Madhya Pradesh “The heart of India” is known for its rich history, heritage and culture. It is also known for the most enchanting caves in India. Cave exploring in this state is a one-of-a-kind experience that will pique your interest in history even more. The carvings and cave paintings, relics, sculptures, and artifacts unearth a lot about bygone ages.
If you too want to have your share of experience, here is a tour to explore these 10 famous ancient caves in Madhya Pradesh.
1. Bagh Caves
Located on the Vindhya ranges of Madhya Pradesh. It is a cluster of nine monuments. Earlier, these caves were the monasteries of the monks, and had many carvings and paintings. The number of pillars were carved in the 5th century, still look stunning.
Location: Bagh Cave Road, Naingaon, Dhar, Madhya Pradesh
2. Bhimbetka Caves
Bhimbetka Caves are famous for the cave paintings that reveal stories of the ancient times. There are around 240 rock shelters in these caves with some of the captivating prehistoric paintings. Bhimbetka Caves are the ideal destination for history buffs.
Location: Bhimbetka Rock Shelters, Bhojpur Raisen, Madhya Pradesh
3. Adamgarh Caves
Adamgarh Caves is witness to rock paintings in red and white, which reveal many things about the prehistoric times. The artifacts that were found in the site were from the Stone Age. This is the ideal place for the history aficionados to learn a lot about ancient history of India.
Location: Adamgarh Hills, Hoshangabad, Hoshangabad District, Madhya Pradesh
4. Saru Maru Caves
The caves are full of Buddhist influence in the Saru Maru Caves. There are many stupas in this caves. These caves are often visited by researchers and tourists from across the world.
Location: Saru Maru, Pangoraria village, Budhani tehsil, Sehore, Madhya Pradesh
5. Pandav Caves
Pandav Caves is a major tourist attraction of Madhya Pradesh as these caves were once home to the Pandava brothers and their wife, Draupadi. There are five sandstone caves, with each having carvings inside them. The verdant surroundings here are as beautiful as the caves are. If you are really into knowing about history, you must visit Pandav Caves.
Location: Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh
6. Udayagiri Caves
One of the most famous tourist places in Madhya Pradesh is the Udayagiri Caves. The cave was discoverd in the 5th century. You can find a lot of influence of Hinduism and Jainism in these caves. You will be fascinate to a massive statue of Narasimha and the sculpture of Lord Vishnu with Adishesha.
Location: Udayagiri Caves, Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh
7. Bandhavgarh Ancient Caves
It is located within the premises of the Bandhavgarh National Park, the Bandhavgarh Ancient Caves are some of the famous caves to explore in Madhya Pradesh by road. You can find Brahmi Script carved in rock. One of the largest caves here is the Badi Gufa that has nine rooms and carved pillars. A few of the caves are not accessible at present.
Location: Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh
Do read about Night Safari in the jungles of Madhya Pradesh-Unfold the Darkest Secrets
8. Chota Mahadev Cave
It is situated in a village called Tamia in Chhindwara, Chota Mahadev Cave is one of the most visited caves in the state. If you are a trekking person , you will definitely love this place as you can start your trek to reach this cave.
Location: Tamia village, Chhindwara – Pachmarhi Road, Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh
9. Lohani Caves
The Lohani Caves were first discovered in the 11th century. It is a set of rock-cut temples. The sculptures of Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and many other Hindu deities were found during the excavations.
Location: Mandu, Madhya Pradesh
10. Bharat Neer Cave
Caves in Madhya Pradesh are very much famous for paintings, and Bharat Neer Cave is one of them where you should visit to witness the colorful cave paintings. At an altitude of 1000 meters, Bharat Neer Cave is located at the Satpura Ranges.
Location: Hoshangabad District, Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh
While visiting these caves, you can stay at any of the Madhya Pradesh tourism guest houses that are conveniently located nearby, you may also get easy access to transportation and stay.
