 Bhimbetka is an unique archeological site situated 2 km southwest of the tribal village Bhiyanpura in Raisen district, on the southern tip of the Vindhyachal mountains 46 kms south - east of Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh. Spreading over 10 km in length and about 3 km in width, this site has more than 700 rock shelters( the largest group in the world), each separated from the next by a few meters. The paintings in over 500 caves date back to about 9,000 years and depict the life of the prehistoric cave dwellers and a smaller number have evidence of Stone Age habitation from the upper Palaetholic period through the late Mesolithic and to the historical period, making the Bhimbetika group an archaeological treasure.
The site, with South Asia's richest collection of prehistoric paintings, considered to be among the oldest Stone Age rock paintings in the world was declared a UNESCO World heritage site on July 2003, thus becoming the 22nd site in India to receive the status, along with other rock cut caves of Ajanta, Ellora and Elephanta. The name Bhimbetka comes from the Hindu Epic Mahabharata, Bhim-bait-ka means Bheem (One of the five pandavas ) had rested here when Pandavas were banished from their kingdom. The Rock Shelters at Bhimbetka exhibit the earliest traces of human life in India. According to archaeologists, the caves must have been inhabited over 10,000 years ago. Surrounded by dense forests and rocky cliffs, the site is spectacular and is an Ornithologists paradise with its numerous bird species. Of the rock shelters, about 15 of them are open to the public. |
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