Bhimbetka caves

The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archeological site located in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh in Central India. They were discovered by Indian scientists in the 1950s and are known to date back to about 100,000 to 30,000 years ago. These caves or rock shelters represent the earliest traces of human life in the Indian sub-continent and also suggest the beginning of South Asian Stone Age. The most unique feature of these caves is the cave paintings present within. These paintings pictorially represent scenes from the human life back then in that era like hunting, agriculture, bartering and animal sacrifice. The colours used are vegetable colours and have endured the wrath of time as the paintings are present deep in crevices and niches. Interestingly, Bhimbetka derives its name from Bhimbaithak which means the sitting place of Bhim, the second Pandava brother.