If you are a lover of Indian art and want to see the best form of paintings then there is no doubt that cave paintings of Bhim Betka comes on  the top. It is an
archaeological as well as a World Heritage Site. The rock shelters of Bhim
Betka provide an exhibition of the earliest Indian art associated with the life
of human beings. The heritage site boasts Stone Age rock paintings, which are
nearly 9000 years old. The name Bhim Betka is derived from the mythological
association of the place with Bhima, one of the Pandavas. It is very
interesting to look at the history of this great example of Indian art.

Bhim Betka was initially described as a Buddhist site in the year 1888. Later it was discovered that some rock formations that are very similar to Spain and France. After some visits by a group of archaeologists, they
found traces of prehistoric rock. After that nearly 700 shelters have been recognized.
After that a series of studies performed which revealed a continuous sequence
of Stone Age cultures.

It is amazing to know such a long time has not been able to change the look and beauty of the paintings and they remain the same as if they were designed 1-2
years ago. Archaeologists have traced out some interesting things which include
the recorded scenes of everyday lives and culture of people who lived in the
rocks. Interestingly, the paintings will show before you the whole range of
time, right from Paleolithic age to medieval period. These paintings which
represent the everyday life of human beings have provided a lot of guidance to
the archaeologists and help them to keep a track of the progression of the
human life throughout the ages.

There are seven different periods under which Bhim Betka paintings can be classified. The first period is mainly marked by straight representations of huge
animals figures such as bison, tigers etc. In the last medieval period more
geometric, linear and schematic shapes can be noticed. Cave dwellers used soft
red stone and wooden coal for the making of colors. Also it is found that
animal fats and extracts were used in mixtures. The main reason for the colors
to remain intact for a long time is the chemical reaction resulting from the
presence of oxide on the rock surface.