My Visual Travel Experience: Bhopal and Surroundings (Sanchi, Bhimbetka)

My wife and I visited Bhopal for a wedding in 2012. Besides attending the wedding, we made it into an enjoyable sight seeing trip and spent 4 days exploring Bhopal and nearby sites like Sanchi and Bhimbetka, two UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are worth visiting for their historical importance. We found the city to be interesting too, with its Mughal architecture (exemplified by its various mosques), its well maintained lakes bang in the heart of the city, its museums and its more modern and contemporary side.

Bhopal is the capital of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, and is a bustling town having a population of over 1.7 million. Bhopal has a rich history which dates back to the 11th century AD, when it was founded by Raja Bhoj of the Paramara Dynasty. The city was also ruled by Muslim rulers for a long time, and Muslim architecture and influence are evident all over the city. The town was made famous in 1984 because of the notorious and tragic gas leak from the Union Carbide Plant, which killed over 5,000 people and caused irreparable damage among thousands of others.

The Taj Ul Masjid is one of India’s largest mosques, and its minarets can be seen from most parts of the town. Work on the mosque was started in 1878 by Sultan Jehan Begum, but the mosque was fully completed only in 1971.

Taj Ul Masjid

Entrance of Taj Ul Masjid

The Jama Masjid lies in the heart of the old town, in a square referred to as the Chowk, surrounded by a busy market-place. The mosque dates back to 1837 and was built by Qudsia Begum. 

Jama Masjid

The Moti Masjid is a small, pretty mosque which resembles Delhi’s much larger Jama Masjid. The mosque was built in 1860 by Qudsia Begum’s daughter and successor.   

Moti Masjid

The Rashtriya Manav Sanghralaya, also called the Museum Of Man, lies spread over a sprawling complex which is 99 acres in size. It has exhibits on tribal art, music, and dwelling units, and it is an interesting museum for anyone interested in tribal life and the history of man.

Madhubani Painting of Radha Krishna,
Rashtriya Manav Sanghralaya

Manipuri Krishna Leela, Rashtriya Manav Sanghralaya

Myth of King Shalesh, Rashtriya Manav Sanghralaya

Terracotta Figures, Rashtriya Manav Sanghralaya

The Laxmi Narayan Temple is one of the town’s best known temples and was built by the Birla industrialist family. It is right next to the Birla Museum, which houses stone sculptures from the 7th to the 12th centuries AD. 

Laxmi Narayan Temple

Hanuman Shrine at
Laxmi Narayan Mandir

The centre of Bhopal has two lakes – the Upper Lake and the Lower Lake.  Both lakes are fairly well maintained and are cleaner than a lot of other urban lakes in Indian cities. The Upper Lake is the larger and more popular of the two. There is a boat club from where one can hire different types of boats, and that’s a favourite past time for locals and visitors alike. The boat club has a food court. It also has an exhibit of a railway engine.

Boat Club at the Upper Lake

Railway Engine at the Boat Club, Upper Lake

The Raja Bhoj Statue lies along the banks of the Upper Lake, and is dedicated to the 11th century king who founded Bhopal.

Raja Bhoj Statue

The Van Vilas National Park is a large national park close to the Upper Lake. The best way to see the park is by road, and one can stop at regular intervals to see the large collection of animals, including tigers, lions, leopards, jackals, deer, crocodiles, turtles and snakes. The only unfortunate part I found was that in many cases, the animals are barely visible as they are at far corners of their enclosure.

Deer, Van Vilas National Park

Tiger, Van Vilas National Park

Bhojpur is a small town about 30 km south east of Bhopal. The place is famous for the Bhojpur Shiv Temple, which dates back to the 11th century AD, and was constructed by Raja Bhoj, the founder of Bhopal. The most striking feature of the temple is the large granite linga inside. The linga is 2.3 meters in height, and has a circumference of 5.3 meters. The temple also has some intricately carved pillars and a beautiful ceiling. It is not know why construction of the temple was never fully completed.

Bhojpur Shiv Temple

Linga of Bhojpur Shiv Temple

Bhimbetka is a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its rock paintings dating back to 10,000 BC. Situated about 45 km south east of Bhopal, Bhimbetka Rock Shelters complex consists of a series of 15 rocks where prehistoric man used to live, and several of these rocks have rock paintings of animals and man. The Bhimbetka Rock Shelters were discovered in 1957 by the Indian archaeologist VS Wakanker.

Rock Shelter 1, Bhimbetka

Rock Shelter 4, Bhimbetka

Sanchi was founded in the 3rd century BC by Emperor Ashoka, a follower of the Buddha. Between the 3rd century BC and the 7th century AD, Sanchi was a busy Buddhist centre. By the 14th century AD, it became half forgotten and it wasn’t till the 19th century that it was rediscovered by the British and restored to its former glory. In 1989, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The complex has several stupas and other structures, and lies about 50 km north east of Bhopal.

Dominating the complex at Sanchi is the Grand Stupa with its detailed four gateways that are intricately carved. The gateways depict scenes from the life of the Buddha.  Today Sanchi is a busy pilgrimage site for Buddhists, and there are many Buddhist pilgrims who visit from countries like Japan and Thailand. Despite the age of the complex, it is in surprisingly good condition and is a fine example of great work done by the Archaeological Survey of India. 

Southern Side, Grand Stupa

Eastern Side of Gateway, Grand Stupa

Stupa 2 lies a little away from the other structures, and one has to descend a flight of stairs to get to it. It doesn’t have a gateway, but has a carved stone railing that encircles it. 

Stupa 2, Sanchi

Stupa 3 was built in the 2nd century BC. It has a single gateway. It used to contain the relics of 2 of Buddha’s disciples – Sariputra and Maudgalayana.  

Stupa 3, Sanchi

Sanchi Chetiyagiri Vihar is a temple near the entrance of the Sanchi complex, and was built by Sri Lanka. 

Sanchi Chetiyagiri Vihar

Painting of the Reclining Buddha, Sanchi Chetiyagiri Vihar

Bhopal was interesting, Bhimbetka Rock Shelters were an education that took us to another era in the history of man, but Sanchi was a breathtaking and spiritual experience, and my wife and I were very impressed not just by the intricate stupas and gateways built over two thousand years ago, but also by the calm, serene and spiritual atmosphere that prevailed there.