Bhimbetka: Gigantic Open Air Repository Of Prehistoric Art In India

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Among the richest and best documented ancient sites in India, there are rock shelters of Bhimbetka located in Raisen district, approximately 45 kilometers south-east of Bhopal in west-central Madhya Pradesh state.

It is one of the largest repositories of prehistoric art in India.

Warriors with swords shields and daggers. Credits: bradshawfoundation

Excavations carried out at Bhimbetka have revealed occupational deposits dated from the Acheulian period, which lasted from 1.5 million to 200,000 years ago to present times.

Bhimbetka (today a UNESCO World Heritage site) was first mentioned in Indian archaeological records in 1888 as a Buddhist site, and in 1957, several prehistoric rock shelters were discovered and presented to the world by an Indian archeologist, V.-S. Wakankar.

The site spread over 10 km in length and about 3 km in width has more than 700 rock shelters, of which over 400 have paintings. Many artifacts have been discovered, such as cleavers, pebble tools and handaxes, which testify to the earliest human activities in this region of India.

Categorized into different prehistoric periods, the Bhimbetka paintings show great vitality, amazingly created impact of motion of presented figures and extraordinary narrative skill of the unknown ancient artists.

Some of the paintings belong to a period earlier than five thousand years and may be as old as 10,000 years.

The colors used are vegetable colors which have endured through time because the drawings were generally made deep inside a niche or on inner walls. Image: Bradshowfoundation

Paintings from Middle Stone Age (roughly 12,000 to 5,000 BC) are smaller and portray both animals and human activities. Drawings from the early Bronze Age display the early humans' visions of agriculture.

Zoo Rock - Bhimbetka. Image crdit: Adarsh Gupta

Finally, the decorative paintings dating to early historical times from 2,500 BC onwards depict religious motifs, including tree gods and magical sky chariots.

There are simple line drawings made in single color to more advanced depictions expressed in several colors; there are depictions of elephants and horses and human figures on horsebacks and equipped with swords and shields. The Mesolithic artists of Bhimbetka knew as many as 21 colors but their favorite colors  were red and white.

There are also scenes showing warriors attacking each other and large hords of running animals.

See also:

Mystery Of 1,000 Ancient Carved Shiva Lingas Discovered In India And Cambodia

Ajanta Caves: Incredible Accomplishment Of India’s Ancient Stonecutters

Ezhuthala Cave With Prehistoric Paintings In Kerala’s Sandalwood Forests In India

Archaeologists say that Bhimbetka's paintings were a script for communication, called pictorial script before the evolution of vocal language. The rocks have  incredible shapes in several stunning hues and textures. This spectacular background makes the rock art even more fascinating.

The smooth shape of the rocks has led some scientists to believe that the area was once under water.

The rock art at Bhimbetka evolved over several millennia.

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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