State : Madhya Pradesh
Surrounded by the northern fringe of the Vindhya mountain range, Bhimbetka is also known as Bhima’s Lounge (Bhima was the second of the five Pandava princes in the Hindu epic Mahabharata). A pre-historic site, its giant rock formation must have provided ample shelter to the ancient tribes that dwelt here. Recently, about 760 rock shelters of the Neolithic age (circa 8,000 b.c.) were discovered here. These shelters are decorated with picture writings, depicting the life and times of pre-historic cave dwellers. Some of the drawings in white are reminiscent of the cave paintings in Pachmarhi, making the Bhimbetka group an archaeological treasure trove, an invaluable chronicle in the history of man.

The Attractions of Cave Paintings
Most of the paintings here are in red and white with occasional dashes of yellow and green, with themes culled from events in everyday life, thousands of years ago. The scenes depicted are mainly of dancing, playing music, hunting, horse riding, elephant riding, decorating bodies, collecting honey. Household scenes too constitute an occasional theme. Animals such as tigers, lions, wild boar, bisons, elephants, dogs and crocodiles – species that pre-historic man must have encountered – have been also portrayed.

The walls of these shelters are also adorned with religious symbols that were popular with these pre-historic artists. The paintings are often superimposed, which reveals that the surface was used by different people at different times. Some of the work is as old as 30,000 years, while the more recent pictures can be traced back to the medieval period.

In fact, the drawings can be classified under seven different periods. They are:

Period I (Upper Palaeolithic)
These are linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge figures of animals such as bisons, tigers and rhinoceros.

Period II (Mesolithic)
Comparatively small in size, the stylized figures show linear decoration of the body. In addition to animals, there are human figures and hunting scenes, giving a clear picture of the weapons they used - barbed spears, pointed sticks, bow and arrows. The depiction of communal dances, birds, musical instruments, mother and child, pregnant women, men carrying dead animals, drinking and burials appear in rhythmic movement.

Period III (Chaleolithic)
Similar to the paintings of Chaleolithic pottery, these drawings reveal that during the period, the cave dwellers of this area had come in contact with the agricultural communities of the Malwa plains and started an exchange of their requirements with each other.

Period IV & V(Early Historic)
The geometrical patterns of the Chaleolithic age were adopted by early historical painters as well, but they introduced new symbols which are also found on early historic coins of India. Painted mainly in red, white and yellow, the figures of riders, religious symbols, tunic-like dresses and scripts of this group follow a decorative and schematic style. Religious beliefs are represented by tree gods, yakshas (tree spirits) and sky chariots.

Period VI & VII (Medieval)
These paintings are geometric, linear and more schematic, but show degeneration and crudeness in their artistic style.


How to Reach
Air: Regular flights connect Bhopal with Delhi, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Indore and Mumbai.

Rail: Bhopal is on the Delhi-Chennai main line. Major trains going from Mumbai to Delhi via Itarsi and Jhansi also go through Bhopal.

Road: Regular bus services connect Bhopal with Indore(186 km), Mandu(285 km), Ujjain(188 km), Khajuraho(383 km), Pachmarhi(195 km), Gwalior(423 km), Sanchi(46 km), Jabalpur(295 km) and Shivpuri(311 km).