About

The Rock Shelters of Bhimbhetka are in the foothills of the Vindhya Mountains. 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 outcrop with painted rock shelters rises 100m above the surrounding plains. The hillocks are formed of sandstone of the Vindhya super group, one of the oldest geological formations. These sedimentary rocks have been differentially morphed and turned into ortho-quartzite.
The outcrops with painted rock shelters run east-west for about 8km. Its eastern and southern slopes are very steep while the northern and western are gentle. The hill is topped by a chain of dissected vertical tors rising up to 20m high. These are the eroded remnants of a formerly continuous rock mass.

Bhimbetka is closely associated with a hunting and gathering economy as demonstrated in the rock art. The paintings are mainly executed in red & white with occasional use of green & yellow with themes taken from the everyday events of that age. These paintings cover the period from the lower Paleo-lithic times up to the medieval period.
These shelters and their paintings were discovered in 1957-58 by the archaeologist, Dr. Vishnu Sridhar Wakankar.