Bhimbetka: Rock art and paintings by primeval man (Aadi Manav)

 

By Shashi Chiplonkar

We are amazed and thrilled when we see the rock art and paintings at Bhimbetka exhibiting the earliest traces of human life in Indian subcontinent and evidence of stone age. Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site at the southern edge of the Vindhya Mountain ranges in the Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh, India. The site contains the world's oldest stone walls and floors.


   

The word Bhimbetka comes from Bhim baithka meaning "sitting place of Bhima". It is believed that “Bhim”, the second brother of five Pandavas of Mahabharat, used to rest here. 

Going through the forest of rock shelters   Turtle rock formation  

   
Entrance to Rock shelters
 


Ancient Rock Paintings by Aadi Manav (earliest human being)

 

     

This Rock shelter complex was first discovered by Dr V. S. Wakankar, in 1957. He named these rock formations as “Zoo Rock”. Zoo Rock includes 453 paintings and rock art of 16 species of 252 animals as well as 90 human figures. Natural colours namely, red, white pigments, green and yellow from vegetables and plants, wooden coal, soft red stone, manganese, animal fats are used in these paintings. Archaeologists believe that 21 colours have been used in the Bhimbetka rock paintings.

These rock paintings are very similar to those of the Savanna regions of Australia, the paintings done by pygmies of the Kalahari Desert and the Paleolithic Lascaux cave paintings of France. Some rock paintings in the Bhimbetka are of animals like bison, tigers, deer, and rhinoceroses, indicate the paleolithic period. Paintings of squirrel, chicken, human figures, hunting scenes and weapons such as bows, arrows indicate Mesolithic periods. Out of about 750 rock shelters and paintings, only 12 to 15 are accessible to visitors. The main sites include 1) auditorium cave, 2) prehistoric paintings showing hunters, animals, battle scenes with horse riders having weapons like swords, arrows, spears etc. and 3) rock formations exhibiting elephants, deer, bison and barsingha. 4) Natraj painting of a man dancing with trident, communal dances, children and mothers, cooking, and many more daily activities. The customs and traditions reflected in these paintings are practiced even today in nearby villages.


UNESCO in 2003 declared the Rock shelter complex at Bhimbetka as a world heritage site. The rock art culture here is believed to be around 1.4 million years ago.

  

These rock paintings show horses, horse riders with sword, indicating the fact that ancient Indian people were using horses and weapons in the battles.


   

Cupules (cup-like) formed in rocks


    

Red coloured painting of swamp deer and humans


Beautiful stripes in the cave formed from dripping water.   Rock formation showing chameleon. 








 

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