Bhimbetka Auditorium Cave Rock Shelter III F-23
Bhimbetka Auditorium Cave Rock Shelter III F-23 North Annex · Bhimbetka Site
Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)·Multi-period rock art·🇮🇳 Madhya Pradesh, Bhimbetka, India
About
About Bhimbetka Auditorium Cave Rock Shelter III F-23
Bhimbetka Auditorium Cave Rock Shelter III F-23 in Madhya Pradesh, Bhimbetka, India is a Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE) rock art attributed to Multi-period rock art. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal panel 12 m long × 3 m high and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 22.9390N 77.6150E controls access to Madhya Pradesh resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey rock art for Madhya Pradesh, Bhimbetka, illustrating Multi-period rock art construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Meaning of iconographic motifs
- 02Dating of superimposed phases
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
- Period
- Upper Palaeolithic to Iron Age (30000 BCE–500 CE)
- Culture
- Multi-period rock art
- Purpose
- Rock art sanctuary and ritual landscape with petroglyphs/pictographs
- Rediscovered
- 1970 survey
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 15000 BCE–500 CE
Initial construction of Bhimbetka Auditorium Cave Rock Shelter III F-23 main structure
c. 1910
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1970–2015
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Bhimbetka Auditorium Cave Rock Shelter III F-23) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
22.9390° N · 77.6150° E · 150 m · 4 mapped features
Bhimbetka Auditorium Cave Rock Shelter III F-23 — Main Structure
panelPrincipal rock art — Panel 12 m long × 3 m high with diagnostic masonry/panel
22.9398° N · 77.6159° EBhimbetka Auditorium Cave Rock Shelter III F-23 — Ancillary Complex
complexAncillary settlement debris and ceramics surrounding main feature
22.9380° N · 77.6143° EBhimbetka Auditorium Cave Rock Shelter III F-23 — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with petroglyph panel extension
22.9405° N · 77.6162° EBhimbetka Auditorium Cave Rock Shelter III F-23 — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
22.9374° N · 77.6139° E