UDAYAGIRI CAVES

Udayagiri, in Madhya Pradesh, is a hitherto unspoilt tourist attraction in the locales of Madhya Pradesh. This place is famous for its rock-cut caverns and voluminous carved out sanctuaries in the hills of sandstone located in the Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh. The word Udayagiri, means the 'Hills of Sunrise'. Indeed, they are built in such a manner so as to welcome the first rays of the rising sun. Udayagiri caves are located approximately four kilometers from the town of Vidisha and about thirteen kilometers from Sanchi, which boasts of a stupendous Stupa, or Buddhist shrine. 

 It is estimated that these caverns were carved during 4th to 5th century A.D. At that time, the monarch of India was Chandragupta II. Thus, this can also be called another marvelous specimen of Gupta art. The grand entrance, the motifs and the intricacy and finesse of the artwork makes one wonder about the zenith of excellence reached by the artisans of this bygone era.

The caves have several statues of Lord Vishnu, one of the gods of the divine trinity of the Hindu faith. There's a statue of Lord Vishnu as the Varaha Avatar (or the Boar Incarnation) and also one of the reclining Lord Vishnu. 

To sum up, Udayagiri is a treat for tourists with an eye for architecture and sculpture and bears testimony of the grandeur of the Gupta era that augments the enjoyment factor of the excursions form Bhopal. 

 

BHIMBETKA CAVES (BHIMBETKA ROCK SHELTERS), BHOPAL

The Bhimbetka Caves are situated just 46 km from Bhopal. This is archaeological World Heritage site located in Raisen District in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and they are surrounded by the northern limits of Vindhya mountain Range. As the legend goes, these hills got their name after Bhima, one of the five Pandava brothers. The name 'Bhim-bet-ka' means 'where Bhim sat down'. The name Bhimbetka is associated with Bhima, a hero-deity renowned for his immense strength, from the epic Mahabharata. The word Bhimbetka is said to derive from Bhimbaithka, meaning "sitting place of Bhima".  

There are more than 600 caves that have the collection of oldest prehistoric paintings in India. These caves were found by Dr. V.S Wakankar, the famous Indian archaeologists in the year 1958. It took around 16 years to excavate the entire area covered by these caves. Although there are more than 600 caves, only 12 are open for tourists at the moment, but they show you the best paintings that are there in all other caves. And out of the 24 world heritage sites that have been recognized by UNESCO in India, Bhimbetka caves are the oldest one.

There are many interesting facts about these caves. These caves had been used as a shelter by people from the earliest of periods. Thus, you will find paintings of all periods starting from Paleolithic era to medieval era. The paintings turn out to be a mirror showing evolution of humanity through time. The style of the paintings of separate periods is so different that you can easily differentiate between them. The paintings of Paleolithic age are huge linear figures of animals like tigers, bears and rhinoceroses. As the time passed, the paintings became smaller, shapely and more precise. The paintings now depicted the daily chores of people like hunting and dancing. Slowly the artistry from raw art turned into religious images showing the change in the mindset. The oldest painting here is said to be around 12,000 years old, whereas the most recent is around 1000 years old. The colors used by the cave dwellers, were prepared by combining manganese, hematite, soft red stone and wooden coal. The paintings over the years have stayed unharmed by nature due to the reaction between the chemicals present in rocks and the color. Even animal fat and plant leaves were used in the mixture.

These caves have now become one of the most popular attractions in Bhopal. You can plan a day’s excursion to experience the relics on the walls of the caves, admire the solitude and spend a day in wonderment exploring the fascinating history of the ancient times.