UNESCO World Heritage Sites in central India

Central India, known for its rich cultural and natural heritage, is home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites that offer a glimpse into the region's glorious past and breathtaking landscapes. These sites stand as a testament to the historical, architectural, and natural marvels that have shaped the region over the centuries.

1.  Khajuraho Group of Monuments: Located in Madhya Pradesh, the Khajuraho Group of Monuments are renowned for its stunning collection of intricately carved temples. Built between the 9th and 11th centuries, these temples showcase exquisite artwork depicting various aspects of life, mythology, and spirituality. The sculptures, known for their sensuality and intricate details, offer a unique insight into ancient Indian culture and craftsmanship.

2.   Sanchi Stupa: Situated in Madhya Pradesh, the Sanchi Stupa is a Buddhist monument of great historical and religious significance. Built-in the 3rd century BCE, it is one of the oldest stone structures in India. The stupa, with its magnificent dome and intricate gateways called toranas, houses relics of Lord Buddha. It stands as a symbol of peace, tranquillity, and the spread of Buddhism.

3.  Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka: Nestled amidst the Vindhya Range in Madhya Pradesh, the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka provide a fascinating glimpse into prehistoric human life. These rock shelters, dating back over 30,000 years, showcase an extensive collection of rock paintings depicting hunting scenes, daily life, and religious rituals of ancient civilizations. The site holds immense archaeological and anthropological importance. 

Central India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites blend cultural, historical, and natural wonders. From the mesmerizing stone carvings of Khajuraho to the spiritual aura of Sanchi, and the prehistoric art of Bhimbetka, each site takes us on a journey through time, unravelling the mysteries of our ancient past. Exploring these sites not only educates us about the region's diverse heritage but also leaves us awe-inspired by the craftsmanship and devotion of our ancestors. Central India's World Heritage Sites are a treasure trove of beauty, knowledge, and inspiration, making them a must-visit for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and travellers seeking unique experiences.

Pre-historic cave paintings of Bhimbetka

Surrounded by the northern fringe of the Vindhyan ranges, Bhimbetka lies 46 km south of Bhopal. This world heritage site is a natural art gallery and an archaeological treasure. The rock paintings have numerous layers belonging to various epochs of time, ranging from the Upper Palaeolithic, Mesolithic age to the protohistoric, early historic and medieval periods. The most ancient scenes here believed to be commonly belonging to the Mesolithic Age. These magnificent paintings can be seen even on the ceiling of the rock shelters located at daunting heights. Here in vivid, panoramic detail, paintings in over 500 caves depict the life of the prehistoric cave-dwellers, making the Bhimbetka group an archaeological treasure, an invaluable chronicle in the history of man. The oldest of all the paintings dates back to around 15,000 years back, while the most recent is around 1000 years old. Out of the many caves in Bhimbetka, only 12 caves are open for visitors. These caves are like the colorful shards of a broken mirror that unite to provide a rich glimpse to the lives of our predecessors. It is a valuable repository that acts like a sentinel to the prehistoric art and architecture of India. Infact, these caves claim a distinction as the largest treasure house of prehistoric art in the country.

Dr V. S. Wakankar, one of the most renowned of Indian archeologists, discovered these caves. It was by a fluke of luck that he noticed these caves dotting distant hills, while on his way to Nagpur, in 1958. The word 'Bhimbetka', derived from 'Bhim Baitka', has mythological connotation. These caves are named after 'Bhima', one of the five Pandavas of Mahabharata.

Bhimbetka cave paintings show striking similarity to the aboriginal rock paintings of Australia, the paintings of the Kalahari Desert and the Paleolithic Lascaux cave paintings of France. Since these caves actually formed dwellings for primitive people belonging to various ages, the paintings here demonstrate their lifestyle and mundane everyday activities. Inventive designs & deft handling of colors has brought to life the remote activities of our ancestors.

Various community activities, like birth, burial, dancing, religious rites, hunting scenes and animal fighting find a place in these paintings. Executed mainly in red and white with the occasional use of green and yellow, with themes taken from the everyday events of aeons ago, the scenes usually depict hunting, dancing, music, horse and elephant riders, animals fighting, honey collection, decoration of bodies, disguises, masks and household scenes. Animals such as bison, rhinoceros, tiger, wild boar, elephant, antelope, dog, lizard, crocodile etc. have been abundantly depicted in some caves.

The colors are a combination of manganese, hematite, wooden coal, soft red stone, plant leaves and animal fats. These chemicals have, over the time, reacted with the rocks and contributed in preserving these precious artworks of Bhimbetka. Scrupulous observation shows differences in patterns, which are archetypal of various periods. Huge linear figures of animals are the trademark of Paleolithic paintings. With the passage of time, paintings became smaller, precise and more delicate.

