Hidden Prehistoric Rock Paintings in Alwar | A must visit place

On way to Prehistoric cave paintings

Rajasthan is a land of magnificent forts, beautiful palaces, and a rich cultural heritage. Not only people from India, but travellers from across the world visit this state. In the last week of December 2018, I too planned a short trip to Rajasthan. However, this was not going to be a usual trip to a popular tourist destination. 

Instead, we decided to explore a lesser-known place near Dadhikar Fort in Alwar, where prehistoric rock and cave paintings had been discovered.

So lets start the journey..

Our Journey to the Prehistoric Rock Paintings

I reached Gurugram at around 10 AM, met two of my friends, and we had breakfast at Harish Bakery and Sweets. We also packed some snacks, cakes, and essentials for the journey, as we were already running a bit late and wanted to avoid long food breaks.

After that, we packed ourselves into my car and searched for Dadhikar Fort on Google Maps. The distance shown was around 140 km. We started our journey via the Delhi–Jaipur Highway (NH-48) and later took the turn towards Alwar.

I drove continuously for nearly two and a half hours. Needless to say, we were constantly following Google Maps, as the area was unfamiliar to us.

Delicious dhokla at Harish Restaurant

Finding the Right Path

As we moved ahead, we noticed a board mentioning “Prehistoric Rock Paintings – Hajipur–Dhadhikar.” Seeing this sign reassured us that we were on the right track.

After covering a few more kilometres, we spotted another signboard pointing towards Dadhikar Fort. This was the place from where we needed to proceed further.

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

The road gradually became very narrow, and soon it felt like we had entered a village area. We stopped to ask a few villagers for directions and continued ahead. Eventually, we reached the main gate of Dadhikar Fort and confirmed the location of the rock paintings from the security guard. He informed us that the site was about 3 km further, pointing towards the distant hills.

(Dadhikar Fort has now been converted into a heritage hotel and can be visited or stayed in with prior booking.)

Dadhikar Fort distant view

The Rough Approach

Beyond this point, the road condition deteriorated rapidly. There were no proper roads—only kaccha paths full of stones, boulders, and uneven terrain. 

Kacha rasta towards the hills

Eventually, we reached a point where it was impossible to take the car any further. There was no visible path ahead. We parked the car and prepared to move on foot. At that moment, a few local children appeared nearby, though we didn’t pay much attention initially.

The place where we parked the car

After walking about 200 metres, we found our way blocked by fenced mustard fields (सरसों के खेत). We climbed nearby rocks to get a better view and search for a possible approach towards the hills.

Looking for suitable path to approach the hills

Local Help at the Right Time

By then, we noticed that the local kids were curiously following us. We decided to speak to them, and that turned out to be a blessing. They happily told us that they were local shepherds and could guide us to the hills and show us the ancient rock and cave paintings.

It was a big relief, especially since it was already 2:30 PM and winter days are short.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. 

Beautiful mustard field

Through the Mustard Fields

The kids guided us through the mustard fields. The sound of the wind whistling through the hills, the sight of yellow mustard plants dancing gently, and bees hovering from flower to flower—it was magical.

Just moments ago, we were in a barren landscape, and suddenly we were surrounded by lush beauty. The contrast was striking.

(I have captured all of this in detail in my YouTube video linked below 👇)

It felt like a wonderland. Even while writing this blog today, I can still feel the fragrance and calmness of that place. You truly have to be there to experience it.  

Proceeding through the mustard field

The kids even plucked some wild berries (जंगली बेर) and offered them to me. I was hesitant at first, but when one of them insisted—“भइया खाओ न, अच्छा लगेगा”—

I tried them. They were sweet and sour (खट्टा–मीठा) and surprisingly refreshing.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.

Rocks on the foothills

Climbing the Hills

We finally reached the foothills. Getting there was not easy—we had to pass through thorny bushes, some of which got stuck in our clothes. Still, the excitement of reaching the destination kept us moving.

Resting for a while and enjoying the panoramic view

At several points, the slope became quite steep, and we had to stop to catch our breath 😵. The kids, however, were moving effortlessly, and we struggled to keep up. Gathering our energy, we continued climbing.

Finally reached the top

After some time, we reached the top. To our surprise, it was relatively flat, with large rock formations scattered around. Some of them formed natural cave-like structures. The kids led us to specific rocks that were curved from the inside.

Rock paintings

The Rock Paintings

We finally saw the rock paintings. I am not a historian, so I cannot scientifically confirm whether these paintings belong to the prehistoric era, but they clearly depicted scenes of animals and humans—possibly hunting scenes. One of the symbols also appeared to be an inverted swastika (स्वस्तिक).

If anyone knowledgeable about such paintings reads this, I would love to learn more through the comments.

Rock paintings

Silence, Wilderness, and Reflection

After exploring the paintings, we sat quietly for a while before descending. The calmness, freshness, and silence were overwhelming—something we rarely experience in city life.

Birds were flying from rock to rock, chirping softly, and the wind continued to whistle through the hills.

वहाँ एक अनोखे विरानेपन का एहसास था।

It was beautiful, but it also reminded us that we were deep in wilderness.

Trio selfie (just before we started descending the hill)

Descending and Return

We descended from a different route, which was more gradual and thankfully free of thorny bushes. On the way down, we noticed several interesting rock formations—some looked like a bowing figure, others like a giant turtle, depending on how you imagined them 😉

View while descending down

There is no doubt that this trip would not have been possible without the cheerful local kids who guided us. They were energetic, helpful, and genuinely happy that we had come to explore their land. We thanked them and started our return journey towards Delhi.

Cheerful kids who guided us to the cave paintings

Tea Break at Bala Quila Tourist Site

While returning, we took a short break at Bala Quila Tourist site, located in the buffer zone of Sariska Tiger Reserve. We had tea and Maggi there. A large fort stands atop the hill, and safari access is available, but since it was already around 4 PM, we decided to explore it on another trip.

Bala Quila Eco Tourist Site

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

A Memorable Experience

The trip to the prehistoric cave paintings in Alwar was full of adventure and thrill. It was not about luxury or comfort, but about being close to raw, untouched nature, away from city chaos—and I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.

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From My Latest Visit in 2022

In early 2022, I revisited the ancient rock paintings at Hajipur, Dhadhikar. This time, we could not locate the exact hill covered earlier and ended up exploring other nearby hills, where we discovered many more rock art sites.

The hill was larger, the trek more difficult, and the experience even more adventurous. With the help of a local guide, we managed to reach places that would have otherwise been impossible. We were also informed about leopard movement in the evenings, making it essential to return before sunset and preferably visit in groups.

I have documented this entire journey in detail in my YouTube video below.

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.).