Bhimbetka rock shelters
30,000+ years old archaeological World Heritage site in Madhya Pradesh, India / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site in central India that spans the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods, as well as the historic period.[1][2] It exhibits the earliest traces of human life in India and evidence of the Stone Age starting at the site in Acheulian times.[3][4][5] It is located in the Raisen District in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, about 45 kilometres (28 mi) south-east of Bhopal. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of seven hills and over 750 rock shelters distributed over 10 km (6.2 mi).[2][6] At least some of the shelters were inhabited more than 100,000 years ago.[2][7]
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
---|---|
Location | Raisen District, Madhya Pradesh, India |
Criteria | Cultural: (iii), (v) |
Reference | 925 |
Inscription | 2003 (27th Session) |
Area | 1,893 ha (7.31 sq mi) |
Buffer zone | 10,280 ha (39.7 sq mi) |
Coordinates | 22°56′18″N 77°36′47″E |
The rock shelters and caves provide evidence of human settlement and the cultural evolution from hunter-gatherers to agriculture, and expressions of prehistoric spirituality.[8]
Some of the Bhimbetka rock shelters feature prehistoric cave paintings and the earliest are dated to 10,000 BCE, corresponding to the Indian Mesolithic.[9][10][11][12][13][14] These cave paintings show themes such as animals, early evidence of dance and hunting from the Stone Age as well as of warriors on horseback from a later time (perhaps the Bronze Age).[15][16][17] The Bhimbetka site has the oldest-known rock art in India,[18] as well as is one of the largest prehistoric complexes.[8][19]