Bhimbetka is a place in Madhya Pradesh where the earliest known traces of human life in India were found. Stone age rock shelters and paintings date back 9,000 years. The region is declared a World Heritage Site. Bhimbetka is one of the oldest sites in the world where petroglyphs have been found. Madhya Pradesh (मध्य प्रदेश) is a state in central India. ... Stone Age fishing hook. ... Site #86: Memphis and its Necropolis, including the Pyramids of Giza (Egypt). ... Petroglyphs on a Bishop Tuff tableland Petroglyph on Petroglyph Point Petroglyphs on Petroglyph Point Petroglyphs on Petroglyph Point Petroglyphs on Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument Petroglyphs from Scandinavia (Häljesta, Västmanland in Sweden). ...

Location

‘Rock Shelters of Bhimbetaka’ lie 45 km south of Bhopal, and are located at the southern edge of the Vindhyachal hills. Towards south of these rock shelters are successive ranges of the Satpura hills. The entire area is covered by thick forests and vegetation. The area has abundant natural resources like perennial water supplies, natural shelters, rich forest flora and fauna and bear significant resemblance to similar rock art site like Kakadu National Park in Australia. Bhopāl (भोपाल) is a city in central India. ... Vindhyachal is a town in Mirzapur District of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. ... The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India. ... A dense growth of softwoods (a forest) in the Sierra Nevada Range of Northern California A forest is an area with a high density of trees (or, historically, a wooded area set aside for hunting). ... A Red Valerian, a perennial plant. ... In Botany a Flora (or Floræ) is a collective term for plant life and can also refer to a descriptive catalogue of the plants of any geographical area, geological period, etc. ... Fauna is a collective term for animal life. ... Kakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km east of Darwin. ...

Discovery

As reported in UNESCO citation declaring Bhimbetaka as a World Heritage Site, Bhimbetka was first mentioned in Indian archeological records in 1888 as a Buddhist site – based on information gathered from local adivasis. Long thereafter, while V. S. Wakankar was traveling by train to Bhopal, he saw some rock formations of similar nature which he has seen in Spain and France. He visited the area along with a team of archaeologists and discovered several prehistoric rock shelters. UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1945. ... 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... Ä€divāsÄ«s (आदिवासी) or tribal peoples comprise a substantial minority of the population of India. ...

Since then, more than 700 such shelters have been identified, of which 243 are in Bhimbetka group and 178 in Lakha Juar group. Archeological studies revealed a continuous sequence of Stone Age cultures (from the late Acheulian to the late Mesolithic), as also the world’s oldest stone walls and floors. Earliest paintings on the cave walls are believed to be of Mesolithic period. Broad chronology of the finds has been done, but a detailed chronology is yet to be created. Stone Age fishing hook. ... Acheulean (also spelled Acheulian) is the name of an industry of stone tools used by prehistoric hominids. ... The Mesolithic (Greek mesos=middle and lithos=stone or the Middle Stone Age) is the period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. ... The Mesolithic (Greek mesos=middle and lithos=stone or the Middle Stone Age) is the period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. ...

Rock arts & paintings

Bhimbetka rock painting

Rock shelters and caves of Bhimbetka have several interesting paintings and depict in a very vivid way life of the people living in those caves and the natural environment around them. A rock, popularly called as “Zoo Rock” depicts pictures of elephants, sambhar, bisons and deer. Paintings on another rock show a peacock, a snake, a deer and the sun. On another rock, two elephants with tusks are painted. Hunting scenes with hunters carrying bows, arrows, swords and shield also find their place in the comity of these pre-historic paintings. In one of the caves, a bison has been shown in pursuit of a hunter while his two companions stand helplessly nearby, in another some horsemen are seen along with some archers. Image File history File links Bhimbetka rock paintng. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of animals, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea. ... Sambar may refer to: Sambar, a kind of deer Sambar, a lentil-based dish common in South India This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Species B. bison B. bonasus B. priscus A North American bison Bison is a taxonomic genus containing six species of large even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. ... Subfamilies Capreolinae Cervinae Hydropotinae Muntiacinae A deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. ... Peacock re-directs here; for alternate uses see Peacock (disambiguation). ... Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenoplplplpeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae Snakes are cold blooded legless reptiles closely related to lizards, which share the order Squamata. ... Subfamilies Capreolinae Cervinae Hydropotinae Muntiacinae A deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. ... The Sun is the star at the center of our Solar system. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Elephas recki † Stegodon † Mammuthus † Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of animals, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea. ...

It is a marvel that the paintings have not faded even after thousands of years. It is believed that these paints were made of colored earth, vegetable dyes, roots and animal fat. Brushes were made of pieces of fibrous plants.

See also

Some of other famous locations, across the globe, where petroglyphs similar to Bhimbetka have been discovered are: Petroglyphs on Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument, southern Utah, USA Petroglyphs are images incised in rock, usually by prehistoric, especially Neolithic, peoples. ...

• Rock carvings at Alta
• Cumbe Mayo, Peru
• Death Valley National Park
• Kejimkujik National Park
• Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument
• Northumberland, England
• Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas
• Petrified Forest National Park
• Petroglyph National Monument
• Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada
• Three Rivers Petroglyphs in New Mexico

Detail from the rock carvings at Alta The Rock carvings at Alta are an archaeological site near the town of Alta in the county of Finnmark in northern Norway. ... Cumbe Mayo Aqueduct Cumbe Mayo is located about 12 miles southwest of the Peruvian city of Cajamarca, at an elevation of approximately 11,000 feet. ... Death Valley National Park is a mostly arid national park located east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Inyo County, California, USA with a small extension and exclave (Devils Hole) in Nevada. ... Kejimkujik National Park consists of two parts: the main section of the park, located in the uplands of south-central Nova Scotia, and the seaside adjunct, located nearby on the Atlantic coast. ... Newspaper Rock Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument is located in some 25 miles from Monticello in eastern Utah, western United States. ... For other places with this name, see Northumberland (disambiguation) Northumberland is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in northern England. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... Petit Jean State Park is a 3,471 acre (14 km²) state park in central Arkansas managed by the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. ... Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 29th 137 732 km² 385 km 420 km 2. ... Petrified Forest National Park is located in northeastern Arizona, along Interstate 40 between Holbrook and Navajo. ... Petroglyph National Monument stretches 17 miles (27 km) along Albuquerques West Mesa, a volcanic basalt escarpment that dominates the city’s western horizon. ... Sloan Canyon is a National Conservation Area administered by the United States Bureau of Land Management. ... Official language(s) None Capital Carson City Largest city Las Vegas Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 7th 286,367 km² 519 km 788 km 0. ... Official language(s) None, English and Spanish de facto Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 5th 315,194 km² 550 km 595 km 0. ...

External links

• UNESCO World Heritage: Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka
• Prehistoric Art of Bhimbetka
• Bhimbetka Gallery by A. N. Maheshwari
• Bhimbetka article by Upinder Singh
• MP Tourism Destination Bhimbetka