The visit
to this Bhimbetka Rock Shelters with Rock Paintings, one of the UNESCO, World
Heritage Sites, was a part of the “Bhopal, Udayagiri Rock Cut Caves, Bhimbetka
Rock Shelters, Sanchi, Bhojpur, and Khajuraho – of Madhya Pradesh Heritage
Walk” organized by the எண்திசை வரலாற்று மரபுநடைக்குழு, between 25th and 28th December 2024.
Painted
Rock Shelter of Bhimbetka.
The rock shelters of Bhimbetka, inscribed as a world heritage by UNESCO, are located
about 45 km. north-east of Bhopal, the state capital of Madhya Pradesh.
Situated along the Bhopal- Hoshangabad highway, these shelters are near the Bhiyapura village in the Raisen district. The fringes of the ancient
Vindhyachal ranges are home to extraordinary rock shelters and paintings, and its awesome rocks fortify the ancient treasure within. Situated amidst the lush greenery of dense forests, rocky terrain, and craggy cliffs, the rock
shelters of Bhimbetka present a breathtaking view extending to Obaidullaganj, a
small town in the vicinity of Bhimbetka.
Rock
shelters and paintings at Bhimbetka were discovered in 957-58 by Dr. Vishnu Shridhar
Wakankar. Out of the 750 rock shelters, 500 are adorned with paintings. The site
remained a center of human activity right from the lower Paleolithic times up to the Medieval
period. The subject of paintings includes linear depictions of human figures,
hunting, riding, communal dances, warfare, and other scenes, depicting details
of the day-to-day activities of the ancient man. The mineral colors used for
painting are green, red, ochre, and white. The cup marks made on the rock surface
at Bhimbetka have been dated to 100000 BP. This pushes back the date of the
cognitive development of man at Bhimbetka to many thousands of years earlier than
that of similar sites in various parts of the world, making it one of the
earliest cradles of cognitive human evolution.
Other
antiquarian remains include fortification walls, minor stupas, stone-built
houses, the inscription of the Sunga-Gupta period, the Shankh inscription, and evidence of
temples of the Parmara period. These rock shelters and paintings are under central
protection of the Archaeological Survey of India, Bhopal Circle vide, Gazette
notification no. S.o. 2140, Published on 11 August 1990.
There are 15
rock shelters occupied by the early man and life depicted in paintings. The
habitation deposit emerges from the cultural sequence from Lower Palaeolithic to
Mesolithic, the trenches of Shelter 1 and 3. Rock Shelter 3 has some cupules
made on the huge rock on the western end, considered by some scholars as the
man's earliest manifestation of creativity, probably associated with one lakh
years before. An elaborately painted shelter 4 known as Zoo Rock comprises 252
animals of 16 different species. From here, walking towards the north, one can enjoy
the watershed of the Betwa River and the natural ambiance. Many painted rock
shelters can be reached at the rock shelter 15. Here, an amazing scene of a
giant mythical animal chasing a human, painted with Red ocher, can be
seen on the upper surface of the rock shelter. We can experience here natural
geological formations, various shaped rocks, and other painted rock shelters
with their natural environment including flora and fauna. Watching all these, we
have to walk 1400 meters.
Rock
Shelter No. 1
This
shelter has been given the No. III F-23 by the discoverer of this site, Shri V
S Wakankar. The total height of this shelter is 20 meters from the present ground level
and is precariously balanced on a narrow base. An excavation conducted for four
continuous seasons from 1973 to 1976 brought to light the sequence of human
occupation from the late Acheulian (1.5 million years) to the end of the Mesolithic
period (10,000 BP). Tools like hand axes, cleavers, etc., have been found from the
lower level. Only a few paintings belonging to the historical period have been
found in this shelter. On the ceiling, paintings of two elephants are depicted.
The smaller elephant is driven by a man holding a goad in one hand and a spear in
the other having a sword on.
Rock
Shelter No. 2
This shelter is approximately five meters high. The paintings have faded due to the effects of natural elements. It documents 46 figures, including humans, animals, and some symbolic images that have not been identified. The clearest painting in the shelter is of a horse rider, painted in the center of the wall.
