other. Paintings are present in both the chambers, nicely executed in both white and red ochre color pigments. On the upper chamber you can find painted image of goat, deer and other animals. “Langoor” leaping around a tree is the popular depiction on this shelter.
Rock Shelter No. 6: This rock shelter facing east is narrow and contains animals drawn in white color. Three different layers of superimposition have been identified in the paintings. The earlier level of paintings have faded which can be identified in red colored animal shown on the right side of the rock shelter.
Rock Shelter No. 7: In this shelter beautifully depicted figure of swordsman riding a caparisoned horse on the ceiling can be seen. Below there is painting of six horse riders, among them third horse rider is larger one.
Rock Shelter No. 11: This rock shelter has both white and red ochre colored paintings. Group of horse riders and foot soldiers can be seen.
Rock Shelter No. 14: In this rock shelter human activities such as group hunting by 11 men holding bow and arrow and some animals like deer, wild boar etc. can be seen. Nicely depicted carrying of a dead boar in white color can also be seen. Height of this rock shelter is 6 meters.
Rock Shelter No. 15: At rock shelter no. 15 you will find an amazing scene of a giant mythical animal chasing a human on the upper surface of the rock shelter painted with ocher color.
Bhimbetka View Point
While exploring the caves don’t miss Bhimbetka view point! From the top you can see magnificient view of Vindhya range.
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