Key attractions:

On the walls hundreds of images, very often superimposed upon one another, constitute a fantastic canvas that has been many times reused to paint white and red figures. Yashodar Mathpal, who has recently studied most on those sites, has established the following succession for the art in nine Phases summarily summed up hereafter:

Prehistoric
Depicting the Life and Environment of Hunter-Gatherers
Phase 1	Large size animals (buffaloes, elephants, wild bovids and big cats), outlined and partially infilled with geometric and maze patterns; no humans.
Phase 2	Diminutive figures of animals and humans, full of life and naturalistic. Hunters mostly in groups. Deer are dominant. Colours are red, white and emerald green (the latter with humans in S-shaped bodies, dancing)
Phase 3	Large size animals with vertical strips and humans.
Phase 4	Schematic and simplified figures.
Phase 5	Decorative. Large-horned animals drawn in fine thin lines with body decoration in honey-comb, zigzag and concentric square pattern.
Transitional
Beginning of Agricultural Life
Phase 6	Quite different from the previous ones. Conventional and schematic. Body of animals in a rectangle with stiff legs. Humps on bovines, sometimes horns adorned at the tip. Chariots and carts with yoked oxen.
Historic
Phase 7	Advancement of civilization Riders on horses and elephants. Group dancers. Thick white and red.
Phase 8	Bands of marching and facing soldiers, their chiefs riding elephants and horses, equipped with long spears, swords, bows and arrows. Rectangular shields, a little curved. Horses elaborately decorated and caparisoned. White infilling and red outlining.
Phase 9	Geometric human figures, designs, known religious symbols and inscriptions.

Best time to visit

July – March

How to get there

Bhopal is the closest airport and train station which is located 46 km north of Bhimbetka Caves.

Bastar Dussehra is unique!

As with the rest of India, Bastar celebrates Dussehra. In fact, it is the region's most important festival, and all the tribes participate in the 10-day event. But Dussehra in Bastar is different from anywhere else. Here, instead of rejoicing over the triumphant return of Lord Rama (the hero of the epic Ramayana) to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile, the tribals celebrate Dussehra as a congregation of Devi Maoli ( Bastar's native deity, revered as the "elder sister" of Devi Danteshwari, the family goddess of the ruling Kakatiya family), and all her sisters. Hundreds of priests bring flower-bedecked local deities to the Danteshwari temple in Jagdalpur, arriving with all pomp and show.

Jagdalpur palace decorated with lights for the festival

In the former princely state of Bastar, however, Dassehra has long held a different meaning, being the time when the Rajput ruler and his tribal subjects reaffirmed their special bonds over several days of spectacular celebration. Dassehra is the principal royal festival of the state, and uniquely linked to the personal Goddess of the Kakatiya ruling family, Sri Danteshwari Mai, an aspect of Durga, representing the feminine principle of shakti that is the object of worship and renewal in other parts of India at this time of Navratri (notably in the Durga Puja of Bengal).

A tribal lady in colourful saree.

Bastar Dussehra is believed to have been started, in the 15th century, by Maharaj Purushottam Deo,

the fourth Kakatiya ruler. This would make it a 500 year old festival. For 10 days, the king (as the high-priest of Devi Danteshwari) would temporarily abdicate office to worship Danteshwari full time. He would seek, in confidence and through a siraha (a medium "possessed" by the devi ), a report on the state.

Jagdalpur's Dassehra also reflects the long historical influence of Orissa Brahmins on the rites of the Bastar royal house, with giant chariots in procession recalling the worship of Sri Jagannath at Puri. Traditionally, huge numbers of (non-Hindu) forest people from all over Bastar converged on Jagdalpur with their tribal gods to honour their Hindu Raja and relate their grievances. Members of certain clans and villages have age-old tasks to fulfil each year in building the chariots with specific woods and performing other rites.

Though the ruling family was Hindu and the festival has its roots in Hinduism, it has assimilated many tribal elements and is a perfect example of the unique amalgam of traditional Hinduism and tribal traditions that make up the local culture.

Bastar Dussehra is unique!

• Bastar is in Dandakarnya, where Lord Rama is believed to have spent the 14 years of his exile. Yet Bastar Dussehra here has nothing to do with Lord Rama or the Ramayana.

• Beginning with amavasya (dark moon) in the month of Shravan , Bastar Dussehra spans over 75 days, ending on the thirteenth day of the bright moon in the month of Ashwin. It is thus the longest Dussehra in the world.

• Bastar Dussehra involves the participation of diverse tribes and castes, each of whom is assigned a specific task, which they continue to carry out 5 decades after monarchies were abolished in India. For example, to build the two-tiered chariot, carpenters come from Beda Umargaon village; the special, massive ropes are twined by the tribals of Karanji, Kesarpal and Sonabal villages; the smaller chariot is pulled by the youth of Kachorapati and Agarwara pargana s; the larger chariot is pulled by the bison-horn marias of Killepal. Singing hymns at all rituals is the prerogative of munda s from Potanar village.

• The festival involves rituals of extraordinary rigor like a girl swinging on a bed of thorns; a youth (jogi) sitting in vigil, buried shoulder-deep, for nine days; mediums, reputedly possessed by the local deities, dancing eerily on the roads.

• The festival provides a forum for elected representatives, administrators and old-time tribal chieftains to confer on the state of Bastar at the Muria Durbar.

