BHOPAL

Bhopal is the capital of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the second largest city in state. It is known as the City of Lakes as its landscape is dotted with a number of natural as well as man made lakes.

Historically, Bhopal was also the capital of the Bhopal state. The city attracted international attention as a consequence of the Bhopal disaster, when the Union Carbide plant (now a part of Dow Chemical Company) leaked deadly methyl isocyanate gas during the night of December 3, 1984. The poisonous gas killed thousands of people in the city and its neighboring areas, and thousands of others still suffer from its effects even two decades later. Since then, Bhopal has been a center of protests and campaigns which have been joined by many people across the globe.

Bhopal is said to have been founded by the Parmara King Bhoj (1000–1055), who had his capital at Dhar. The city was originally known as Bhojpal named after Bhoj and the dam ('pal') that he is said to have constructed to form the lakes surrounding Bhopal. The fortunes of Bhopal rose and fell with that of its reigning dynasty. As the Parmaras declined in power, the city was ransacked several times and finally faded away into obscurity. The present city was established by an Afghan soldier, Dost Mohammed (1707-1740). It was one of the last princely states to sign the 'Instrument of Accession' 1947. Though India achieved Independence in August 1947, the ruler of Bhopal acceded to the Indian government only on 1 May 1949.

ATTRACTIONS

Bharat Bhavan -

Bharat Bhavan is a multi-arts complex without parallel in Bhopal housing a museum of the arts, an art gallery, a workshop for fine arts, a repertory theater, indoor and outdoor auditoria, rehearsal room, and libraries of Indian poetry, classical and folk music providing interactive proximity to the verbal, the visual and the performing arts. It is a place for contemporary articulation, exploration, reflection and innovation. Located near the picturesque bada talaab of Bhopal, Bharat Bhavan is a centre for innovative creativity, pursuit of classics and tradition and wide participation in a new cultural upsurge.

Bharat Bhavan consists of the following units:

Roopankar (Museum of fine arts) - Roopankar has been established with a view to set up a historic collection of urban, folk and tribal art and is the only museum of arts in India housing both contemporary urban and folk and tribal art.

Rangmandal (A repertory) - Rangmandal is a professional repertory to create a sustained theatre movement that becomes a way of life rather than spasmodic activity. Numerous plays and stage shows are held here. Vagarth (A centre of Indian poetry) - Vagarth has a library of more than 7,000 books of poetry in 14 Indian languages and recordings and video-cassettes of major poets.

Anhad (A library of classical and folk music) - Anhad work of documenting both classical and folk music and organizes musical concerts.

Taj-ul-Masajid -

Taj-ul-Masajid is one of the largest mosques in Asia. The mosque is also used as a madrasah (Islamic school) during the day. "Taj-ul-Masajid" literally means "The Crown of Mosques". The construction of the mosque was started by Sultan Shah Jahan, Begum of Bhopal (1868-1901). However, the mosque was not completed due to lack of money, and after a long lay-off, construction was resumed in 1971. The mosque has a pink facade that is topped by two 18 storey high octagonal minarets with marble domes. The mosque also has three huge bulbous domes, an impressive main hallway with attractive pillars and marble flooring. It has a courtyard with a large tank in the centre. It has a double storied gateway with four recessed archways and nine cusped multifold openings in the main prayer hall. The massive pillars in the hall create 27 ceilings through squinted arches of which 16 ceilings are decorated with ornate petalled designs.

Dhai Seedi Ki Masjid ("The mosque of 2 and a half steps"), one of the smallest mosques in Asia, is located right across the road from Taj-ul-Masajid. One of the watchtowers, it is also the oldest mosque in Bhopal city.

Bhojpur -

The magnificent temple of Bhojpur, which has earned the nomenclature of the Somnath of the East, is known as the Bhojeshwar temple. Dating back to the period of Raja Bhoj, The legendary Parmar king of Dhar, the temple is about 1000 years old. This temple to this date attracts devotees of Lord Shiva in huge numbers during the Shivaratri festivities. Just half – an – hour drive from Bhopal, this sanctum has the biggest Shiva Linga carved out of a single stone, rising to an awe-inspiring height of 7.5 feet with a circumference of 17.8 feet. Set upon a massive platform of 21.5 feet, the architectural harmony of lingam and platform creates a superb synthesis of solidity and lightness. Although the temple was never completed, it still remains one of the best examples of temple architecture of the 12th and 13th centuries.

Bhimbetka Rock Shelters – World Heritage Site

If you wish to travel further into history -- the pre historic era – take time off to make an excursion to Bhimbetka an archaeological treasure house. Hemmed in by the northern fringe of the vindhya ranges, Bhimbetka lies 46 Kms South of Bhopal. The rocky terrain of dense forest and craggy cliffs has over 600 shelters belonging to the Neolithic age. The Bhimbetka shelters exhibit the earliest traces of human life in India; its Stone Age rock paintings are approximately 9,000 years old. They had a vivid, panoramic detail, painting in over 500 caves depicting the lives of pre-historic cave dwellers. This invaluable chronicle on the history of man should not be missed. You can enjoy the paintings depicting everyday events of our ancestors like scenes of hunting, dancing, horse and elephant riding, household scenes, honey collection, animal fighting scenes etc.  The entire area is covered by thick vegetation, has abundant natural resources in its perennial water supplies, natural shelters, rich forest flora and fauna, and bears a significant resemblance to similar rock art sites such as Kakadu National Park in Australia, the cave paintings of the Bushmen in Kalahari Desert, and the Upper Paleolithic Lascaux cave paintings in France.

Sanchi -

Sanchi is a small village located 46 km north east of Bhopal. It is the location of several Buddhist monuments dating from the third century BCE to the twelfth century CE. Toranas surround the Stupa and they each represent love, peace, trust, and courage.

The 'Great Stupa' at Sanchi was originally commissioned by the emperor Ashoka the Great in the third century BCE. Its nucleus was a simple hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha. It was crowned by the chatra, a parasol-like structure symbolizing high rank, which was intended to honor and shelter the relics.