Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka

Start the tour after meeting Private Guide and personal chauffeur at Hotel/ Airport/ Railway Station in Bhopal city and proceed to Bhimbetka and Bhojpur. Bhimbetka is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and lies about 50 km away from Bhopal (approx. 1:30 hour). Bhimbetka is known for the 700 rock shelters belonging to the Neolithic age. It was granted the UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2003. The highlight here is the paintings on the walls of the caves which depict the life of the pre-historic cave-dwellers. It is mind-boggling to know that Bhimbetka is the site of earliest human dwellings dating back to 35,000 years (yes, 35,000 not 3,500!). The caves are so old that they span from the late Stone Age to the early historic period. The inhabitants of these caves over the years had created their own stone floors. A variety of implements & tools that were used at that time can be made our from the paintings - including hand-axes, cleavers and scrapers to remove flesh and fat from the skin of slaughter animals and the collared earth called "Ochers". There are paintings of even stone hand mills for grinding grain and nuts. The paintings in these rock shelters give a good insight into the feelings of humans at that time – their aspirations an fears. Even though their expressions are crude in nature, one can make out scenes of domestic life – including a woman with a child or performing household chores. The other side of humans can be seen in the paintings of raids during warfare and hunting of animals. Among animals one can see outlines of what look like horse, elephant, rhino & other domesticated animals. These cave paintings help us in understanding and bridging the gap between our ancestors and us.

Bhojeshwar Temple

Then proceed to Bhojpur that lies between Bhopal and Bhibetka located about 25 km away. It has an unfinished sun temple called the Bhojeshwar Temple which has the largest Shiv Lingams in India. Although the temple itself looks like a ruin, it is frequented by devotees. The temple is at a slight height, and its location affords a view of neighbouring area for quite some distance. On completion of the tour, drive back to Bhopal city and get dropped off at Hotel/ Airport and railway station in Bhopal City.