Bhimbetka Cave Paintings

10000 BCE

Through the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods, hunter-gatherer communities in central India created cave paintings. Some of these, preserved in the Bhimbetka caves in present-day Madhya Pradesh, are considered among the oldest rock paintings in the world. They include depictions of animals, anthropomorphic figures dancing and on horseback, and hunting scenes. The paintings are made from natural colours derived from vegetables, in shades of red, green, black, brown and white.

Other examples found in the Pachmarhi caves in present-day Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh, feature similar subjects made primarily in red, with shades of white, black, yellow and brown pigments derived from minerals. Unlike the Bhimbetka paintings, these works show little to no evidence of overpainting or later additions.

Bibliography

Ali, Javeed, and Tabassum Javeed. World Heritage Monuments and Related Edifices in India. New York: Algora Publishing, 2008.

Bradshaw Foundation. “India Rock Art Archive.” Accessed September 21, 2023. http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/india/index.php.

Mathpal, Yashodhar. Prehistoric Painting of Bhimbetka. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1984.

Misra, V. N. “The Prehistoric Rock Art of Bhimbetka, Central India.” Sahapedia, May 29, 2018. www.sahapedia.org/the-prehistoric-rock-art-of-bhimbetka-central-india.

Mithen, Steven J. After the Ice: A Global Human History, 20,000–5000 BC. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2006.

Ray, Ranesh, and A. R. Ramanathan. Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka: Continuity through Antiquity, Art & Environment. New Delhi: Archaeological Survey of India, 2002.

UNESCO World Heritage Centre. “Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka.” Accessed September 21, 2023. http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=925.