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| Bhimbetka Caves (©️https://www.artfervour.com) |
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| Depicted paintings (©️ bhopal.nic.in) |
Bhimbetka is named after Bhim, the second brother among the Pandavas in the Mahabharata (an Indian epic). Some locals believe that Bhim rested here after he was exiled along with his brothers. Legends also say that he used to sit outside these caves and on top of the hills to interact with the people in the area. The caves get its name from this mythological character and translates into ‘Bhim’s Resting Place’ or ‘Bhim’s Lounge’.
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| Archeological team at visit (©️ Bradshaw Foundation) |
W. Kincaid, a British India official, first mentioned Bhimbetka in a paper in 1888. He relied on the information he gathered from the tribals about Bhojpur lake in the area and referred to Bhimbetka as a Buddhist site. The first archaeologist to visit a few caves at the site and discover its prehistoric significance was V. S. Wakankar, who saw these rock formations while going to Nagpur (a place in the state of Maharashtra, India) and thought these were similar to those he had seen in Spain and France. He visited the area with a team of archaeologists and reported several prehistoric rock shelters in 1957.
The Bhumbetka caves are the canvas of oldest pantings in Indian subcontinent. Most of these are in red and white colour. They cover pantings like hunting, fishing to dancing, singing! This proves that the caves were home to the ancient people. The site contains the world's oldest stone walls and floors!
As the caves were used for ages, there are different types of paintings. The pictures of bison, tiger etc show the evidence of Upper Paleolithic age. There are patches of green and dark red in these paintings. Depiction of communal dances, birds, musical instruments, mothers and children, pregnant women, men carrying dead animals, drinking and burials appear in rhythmic movement from Mesolithic age. The pictures of agriculture shows the Chalcolithic age. The association of riders, depiction of religious symbols, tunic-like dresses and the existence of scripts of different periods focus on their life. The religious beliefs are represented by figures of yakshas, tree gods and magical sky chariots are the example of Early historic period. More geometric and complex figures depicted in the rocks shows the Mediaeval period. The colors used by the cave dwellers were prepared by combining black manganese oxides, red hematite and charcoal and that survived for ages!
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| Animal Figures (©️ Times of India) |
About 750 rock shelters are present there, about 500 are decorated with paintings. But only a few is accessible to the tourists. This area is administered by the Archeological Survey of India. In 2003, UNESCO declared this site as an world heritage, putting a crown on its head and focusing light on its historical importance. The caves are a glimpse of the life of our ancestors and are like a mirror to their 'colurful' life.
-- by Wayfarer
References:
https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/rock-shelters-of-bhimbetka-facts-at-a-glance-1462443813-1
https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/explore/story/70582/the-sudden-discovery-of-the-bhimbetka-rock-shelters
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/how-the-fluke-discovery-of-bhimbetka-caves-let-us-peep-into-the-past/amp_articleshow/65686811.cms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhimbetka_rock_shelters
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