Bhimbetka , a Row of natural rock shelters in the foothills of Vindhya Mountains , Central India . They are about 45 km south of Bhopal in west-central State Madhya Pradesh . Discovered in 1957, the complex consists of around 700 shelters and is one of the largest repositories of prehistoric art in India. The shelters have been UNESCO declared World Heritage Site in 2003. The complex is surrounded by the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Bhimbetka region is dotted with massively sculpted formations in the sandstone rock. On the hilltop of the Bhimbetka site alone, which has focused most of archaeological research since 1971, 243 shelters have been surveyed, 133 of which contain rock paintings. In addition to the cave paintings archaeologists have a large number of artifacts in the caves and in the dense teak forests and built-up fields around Bhimbetka, the oldest of which are Acheulian stone tools.
Exhibiting great vitality and narrative ability, the paintings are divided into different prehistoric periods. The oldest are from the Late Palaeolithic ( Paleolithic ) and consist of large linear representations of rhinos and bears. Painting from the Mesolithic (Mesolithic) are smaller and show human activity alongside animals. Drawings from the Chalcolithic period (early Bronze Age ) show the Notions early humans from farming. Finally, the decorative paintings from prehistoric times show religious motifs, including tree gods and magical celestial chariots.
The caves offer a rare glimpse into a succession of cultural developments, from early nomadic hunter-gatherers to sedentary cultivators to the expressions of spirituality. It has been observed that the contemporary cultural traditions of the agrarian peoples living in the villages around Bhimbetka are similar to those depicted in the paintings.