Bhopal is an excellent base for the major archaeological sites of central Madhya Pradesh. Sanchi, with its Great Stupa — one of the oldest stone structures in India and a UNESCO World Heritage site — is 46km away and easily done in half a day.
Bhimbetka, about 45km south, has rock shelters with prehistoric cave paintings dating back 30,000 years — also a World Heritage site. The paintings include hunting scenes, dancing figures, and animal images executed in red ochre, some of remarkable quality. The site is less visited than Sanchi and correspondingly more atmospheric.
Vidisha, near Sanchi, has the Udayagiri Caves with early Gupta-period rock-cut temples and the famous sculpture of Vishnu in his Varaha (boar) incarnation.
