Area: Bhimbetka Country: India Situated at: Madhya Pradesh - State Nearest City: Bhopal(46km) Nearest Airport: Bhopal Nearest Railway: Bhopal District: Raisen Elevation: - Population: Less Language: Hindi Time zone: IST (UTC+5:30)
Bhimbetka is known for Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka.
Destination Point Bhimbetka
The Rock Shelters of Bhimbetaka (or Bhim Baithaka) lie in the Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh, 45 kilometers south of present-day Bhopal at the southern edge of the Vindhyachal hills. At least some of the shelters were inhabited by Homo erectus more than 100,000 years ago. Some of the Stone Age rock paintings found among the Bhimbetka rock shelters are approximately 30,000 years old. UNESCO citation declaring the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka as a World Heritage Site in 2003.
Bhimbetka was first mentioned in Indian archeological records in 1888 as a Buddhist site, based on information gathered from local adivasis. Later, as V. S. Wakankar was traveling by train to Bhopal he saw some rock formations similar to those he had seen in Spain and France. He visited the area along with a team of archaeologists and discovered several prehistoric rock shelters in 1957. The name Bhimbetka is associated with Bhima, a hero-deity of the epic Mahabharata. The word Bhimbetka is said to derive from Bhimbaithka, meaning "sitting place of Bhima". Bhimbetka is known for the "Bhimbetka rock shelters". Bhimbetka shelters exhibit the earliest traces of human life in India.
