Hidden Prehistoric Rock Paintings in Alwar | A must visit place

On way to Prehistoric cave paintings

Rajasthan is a place of historical forts and beautiful palaces. It has a very rich cultural heritage and not only people of India but even foreigners love to visit the state. In the last week of December 2018 I also planned for a short trip to Rajasthan, however it was not going to be a usual trip to some popular destination, but to a least known place where Prehistoric rock and cave paintings had been discovered. The place was somewhere near Dadhikar Fort in Alwar. So here the journey begins..

Our Journey To Prehistoric Rock Paintings

I reached Gurugram at around 10 AM and met two of my friends and then we had some breakfast in Harish Bakery and Sweets and we purchased some snacks, cakes etc for our journey. The idea was not to take any break in between for food etc as we were bit late.

Delicious dhokla at Harish Restaurant

Then we all packed ourselves in my car and searched for Dadhikar Fort on Google maps, the distance shown was around 140 km. Then we started our journey by taking Delhi-Jaipur highway [NH 48] and later took a turn for Alwar. 

I drove continuously for around two and half hours. Needless to say we were following the google map continuously as the area was not known to us.

As we were heading forward, we noticed a board mentioning Prehistoric Rock Paintings site at Hajipur-Dhadhikar. By seeing this we became sure that we were on the right path.

Way to Dadhikar Fort

After covering few more km we noticed another sign board mentioning about Dadhikar Fort. It was this place where we were to head forward.

Dadhikar Fort distant view

We traveled several km from there, the road had become very narrow by then and it seemed we had entered into some village. 

We asked some villagers as to the direction of Dadhikar Fort and proceeded further. Then we reached the main gate of Dadhikar Fort and confirmed from the security guard about the rock paintings. He told that it is around 3 more kms from the fort and pointed towards distant hills.

I would like to add that Dadhikar Fort has been converted into a heritage hotel and one can stay there after prior booking.

Kacha rasta towards the hills

But by that time the roads had become very undulating. In fact there were no more roads but kacha rasta full of patches and boulders. Then we decided that only one would drive the car and the other two of us would guide. My friend Prakash took on the steering wheel and I and Rajul came out of the car and started guiding him. Meanwhile I took out my camera and also started capturing the moments.

Then we reached a point from where it was not possible to take the car ahead. There was not even any kacha rasta and the terrain had become very rough and undulating. As such we parked the car. As we left the car we saw some children come there, but we didn't pay much attention to them.

We decided to move further towards the hills which were around 600-700 meters away from the place where we parked the car. 

The place where we parked the car

As we moved 200 meters more towards the hills, we could not find the way to approach further towards the hill as there began fenced mustard fields (सरसों के खेत). We climbed at nearby rocks to get a better view of any approachable path to the nearby hills where the cave and rock paintings were there.

Looking for suitable path to approach the hills

Meanwhile I noticed that the local kids were curiously following us through out those times. We thought to talk to them to get some clue about the rock paintings. 

As we started talking to them I noticed that they were in fact too eager to talk to us and they cheerfully came to us and told that they are local shepherds and can guide us to the hills and can also show us the ancient rock and cave paintings. 

It was a big respite to all of us. As we were running short of time and it was already 2:30 PM and being peak winter season days were short.

Beautiful mustard field

The kids guided us through the mustard fields. In between we were able to hear the whistling sound of the wind flowing through the nearby hills. 

The view of the dancing mustard plants and the bees hovering from one plant to the other was so amazing. We were mesmerised to see the natural beauty especially when just a moment back we were all in barren land. It brought a good contrast to the entire scene.

[I have captured all these beauty in my youtube video which is below 👇].

It was just like a wonderland. I was speechless with the beauty all around. Even when I am writing this blog I can feel the fragrance and the feel of the place. Guys go and visit to experience the feel of it.  

Proceeding through the mustard field

Even the kids picked a few little berries (जंगली बेर) and gave me to eat. First of all I was a bit hesitant, but when the kid insisted me to eat and told bhaiya khao accha lagega (भइया खाओ न अच्छा लगेगा ) then I tried it. Berries were both sweet and sour (खट्टा मिट्ठा) in taste and was refreshing.

Rocks on the foothills

Then we reached the foothills, I would like to mention here that reaching there was not that easy as we had to go through several thorny bushes and some of them also got stuck in our clothes. But the desire to reach the destination kept us moving.

Resting for a while and enjoying the panoramic view

At several places the gradient of the hill was quite steep and soon we had to take a break to control our thumping heart 😵. But the kids were moving fast and we were to catch them. As such we gathered our energy and climbed further.

Finally reached the top

After a while we reached to the top of the hill. It was unexpectedly flat and several big rocks were lying there. Some of them were creating cave-like structures. Then the kids took us to some specific big rocks which were curved from inside.

