Bhimbetka - Our Oldest Art Gallery
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It is a breath-taking site. It’s incredible in terms of locale and the longevity of occupation. The rock shelters have paintings of later period as well. There are multiple histories immortalised here. - Prof Nayanjot Lahiri, Historian
Bhimbetka was where man expressed his artistic yearnings some 10,000 years ago. It is believed to have had continuous habitation from the early Stone age. UNESCO added it to its World Heritage list in year 2003.
The Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka are in the foothills of the Vindhya Mountains on the southern edge of the central Indian plateau. Within massive sandstone outcrops, above comparatively dense forest, are five clusters of natural rock shelters, displaying paintings that appear to date from the Mesolithic Period right through to the historical period.
The rock shelters located about 45 Kms from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh (India) have hundreds of paintings that depict pre-historic way of life here.
Of about 700 caves in the region, more than 400 have paintings that depict animals such as elephant, bison, deer, tiger, lion, lizard, and crocodile. Everyday activities like hunting, dancing and drinking are also depicted. While most of these have been done on the walls, some can also be seen on the ceilings.
The paintings have been done mainly in red and white with the occasional use of green and yellow. The colors were probably prepared by combining manganese, hematite, soft red stone and wooden charcoal, mixed with animal fat and extracts of leaves.
The works have been dated from the upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic Age right through to the historical period.
The cultural traditions of the inhabitants of the twenty-one villages adjacent to the site bear a strong resemblance to those represented in the rock paintings.
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