In July 2014, archaeologist J.R. Bhagat examined prehistoric cave paintings in Charama, India, dating back as far as 10,000 years, discovering imagery that *Ancient Aliens* theorists suggest may depict extraterrestrial beings—figures without discernible noses or mouths standing beside three-legged disc-shaped objects. The episode proposes that caves worldwide have served as sacred sites for human-alien contact, pointing to similar anomalous cave art from Australia's Wondjina paintings to petroglyphs in Algeria's Hoggar Mountains and the American Southwest. Ancient astronaut proponents argue these underground spaces functioned as "liminal points" where humans recorded encounters with otherworldly visitors, with the Charama paintings specifically echoing Hindu texts like the Mahabharata that describe flying machines and local legends of the "rohela"—sky beings who abducted villagers.
Mainstream archaeologists interpret prehistoric cave art as symbolic representations of shamanic visions, spiritual beliefs, and the natural world ancient peoples inhabited, rather than literal documentation of alien encounters. The humanoid figures in question often reflect artistic conventions for depicting deities, ancestors, or ritualistic imagery across cultures—the absence of facial features, for instance, is a common stylistic choice in sacred art worldwide. What makes this episode genuinely intriguing, even for skeptics, is the cross-cultural persistence of unexplained imagery in cave contexts and the question of why ancient peoples independently chose subterranean spaces for their most enigmatic artistic expressions.
Amarnath Cave
India · Hindu / Buddhist / Jain
Theorists connect the Hindu concept of Shiva's third eye and the Trimurti trinity to extraterrestrial beings who conveyed cosmic knowledge, using the Amarnath Cave shrine as an evidentiary anchor. Mainstream scholars understand the site as a sacred Hindu pilgrimage destination where an ice stalagmite naturally forms and is venerated as a symbol of Shiva.
Cave of the Crystals (Cueva de los Cristales), Naica
Mexico · Mesoamerican
Theorists argue the giant gypsum crystals in the Cave of the Crystals may function as cosmic information storage devices analogous to advanced extraterrestrial technology, and that indigenous Mesoamerican reverence for crystals as sacred, vibrating conduits to the gods reflects knowledge of this capability. Mainstream geologists explain the crystals as naturally occurring gypsum selenite formations that grew over approximately 500,000 years in a mineral-rich hydrothermal environment.
Charma Cave
India · Prehistoric Indian
Ancient Aliens reports that archaeologists in Charma recently discovered 10,000-year-old prehistoric artwork that appears to depict extraterrestrial beings, suggesting a visual record of alien encounters in the distant past.
Charma Caves
India · Prehistoric Indian
Ancient Aliens claims that 10,000-year-old prehistoric artwork discovered in Charma, India depicts what appear to be extraterrestrial beings, suggesting visual records of alien contact in the distant past.
Derinkuyu Underground City
Turkey · Phrygian / Byzantine
13 stories deep, extending 280+ feet underground
Goreme / Cappadocia
Turkey · Byzantine
Entire underground civilization carved from soft volcanic rock
Hill Cumorah / Cave of the Golden Plates
United States · Modern
Theorists frame Joseph Smith's 1827 discovery of golden tablets inside a cave at Hill Cumorah as another example of a human receiving vast cosmic knowledge from a non-human (angelic) entity encountered at a cave, paralleling other global accounts of cave-based enlightenment. Mainstream Mormon theology regards the event as a divinely guided revelation in which the angel Moroni directed Smith to the buried golden plates containing the Book of Mormon.
Hoggar Mountains Cave Petroglyphs
Algeria · Neolithic Mediterranean
Theorists cite the strange petroglyphs of the Hoggar Mountains of Southern Algeria as part of a global pattern of cave art depicting alien-like figures, arguing the cross-cultural consistency cannot be coincidental. Mainstream archaeologists classify the Hoggar rock art as Neolithic-era Saharan art depicting humans, animals, and ritual scenes.
Mikurodo Cave (Cape Muroto)
Japan · Japanese
Theorists suggest that the monk Kukai's encounter inside Mikurodo Cave, where a star flew into his mouth and he received a vision of the Bodhisattva Akasagarbha, may represent contact with an extraterrestrial or non-human intelligence that granted him sudden access to vast cosmic knowledge. Mainstream Buddhist tradition regards the cave as the site of Kukai's enlightenment, which inspired him to bring Shingon esoteric Buddhism from China to Japan.
Rhino Cave
Botswana · San (Bushmen)
The episode cites Rhino Cave as one of the world's earliest sacred cave sites, noting that a 20-foot-long serpentine rock carving there was the focus of religious ritual as far back as 70,000 years ago. Mainstream archaeologists regard the site as evidence of early human ritual behavior and symbolic thought among Middle Stone Age peoples.
Sky Caves of Mustang
Nepal · Hindu / Buddhist / Jain
Theorists highlight the mystery of how an unknown ancient civilization scaled nearly 155 feet of sheer vertical rock to carve over 10,000 caves in extremely fragile, friable rock, implying non-human assistance. Researchers note the caves contain art, artifacts, and religious texts dating to at least the 1400s, with some potentially much older, but their origin and purpose remain archaeologically uncertain.
Xibalba Caves (Mayan Underworld Caves near Mérida)
Mexico · Maya
Theorists argue the system of 14 interconnected caves discovered near Mérida in 2008, containing stone temples and human sacrifices, may represent actual portals to Xibalba, which they further link to the Milky Way and cosmic passageways used by extraterrestrials. Mainstream archaeologists identify the caves as the ritual underworld of Mayan religion, where offerings including human sacrifices were made to the gods.
“The Indian government”
“Buddhism has always seen”
“Many Buddhists have reported”
“In some ways, exploring”
“Caves are hugely significant”
“12,756 feet above sea level,”