Rock paintings

See the photos of the rock paintings which we saw there on the hills. Since I am not an historian and I cannot comment whether these paintings as claimed were really of the Prehistoric era or not. But the paintings seemed to tell some story. It depicted some animals and man, may be trying to show some hunting scenario. There was also an inverted swastika (स्वस्तिक ) sign.. 

I would love to see if anyone having knowledge about these paintings can throw some light in the comment section and enlighten us.

Rock paintings

After seeing those paintings we decided to spend a few more minutes on the hill before descending down. We wanted to feel the calmness and freshness all around which was abundant there and which we miserably missed in busy city life.

There were lots of different kinds of birds flying from one rock to the other and making sweet chirping sound. We were also hearing the whistling sound of air passing through the hills and rocks. The experience was amazing, but it also gave us the feel that we were in a place of wilderness.

वहां एक अनोखे विरानेपन का एहसास था। 

Trio selfie (just before we started descending the hill)

We descended from a different position. It was much better as the slope was gradual and we landed down at a place where thankfully there were no more thorny bushes.

View while descending down

We also noticed several interesting rock structure as the one above which somewhere looked like if someone is bowing down or may be like a big turtle, depending upon how you imagine it.😉

Cheerful kids who guided us to the cave paintings

No doubt our trip probably could not have been completed if we were not guided by those cheerful kids who were full of energy and zeal. They were so happy to see us visiting their place and selflessly extended their guidance and even told us to visit again. We thanked them and then we left for Delhi.

A little tea break at Bala Quila Tourist Site:

While returning to Delhi we took a half an hour break at the Bala Quila Tourist site, which falls in the buffer zone of Sariska Tiger Reserve. We had tea and maggie then we left for Delhi.

Bala Quila Eco Tourist Site

Bala Quila Tourist site also seemed quite interesting and I saw a big fort on the hill. It was really a big one. Safari was allowed to the fort which was several km of journey, however since it was already around 4 PM we decided to cover it during some other trip.

At Bala Quila tourist site

Check the above photo mentioning the timings of the visit to Bala Quila Fort.

Waiting for tea and maggie

We were feeling quite hungry by then, after waiting for 10-15 minutes the delicious hot maggie was before us. We had maggie and then a cup of hot coffee and then in 15-20 minutes we were back into the car and heading towards Delhi.

Hot maggie

The trip to the Prehistoric cave paintings in Alwar was full of adventure and thrill. Surely it was not a trip to enjoy the luxury of a hotel, but away from city hustle and bustle and amidst raw and pristine nature and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

See the video showing my journey to this beautiful and adventurous place.

From my latest visit in 2022

Friends, in the beginning of year 2022 I had again visited the site of Ancient rock paintings in Hajipur, Dhadhikar in Alwar. Actually we were looking to visit the same place which I had covered in my blog. But we could not locate the hill and we went to some other hills and found many other rock paintings. 

This trip was more adventurous and I had covered the entire journey in detail in my youtube video which is below. We were also informed that in evening time there is danger of leopards on the hills so better not to venture there. Further one needs to be cautious and better to go in groups. Do check the video below, you will surely enjoy and get lot more information. 

Do's and Don'ts while visiting Prehistoric Cave Paintings:

• If you want to visit the place, it is advisable to visit with some local guide.

• The terrain is rough, wear shoes with good grip/trekking shoes. Sandals and hills are a big no-no. Moreover do take into consideration your fitness level as one has to climb hills to see the rock/cave paintings.

• Bring some food and carry water as there is no restaurant nearby except Dadhikar Fort in which entry is limited for guests (who had booked the rooms there) and otherwise for outsiders there are entry fees also (This is as per information provided by Dadhikar fort security guard). But please be don't throw the rappers and garbage here and there. 

• The area is secluded and surrounded by jungles. Within a few kms falls the buffer zone of Sariska Wildlife Tiger reserve so it's advisable one returns back before sunset.

• And last but not the least don't do anything which damages those paintings and the nearby ecology.

Hope you all enjoyed this blog. In case you want to provide further information and to give suggestions, feel free to comment. You can also subscribe to our blog for future updates.

Also check my other popular blogs:

Visit to Bhangarh Fort, the most haunted fort.

My most unforgettable trip to Rishikesh

My visit to Golden Tusk Resort in Jim Corbett National Park

My Trip to Badrinath and Mana Village in Himalayas

My visit to Bala Quila Fort- A place you cannot miss

(Disclaimer: The aforesaid views and experience are personal to the author and viewers and travelers are advised to check from concerned authority prior to travelling to the site. Further the author shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company or individual. We always respect the dignity and feelings of any religion, ethnic, individual, groups, company etc. Photos in the post are subject to copyright.).