Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh)

Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh combines scenic beauty, historicity and modern urban planning. It is situated on the site of an 11th century city, Bhojapal, founded by Raja Bhoja. Bhopal today presents a multi-faceted profile; the old city with its teeming market places and fine old mosques and palaces still bear the aristocratic imprint of its former rulers; among them the succession of powerful Begums who ruled Bhopal from 1819 to 1926. Equally impressive is the new city with its verdant, exquisitely laid out parks and gardens, broad avenues and streamlined modern edifices.

Population: 10,62,771

Best time to visit: November–February

Places of Interest

Jama Masjid
Gold spikes crown the minarets of this beautiful mosque built in 1837 by Kudsia Begum.

Shaukat Mahal and Sadar Manzil
Situated at the entrance to the Chowk area in the heart of the walled city, Shaukat Mahal is an architectural curiosity. Its mixture of styles in Occidental idioms sets it apart from the predominantly Islamic architecture of the area.

Taj-Ul-Masjid
The Taj-ul-Masajid is one of the largest mosques in Asia, built by Nawab Shahjehan Begum around a courtyard with a large tank in the center and with an imposing double storeyed gateway with 4 recessed archways and 9 imposing cusped multifold openings in the main prayer hall. The Quibla wall in the prayer hall is carved with 11 recessed arches, while the mimber is made of black basalt.

Gohar Mahal
Situated behind Shaukat Mahal on the banks of the Upper Lake is Gohar Mahal, which is an architectural gem dating back to the times of Kudsia Begum, also known as Gohar Begum, who built this sprawling palace in 1820. The Mahal is a magnificent expression of the fusion of Hindu and Mughal architecture.

Bharat Bhawan
One of the most unique national institutes in India, Bharat Bhawan is a center for the performing and visual arts. Designed by renowned architect, Charles Correa, the contours of Bharat Bhawan merge in exquisite harmony with the landscape creating a visual impact of spacious and natural elegance.

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (A Post Colonial Museum)
The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (National Museum of Mankind) is a unique Museum, spread over 200 acres of undulating land on the Shamla Hills on the Upper Lake front. It is situated in a prehistoric site and may be the only museum in the world strewn with numerous prehistoric painted rock shelters. The library, audio-visual archive, computerized documentation and the collection of ethnographic specimens in the Museum, though modest in size are among the best in the world.

Government Archaeological Museum
A fine collection of sculptures are on display here from various parts of Madhya Pradesh. Highlights of the collection are: paintings of various schools, copies of paintings from the Bagh caves near Mandu and the statues of Alakshmi and the Buddha. The museum is closed on Mondays.

Laxmi Narayan Temple and Museum
This beautiful temple on the Arera Hills has a Museum attached to it, which houses a collection of sculptures from Raisen, Sehore, Mandsaur and Shahdol districts of Madhya Pradesh. The museum is open from 9am to 5pm everyday except Mondays.

Van Vihar
This safari park is located on a hill adjacent to the Upper Lake, with an area of 445 hectares. In these natural surroundings, wildlife watchers can view a variety of herbivorous and carnivorous species.
Open everyday, except Tuesday, from 7-11 am and 3-5.30 pm.

Regional Science Center
Basically a science museum, located on the picturesque Shamala Hills, Regional Science Center houses about 300 participatory exhibits distributed equally in 'Invention' & 'Fun Science' galleries, and a 'taramandal' (Planetarium).
The museum remains open from 10.30 am to 6.30 pm on all days except Mondays.

Chowk
In the heart of the city, the Chowk is lined with old mosques, havelis, reminders of a bygone era. The shops in its narrow alleys are treasure troves of traditional Bhopali crafts silver jewellery, exquisitely fashioned beadwork, embroidered and sequined velvet fashioned purses and cushions.

Upper and Lower Lakes
The Upper Lake is divided from the Lower Lake by an over bridge. M. P. Tourism's Boat Club on the Upper Lake provides facilities for exciting trips by sail, paddle and motorboats.

Excursion

Bhimbetka Caves
Surrounded by the northern fringe of the Vindhyan ranges, Bhimbetka lays 46 km South of Bhopal. In this rocky terrain of dense forest and craggy cliffs, over 600 rock shelters belonging to the Neolithic age were recently discovered. Here, in vivid panoramic detail, paintings in over 500 caves depict the life of the pre-historic cave dwellers making the Bhimbetka group an archaeological treasure, an invaluable chronicle in the history of man.


Bhojpur
Founded by the legendary Parmar King of Dhar, Raja Bhoj (1010-1053), and named after him, Bhojpur, 28 km from Bhopal, is renowned for the remains of its magnificent Shiva temple and Cyclopean dam. The temple, which has earned the nomenclature of the Somnath of the east, is known as the Bhojeshwar Temple.

Sanchi
Sanchi is known for its Stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars dating from the 3rd century B.C. to the 12th century A.D. The most famous of these monuments, the Sanchi Stupa 1, was originally built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, the then governor of Ujjayini, whose wife Devi was the daughter of a merchant from adjacent Vidisha. Their son Mahindra and daughter Sanghamitra were born in Ujjayini and sent to Sri Lanka, where they converted the King, the Queen and their people to Buddhism.

Uday Giri
Five kilometers from Vidisha are located the Udaygiri Caves, cut into a sandstone hill. The caves date from AD 320 to 606. An inscription in one of these caves states that it was produced during the reign of Chandragupta II (AD 382-401). Of the 20 Gupta caves, two are Jain and 18 Hindu. One can have a look at an image of Vishnu in his boar incarnation in the Cave 5. On the top of the hill are the ruins of the 6th-century Gupta temple.

Pachmarhi
Pachmarhi is Madhya Pradesh's most verdant jewel, a place where nature has found exquisite expression in myriad enchanting ways. Green shades embrace the mountains, and everywhere is heard the gentle murmur of flowing water. Bridle paths lead into tranquil forest glades, groves of wild bamboo and jamun, dense sal forests and delicate bamboo thickets.