The name Bhimbetika comes from the mythological association of the place with Bhima ,one of the Pandavas(The Five) in the
Hindu epic Mahabharata.The place has around 700 caves with
drawings but just 10 to 15 are open for viewing. The colours used are vegetable colours which have endured through time because the drawings are generally made on places deep inside a niche or inner walls.The presence of the figure of a horse , which is supposed to have come into India in relatively recent times makes one believe that some of the drawings date back to just a few thousand years but there are other drawings which have been established as of the palaeolithic age . The archaelogists , using the carbon dating technique , have conclusively proved that the drawings were indeed of the paleolithic age.
The drawings were discovered in 1957 by Prof. Wakankar.
The caves had evolved ,over time, into excellent rock-shelters ,just the ideal places for
aboriginal settlement. The smooth shape of the rocks has led some scientists to believe that the place was once upon a time under water . The rocks have taken incredible shapes in several stunning hues and textures . Apart from the central place the aboriginal drawings have in human history , the caves themselves offer interesting material for a study of the earth's history.
The original line drawings have themes drawn from hunting scenes, animals like deer, bison, elephant , tribal dances (much like dimsa-what you find in today's Bastar disrict and Araku valley ).The drawings exhibit remarkable skill in graphically capturing the daily events of the aboriginal living.