Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka

The Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka lie in the foothills of the Vindhya Range south of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, where massive sandstone outcrops rise above dense forest. Within five clusters of natural rock shelters is one of the largest and richest collections of prehistoric art in India, with paintings that span from the Mesolithic period tens of thousands of years ago right through to historical times. Executed in earth reds and whites, the images depict hunting, dancing, communal rituals and animals — bison, tigers, elephants and deer — layered one over another across countless generations. Remarkably, the cultural traditions of people in the villages around the site still echo those shown on the rock walls. Set amid forest that shelters abundant wildlife, Bhimbetka offers a rare continuous record of human life in the subcontinent. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2003.