It was a Sunday morning as we reached Bhopal. We booked our hotel in the city and unpacked our bags. After a power nap, all five of us got up and had our breakfast in the nearby restaurant. That day was planned for visiting the much hyped Bhimbetka Caves in Bhopal which is well known for being a tourist place. We learnt that the caves remain closed on Mondays; therefore we planned the trip on Sunday itself. We took a bus from the nearest bus stand and reached near the Bhimbetka Caves.
The old and traditional rock-cut shelter reminded me of the ancient history of India which I had learnt during my school days. This archaeological site represents some of the earliest traces of mankind. More than 100,000 years ago, the shelters were occupied by the early human. The Bhimbetka is a place where an indifferent combination of archaeological resource intermixed with culture and early traces of life are found. Being a lover for nature and a truly artistic person, I went ahead to study the designs and patterns made on the surface of the caves which were unique and different from one another.
There are 700 caves in Bhimbetka on a total count, but only 15 of them remains open for public. I couldn’t figure out the actual reason behind it, but nonetheless I was enthusiastic and zestfully waited to go around all the caves and learn more about the culture of ancient India. Apart from the rock-cut caves, one can also find several paintings drawn on the walls of the caves. Few of the paintings are vibrant with hues of red, green and yellow. Some caves also depict paintings of fauna found in that time, mostly dogs, lizards, antelopes, lions, wild boars, elephants and antelopes. Some of the paintings depict the antiquity of India as few of them are as old as 12,000 years. The entire site is spread over 10 kilometers of area which is 3 kilometers wide.
The Bhimbetka Caves are also a place for the ornithologists where one can get to study the lifestyle and habit of different species of migratory birds. The birds found here are quite unique and one may not find them elsewhere. I clicked some classy pictures of the colorful tinted birds and I was very much glad that I visited Bhimbetka.