It is no wonder that prehistoric people choose to live at exactly this location: Bhimbetka hill has massive sculpted rock formations that bring shelter from sun and rain. They were carved through wind erosions. The people used the natural caves to live in, while the rock paintings that remain visible are in half-open shelters. The more recent paintings were made at the same shelters as the older ones (they did not use a “clean sheet”). Sometimes they are even several layers of superimpositions of paintings from different periods.

The colours of the paintings are white, red, green and yellow. The white ones are the oldest. At “Zoo Rock” a whole bunch of animals known to the locals is depicted. The red paintings are of a more recent date: they show horses that are non-native to India. And also the use of bow and arrow. Other notable rock art includes a large Bison with a small man running away from it, an early geometrical depiction of a horse & and a very elegant later one, and a drummer with dancers. And there it is again: the image of a human hand! (only one here). Some yellow and green paintings are also visible. They date from the 3rd century AD.

Only a small part of the site is open to visitors. A signposted pathway leads you along about 15 rock shelters with paintings. I spent about an hour at the site. It is relatively low-key though nowadays you will have to pay the 250rs entrance fee that is collected at every Indian WHS from foreign visitors.

The nomination dossier includes an “Urgent” Note from the ASI to Unesco, trying to reason away the reasons for Deferral that were given by ICOMOS. The discussion centered on the site’s proposal as a cultural landscape, is it relict or continuing? “Unlike the Aborigines of Australia, the adivasis are not ‘segregated’ communities whose ‘rights need to be protected’. They are no descendants of ancient Bhimbetka and painting at the site does not go on”, stated the ASI. Convincing enough probably, as the ICOMOS evaluation was overruled by the WHC in the same year.