Pahargarh Caves: The Unexplored Caves of Ancient India

The discovery of magnificent Pahargarh caves begins as a mystery and remains a mystery. India is home to various fascinating archaeological caves. When it comes to exploring India’s history and culture, these archaeological caves have played a significant role. Pahargarh caves are no exception to that and are believed to be the home of the oldest paintings of India.

Paintings present in Caves of Pahargarh | Source: Hidden Heritage

Pahargarh Caves- the unseen and untold caves of Madhya Pradesh's Pahargarh region are a sight to withhold and a dream of archaeologists. The caves are 58 kilometers southwest of Morena, Madhya Pradesh, near the Pahargarh Fort.

The caves were the topic of discussion among locals for a long time. Though not for its archaeological significance but for the mystical tales of fairies and ghosts that resided there, roamed the area, and danced at night. The stories surrounding the caves were fascinating but in reality, they were only the myths spread by the legends.

However, following his gut instincts, a local civil engineer, Shri Ram Sharma, sought to find the truth in those stories. He was fascinated with the caves, and his interest led him to seek assistance from one of his friends, who was a renowned professor of linguistics at Western Michigan University and an archaeologist, Dr. D.P. Dwarikesh.

In November 1978, Shri Ram Sharma and Dr. D. P. Dwarikesh began the survey of the area and worked around two major objectives. The first objective was to identify whether the area had natural resources such as food and water to support human life if it existed there. The second objective was to find if the area had the resources to make the potential weapons and tools. The survey confirmed what Sharma was hopeful about. The area had abundant resources to support human life and survival.

Paintings in Pahargarh Caves | Source: Hidden Heritage

After the successful survey of the area, a party was formed to excavate the caves. The party involved Sharma, Dr. Dwarikesh, and his two daughters. In March 1979, a total of 25 people began their journey to the caves in search of what could be a marvelous insight into the region's history. After crossing the wild areas of the Pahargarh region for a day on camels, the party set their camps near the famous Asan River. From there, they begin the journey to the caves on foot on day two and reach the largest cave among the Pahargarh caverns, now known as Likhichhaj Cave.

The caves held the secrets of Indian culture like nothing else and were the home of India’s oldest paintings. The caves were filled with fascinating, beautiful images and symbolic figures of animals, plants, the sun, Swastiks, maze-like figures, and humans. Six hundred images were found in the searched areas, and thousands more were expected to be found. The images were around 20,000 years old and were drawn using brushes of plant twigs or hair or from the fingertips using the red and white ochre.

Dr. Dwarikesh believed those images to be ideographs of the civilisation in the caves. Those images could be the supposed memoirs or conversations among people that drew them. The exact reason remains unknown. Dr. Dwarikesh also believed the images and the people who drew them had some association with India’s early astronomical discoveries and Indian Lunar Calendars due to types of images, such as the sun, patterns, abstract designs, and others.

Certain more discoveries were made that both shocked and amazed the search party. The eggshells of Ostrich were found in the refines of the caves that were approximately 25,000 years old. Further, the tools and artefacts of the Iron Age were present in the caves, signifying life in the caves around 1500 BCE. Lastly, some images provided evidence of life in the caves as old as 600 BCE.

The paintings were believed to be the first ever drawn by early humans. The search was in full swing when Dr. Dwarikesh faced a major obstacle. The Indian bureaucracy stopped the excavation for unknown reasons, and since then the search has not continued.

However, the constant exposure of locals and tourists has faded the paintings, and the environmental factors have led to the withering of cave rocks. Over time, the caves will be forgotten altogether. Or worse, the evidence of history will be distorted and damaged. What began as a mystery, remains a mystery, and will remain a mystery or not is an intriguing question yet to be answered.