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The noted Indian archaeologist Vishnu Shridhar Wakankar identified the Bhimbetka rock shelters and the prehistoric significance of their rock paintings in 1957. He is regarded as one of the pioneers of rock-art studies in India.

Bhimbetka is a vast group of rock shelters situated in the foothills of the Vindhyan Mountains in the present-day Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. A large number of natural shelters occur within sandstone formations, and paintings belonging to different periods survive in them.

In 1957, while travelling by train from Bhopal towards Nagpur, Wakankar noticed the rock formations of the region and recognized their similarity to rock formations he had observed elsewhere. He subsequently surveyed the area and identified a large number of painted rock shelters.

The paintings at Bhimbetka depict scenes related to hunting, animals, dancing, group activities and human life. They do not belong to a single period; according to UNESCO, the artistic tradition represented there extends from the Mesolithic period into the historical period.

Systematic archaeological excavations and studies were undertaken at Bhimbetka subsequently. V. N. Misra was also an important archaeologist associated with later excavations and scientific studies at the site, but the initial recognition of the prehistoric significance of its rock paintings is credited to Wakankar.

Because of its rock art, long sequence of human occupation and cultural importance, Bhimbetka was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2003.