BHIMBETKAR CAVES

BHIMBETKAR CAVES

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Bhimbetkar  130 rock shelters….Biggest repository of prehistoric art in India. Continuous habitation from the Early Stone Age…." One of the earliest dwellings of human beings, Bhimbetka will take you back to the history 35000 years old. In fact, the place has witnessed a cultural sequences right from the late stone age to the early historic period. The pre historic caves which are in true sense "the portal to the ancient gallery of Bhimbetka" preserves some fascinating   paintings dating back to Paleolithic times.

They had lived here for one hundred millennium and had created their own stone floors, left behind hand-axes, cleavers, scrapers to remove flesh and fat from the skin of slaughter animals and tiny needles made from hard quartz in all its sharp and colorful forms. Also stone hand mills for grinding grain and nuts and the colourred earth called "Ochers". 

Stone age artists painted their fears and hopes on rocks, weaving an enchantment that still ensnares us.

Over these caves the Stone Age artists painted their hopes and fears, weaving an enchantment that still ensnares us. These specimen, display great vitality and narrative skill. One sees on the weather worn walls, rhinoceros, elephants, horses, as well as domestic animals. There are scenes of domestic bliss-a women with a child or performing household chores, and documentation of a hunt, raid during warfare. One cannot remain immune to the excitement that slowly builds up- a memorable moment in time when our ancestors were taking the leap from animal to human existence-groping cautiously to achieve social organization. Experimenting with community life. 

To really experience the journey back to Stone Age Man one should move around the place gently and examine minutely the whole surroundings because each boulder and every overhanging rock speaks of the magical history.

Barkhera 7 km from Bhimbetka, One of the richest open air Stone Age sites in South Asia. There are thousands of Acheulian tools scattered in the thick teak forest, and fields on the other side of the road. Barkhera was a large camp site of the final Acheulian hunter-gathers.

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