Rock
Shelter No. 3
Shri Wakankar designated this shelter Auditorium Rock due to its large size and grand appearance. The cave is about 39 m long, 4 m wide, and 17 m high at the western end. The shelter drawings of the prehistoric period record 17 places in red sienna, light red, burnt umber, and sepia.
Rock
Shelter No. 4
The
semicircular shelter has a large projection measuring 14 m X 6,2 m with a 3.4 m
high ceiling and a smooth and sloping floor of 3.3 m above ground. It has been
named Zoo Rock by Shri VS Wakankar because of the depiction of the large number and
variety of naturalistic and elegant animal paintings. There are 453 figures in
the shelter comprising 252 animals of 16 species, 90 humans engaged in several
activities, two rodents (squirrels), one bird (cock), six decorative designs,
two enclosures identified as snares, one inscription in Sankha script and 99
fragmented figures. The shelter is richly decorated with as many as ten layers
of superimposed figures. Most paintings belong to the prehistoric period, and
few belong to the historical period (6th Cent. BCE onwards).
Rock
Shelter No. 5
This shelter
has two chambers, one above the other. Paintings are present in both chambers,
nicely executed in both white and red ochre color pigments. The upper chamber
has painted images of goats, deer, and other animals. There is a beautiful
depiction of 'Langoor' leaping around a tree.
Rock
Shelter No. 6
This is a
small, narrow shelter facing east that contains beautifully depicted, natural-looking
animal drawings in white. Three different layers of superimposition have
been identified in the paintings. The earlier levels of paintings are now faded, which can be identified in the coloured animal shown on the right side of this
shelter
Rock
Shelter No. 7
All figures in this shelter belong to the historical period. On the ceiling, one can see a swordsman riding a caparisoned horse. Below, there is a depiction of six horse riders, with the third being larger than the others.
Rock
Shelter No. 8
This
shelter has a main chamber and a small cell on the west face of the rock. The
big chamber is closed from two sides and has very low height. The ceiling is
richly painted, related to the historical period, and is faded due to the passage of
time. These paintings include stylized bands of armor-clad soldiers and cavaliers. On the ceiling of the shelter, there are some well-preserved
paintings in white and red ochre pigment. The white color paintings appear to
be earlier as some parts of the ochre color painted are found overlapping them.
Rock
Shelter No. 9
This east-facing shelter has very little depth, with one small narrow chamber on the left.
The paintings are very appealing as these differ from other paintings of the
Bhimbetka shelters. The paintings are executed in red & ochre colors, as well as in green and yellow. Paintings of the flower pot, a horse, and an elephant with a rider
have been executed on a deep white band/base.
Rock
Shelter No. 10
Most of
the pictures in this shelter are not easy to identify. There are depictions of
a bird on a tree, most probably a peacock or peafowl, painted on the left side of
the wall. Besides, paintings of the swordsman, a deer, and eight figures of drummers
and dancers, all painted in white, are also visible.
Rock
Shelter No.11
This shelter has depictions related to the historical period. The figures are mostly painted white; however, in some paintings, a borderline in red ochre has been given. A group of horse riders and foot soldiers can be seen at various places.
Rock
Shelter No. 12
This
shelter has paintings of different types of animals. On one side, a buffalo with
large horns is painted, and to in right, is the depiction of galloping 'nilgais'. These very interesting paintings of four fleeing chitai doe in a vertical row are
depicted as if they are diving down from an elevated cliff. Here, the painter
has used the particular morphology of rock as background to the paintings to convey the meaning of the art in a more effective style.
Rock
Shelter No. 15 (BOAR ROCK)
This
mushroom-shaped giant rock is famous for a large silhouetted figure of a boar-like animal, which is painted at a height of 9.85 meters from the ground. The
animal depicted with two crescent horns, a massive snout with mustaches and
bristles on the back, unusually large with composite features, is clearly
mythical. Near its snout is the figure of a fleeing man and in front of him
that of a crab. The hooves of the hind legs are overlapped by the figure of a
buffalo facing in the opposite direction. Besides, there are depictions of
human and animal figures. The animal figures mainly include buffalo, cow,
rhinoceros, langur, etc
Ref
Archaeological
Survey of India Display board.
LOCATION
OF THE TEMPLE: CLICK HERE
--- OM
SHIVAYA NAMA ---
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