Question

In 1957 - 58 Dr. Vishnu Wakankar accidentally discovered which prehistoric archaeological site?
1. Ranakpur
2. Pandua
3. Udaygiri
4. Bhimbetka

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 4 : Bhimbetka

The Correct Answer is Bhimbetka.

• In 1957 - 58, Dr Vishnu Wakankar accidentally discovered prehistoric archaeological site Bhimbetka.
• The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site spanning both the prehistoric Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods and the historical era in central India.
• This shows the earliest signs of human life in India and proof of the Stone Age beginning in Acheulian times at the site.
• It is situated about 45 kilometres southeast of Bhopal in the Raisen District in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, consisting of seven hills spread over 10 km and over 750 rock shelters. More than 100,000 years ago, at least some shelters were inhabited.

• V. S. Wakankar, who saw these rock formations and thought these were similar to those he had seen in Spain and France, was the first archaeologist to visit a few caves at the site and discover its prehistoric significance.
• With a team of archaeologists, he visited the region and documented many prehistoric rock shelters in 1957.
• The evidence indicates that there was a continuous human settlement here from the Stone Age through the late Acheulian to the late Mesolithic until the 2nd century BCE in these caves, according to the Archaeological Survey of India.

• The Caves of Udayagiri are twenty rock-cut caves from the early years of the 5th century CE near Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. The caves of Udayagiri include Vaishnavism (Vishnu), Shaktism (Durga and Matrikas) and Shaivism iconography (Shiva).