Just south of Bhopal, the sandstone ridges of the Vindhyan range hold more than 700 overhangs and shallow caves, collectively known as the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters. About a third bear visible paintings—hunting scenes, animal forms, abstract shapes, and fragments of daily life—layered across walls used and reused over generations.
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Habitation traces reach back to the Paleolithic, with most artwork dating from the Mesolithic through later historic periods. Though a few shelters were noted in colonial records, formal study didn’t begin until the 1970s. The site entered ASI care in 1990 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
