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Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka The Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka lay in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh India, in the foothills of the Vindhyas Mountains. The Bhimbetka Rock Shelters are a collection of shelters adorned with historical art located in India. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and have been since 2003. The paintings in the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters range in age from 9,000 years old into the medieval era, although some are as much as 12,000 years old. The name of Bhimbetka comes from a character in the Mahabharata, one of the Pandava brothers, Bhima. At one point Bhima was exiled, and is said to have spent his exile in the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters, sitting on the stones and surviving of the bounty of the forest. There are hundreds of rock shelters in the area, used by early people as dwellings to protect them from the elements. Within the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters grouping are more than two-hundred distinct shelters and nearby there are hundreds more. The area where the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters are found is quite lush, with easily-accessible water, and plenty of animals and plants for early humans to eat. For this reason many groups seem to have settled the area from as early as 12,000 years ago. The colours used in the paintings are vegetable colours which have lasted through time because the drawings are generally made deep inside a niche or on inner walls. It is a wonder that the paintings have not faded even after thousands of years and is believe that these paints were made of colored earth, vegetable dyes, roots and animal fat. Many of the paintings deal with hunting scenes, showing animals such as tigers, rhinoceros, deer, crocodiles, boar, lions, dogs, elephants, and bears. Other scenes show what childbirth was like in various pre-historic and historic ages, various religious and burial rituals, and party scenes. Still others depict body decoration, battle scenes, dances and music, and the gathering of plants and honey. The paintings found at the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters are usually broken up into five distinct periods of time. The earliest, from the Upper Paleolithic like the Lascaux paintings, are very simple line paintings showing animals. The first true paintings are from the Mesolithic, and although these are smaller paintings they nonetheless show a fair amount of detail, mostly focusing on hunting and everyday activities. World Heritage Site IndiaAgra Fort | Ajanta Caves | Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi | Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park | Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus | Churches and Convents of Goa| The Elephant Caves | Ellora Caves | Fatehpur Sikri | Great Living Chola TemplesGroup of Monuments at Hampi | Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram | Group of Monuments at Pattadakal | Humanyun’s Tomb, Delhi | Khajuraho Group of Monuments | Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya | Mountain Railways of India The Qutab Minar and its Monuments | Red Fort Complex | Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka Sun Temple, Konârak | Taj Mahal, Agra | Natural |