Central India
Madhya Pradesh occupies perhaps the oldest part of the subcontinent - called the Gondwana - the home of the Gonds. Near to Bhopal at Bhimbetka are the prehistoric caves that protect some attractive paintings dating back to paleolithic times. Experts have concluded that these are at least as old as the specimen at Pyrnees. This was perhaps one of the earliest dwellings of human beings. In fact, the excavations here have revealed a cultural sequence right from the late stone-age to the early historical period. Madhya Pradesh is the richest state in the country in respect of painted rock-shelters, the majority of which have been found in the districts of Sehore, Bhopal, Raisen, Hoshangabad and Sagar. Madhya Pradesh the destinations where the Prince of Wales or the Viceroy could be taken out for the treat of his life a tiger shoot, or to savour the extravagant life style of the Maharajas. Most of these blue-blooded gentry were content to be renowned for their prowess with a heavy gun or patronage of arts and crafts. The stirrings of the national movement were slow in this region as most of the area was not directly ruled by the British. Undaunted freedom fighters carried Mahatma Gandhi's message to the masses and exhorted them to take up the battle against colonialism.