Many tribal communities from the Bastar state take part in this 




festival of chariot pulling.

• One of the most awaited events is the rath yatra . The massive rath (chariot) might look primitive to an outsider, but it is symbolic of the king's desire to patronize locals instead of bringing a fancy chariot from elsewhere and tribal taboos on using sophisticated tools to make the chariot. It is hewn afresh each year, and the sight of 400 maria tribe pulling it leaves a potent impression of tribal faith.

Contact us now to plan and book your tailor-made holiday to experience Bastar Dussehra.

Vultures of Central India

Whenever we think of vulture we think of sulky and ugly looking birds feeding on rotten flesh of an animal but they are important to our ecosystem. Vultures are biological waste controllers. "Without them the consequences are significant," says Mark Habben, curator of birds at London Zoo in the UK.

Once found in millions, vultures in Indian sub-continent perished and their population declined to alarming level due to toxicity induced by diclofenac, a drug whose residues in domestic animal carcasses has led to rapid declines in populations of vultures across Asia particularly Gyps genus. Till the middle of 1980s vultures of the Gyps genus found in India were numerous to the point of being classified a nuisance as they were involved in many bird strikes. They were usually seen hovering over tall trees even in urban areas but the situation of today is pitiable. For every 1000 that India had at the onset of the 1990s only 1 remain two decades hence. It is rare to sight a vulture even in rural areas these days.

Vultures still can be seen in various parts of India and out of nine species of vultures found in India, seven can be seen in central India.

Indian Vulture Gyps indicus

Status: Critically Endangered

Best seen at: Bandhavgarh, Satpura and Panna Tiger Reserve

The Indian vulture is medium in size and bulky. Its head and neck are almost bald, and its bill is rather long and has a wing span of 1.96 to 2.38 m (6.4 to 7.8 ft). These bird species inhabit open savanna and also open country near villages, towns and cities.

Indian Vulture Gyps indicus

White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis

Status: Critically Endangered

Best seen at: Kanha Tiger Reserve

This species is an Old World vulture native to South and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the population severely declined. In the 1980s, the global population was estimated at several million individuals, and it was thought to be "the most abundant large bird of prey in the world". As of 2016, the global population was estimated at less than 10,000 mature individuals.

This is the smallest of the Gyps vultures, but is still a very large bird. It weighs 3.5-7.5 kg (7.7-16.5 lbs) and has a wingspan of 1.92–2.6 m (6.3–8.5 ft). These vultures inhabit open country near human habitations like villages and towns.

White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis

Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus

Status: Critically Endangered

Best seen at: Bandhavgarh and Kanha Tiger Reserve

It is a medium-sized vulture weighing 3.5–6.3 kg (7.7–13.9 lb) and having a wingspan of about 1.99–2.6 m (6.5–8.5 ft).  It has a prominent naked head. It is usually found in open country and in cultivated and semi-desert areas. It is also found in deciduous forests and foothills and river valleys.

Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus

Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus

Status: Endangered

Best seen at: Bandhavgarh and Satpura Tiger Reserve

A small vulture with a very large range, the Egyptian vulture has an unmistakable appearance. Adults have largely white to pale grey plumage, which contrasts markedly with the black flight-feathers and the bold yellow bare skin on the face.

The adult Egyptian vulture measures 47–65 centimetres (19–26 in) from the point of the beak to the extremity of the tail feathers. The wingspan is about 2.7 times the body length.

The Egyptian vulture generally inhabits open, arid areas and fields, but requires rocky sites for nesting. It is often found near human habitations.

Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus

Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus

Status: Near Threatened

Best seen at: Nowhere common

The cinereous vulture is the largest bird of prey in the Old World and one of the heaviest and largest of all raptors. This vulture attains a maximum weight of 14 kg, (roughly 30 lbs), 1.2 m long (almost 4 ft) and 3.1 m (a bit over 10 ft) across the wings.

The cinereous vulture occurs in scrub, arid and semi-arid and open grassland, as well as forest. These vultures are generally seen during winter months in central India.

Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus

Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis

Status: Near Threatened

Best seen at: Kanha Tiger Reserve

This is a huge vulture, and is perhaps the largest and heaviest bird found in central India. The species is found mainly in the higher regions of the Himalayas. Weight can range from as little as 6 kg (13 lb) to as much as 12.5 kg (28 lb). The wingspan of birds varies from 2.56 to 3.1 m (8.4 to 10.2 ft). Himalayan Griffon is a winter visitor in central India.

Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis

Eurasian Griffon Gyps fulvus

Status: Least Concern

Best seen at: Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

A large, carnivorous scavenger, the Eurasian griffon may be seen soaring majestically on thermal currents in the warmer climate searching for food. It is is 93–122 cm (37–48 in) long with a 2.3–2.8 m (7.5–9.2 ft) wingspan and weighs about 7.1 kg (16 lb). A fairly vocal bird, the Eurasian griffon produces a range of different calls when interacting with other Eurasian griffons.

The Eurasian griffon occurs in a wide range of habitats, including mountains, plateaus, grassland, shrubland and semi-desert.

Eurasian Griffon Gyps fulvus