Breezing Through Bhopal

With god forsaken flight timing when you can’t fly out or in from a destination at decent hours, what do you do? Explore the city while managing your other commitments….  And that’s what I did when at Bhopal. After devoting required time for my meetings there, I’d at hand almost nine hours (three in morning & six in evening) before I flew back home.

The city of lakes was founded in the 11^th century by the illustrious Paramara King of Malwa, Raja Bhoja. The town has distinct landscapes that entice you in their own way. The old city towards North, is fascinating with its mosques, large havelis, meandering lanes, chowks and crowded bazaars. The new city is nestled in the Arera and Shamla Hills area, which overlook the lakes and the old city. Wide roads of well-planned and clean new Bhopal are adorned with swanky shopping complexes, luxurious hotels and restaurants. The central district is known as New Market.

I made the most of my time at Bhopal by visiting the following places… Of course it helped to have a vehicle at my disposal throughout out... My driver Manish also doubled up as a part time photographer for the trip as he took me around the City of Lakes... 

Manua Bhan Tekri

Manua Bhan Tekri

A calming place with great environment and greenery in the Lalghati area, Manua Bhan Tekri is also known as Mahaveer Giri. A concrete road allows you to access the hill with ease. Situated at an elevation of 1300 feet is a Jain temple with Bhagwan Mahaveer as the main deity. You need to climb several steep steps to reach the peaceful temple sanctorum. Opposite the temple base is a small garden with swings and slides that serves as a good picnic spot for family. The view from the top is amazing.

Gufa Mandir

Gufa Mandir

Close to Lalghati Square, Gufa Mandir is a clean, scenic and peaceful place to spend some “me time”. Situated on a small hill top, away from the city, the place offers a pleasant view of Bhopal. You need to climb approximately 100 steps to visit Gufa Mandir, which is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It has idols of Shri Ram & Devi Sita along with Hanuman ji. There are small shrines of Ladoo Gopal and Lord Vishnu with Devi Lakshmi as well.

Taj-ul-Masajid
One of the largest mosque in Asia, Taj-ul-Masajid represents skillful

Taj-ul-Masajid

Mughal architecture spread over 23, 300 sq ft. The mosque’s name means “Crown Among Mosques”. Taj-ul-Masajid is a massive, 19^th-century red-stone mosque featuring white domes, imposing minarets & carved arches. The Mosque has a pink facade topped by two 18-storey high octagonal minarets with marble domes. The Mosque also has three huge round domes, an impressive main hallway with attractive pillars and marble flooring. The courtyard has a large water tank in the centre. The Quibla wall in the prayer hall is carved with eleven recessed arches and has fine screens of trellis work. The massive pillars in the hall hold 27 ceilings through squinted arches of which 16 are decorated with ornate petal designs.

Lower Lake (Chota Talab)
Lower Lake, also known as Chota Talab, lies in the heart of Bhopal towards the east end of Upper Lake. Constructed during the year 1794, the lake is spread over a catchment area of 9.6 sq km and bordered by the magnificent Kamala garden. A few spots provide for a good photo opportunity. Lower lake provides exciting boating facilities in sail, paddle and motorboats. Human settlements on all sides has somewhere disturbed the natural charm of the lake.

Birla Mandir (Lakshmi Narayan Temple)

Birla Mandir (Lakshmi Narayan Temple)
Set atop Arera Hills, amidst well maintained lawns and fountains; Birla Mandir is a peaceful place of worship. The temple devoted to goddess Lakshmi & Shri Vishnu also has shrines of Shiv-Parvati. Enchanting lawns encircle the yellow and maroon coloured temple. This holy place is frequented by people who want to get a panoramic view of the Bhopal city. 

Birla Museum
Adjoining Lakshmi Narayan Temple is the Birla Museum. A well maintained, compact property that showcases several objects from the primitive period. On display are primitive tools and gears used during the Paleolithic and Neolithic period, an astounding scale model of the Bhimbetka rock shelter with its ancient murals and stone sculptures from the 7th to 13th century collected from the various archaeological sites. Coins and manuscripts and Terracotta belonging to 2nd century BC to the 6th century AD are also exhibited.

MP Tribal Museum

MP Tribal Museum

This unique, must-see Tribal Museum in Bhopal is an intriguing vast expanse of impressively done art installations housed in a well architected building. The museum displays historical and rich cultural narratives depicting diverse aspects of tribes inhabiting the state of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Also known as the ‘Janjaatiya Sanghralaya’ the museum oozes expertise and subtlety in depicting the world of indigenous tribes. Tribal dwellings, marriage venues, memorial monuments and places of worship are recreated with authentic objects arranged artistically.

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya
The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS) on the Shamla Hills, is the National Museum of Mankind. It is one of the largest and leading Anthropological Museums in India, which focuses on recollection of the past rather than collection. Spread across 200 acres, it is a one-of-its-kind museum that depicts the story of mankind in time and space and also has numerous pre-historic painted rock shelters. IGRMS has a few permanent exhibitions, broadly categorized as Open-exhibitions, Indoor galleries (Veethi-Sankul and Bhopal Gallery) and Periodical/ Temporary exhibitions.

Bharat Bhavan
A beautiful and unique looking cultural complex, built and designed exclusively by world renowned architect Charles Correa, Bharat Bhavan is a multi-art centre that offers a platform for interactive proximity between the verbal, visual and performing arts. This cultural complex provides space for contemporary expression, thought, quest and innovation. For Bharat Bhavan, Charles Correa has designed a series of terraced gardens, which cascade down to the lake. Visitors enter at the highest level and walk down a pedestrian spine, flanked by a pattern of courtyards linked by meandering paths. You can sit along the stairs to enjoy the sunset on the placid lake. Seize these moments when the eyes rest and the mind contemplates.

Upper Lake (Bada Talab)
Built by Raja Bhoj in 11^th century, the Upper Lake is famed as ‘Bada Talab’. Spread over 36 sq km, the lake is surrounded by beautiful royal garden and Kamla Park. It is a perfect place to relax and enjoy various water sports like Kayaking, Canoeing, Rafting, Water rafting, skiing that are conducted by The National School Sailing at the Boat Club. Bada Talab, one of the most beautiful lakes in Bhopal, also serves as a major source of water serving almost 40% of the residents. Both the Bada Talab and Chota Talab combined together forms the Bhoj Wetland of Bhopal city.

You may want to visit the following place when visiting Bhopal for a day or two –

• Jehan Numa Palace Hotel and Noor-Us-Sabah Palace Hotel are known for their food spread. You may want to relish a meal at these properties or just visit them to experience royalty.
• At a distance of almost 50 kms, Sanchi Stupa is 1.5 hours away from Bhopal towards North-east. If you have almost 4 hours (3 hours of to & fro travel and an hour at the place) to spare, this should be on your list of must visit places when in Bhopal.
• Close to 45 kms south of Bhopal, Bhimbetka is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated in midst of rocky terrain with steep cliffs and dense forests, Bhimbetka has over 600 rock shelters belonging to the Neolithic age. The cave paintings are mainly executed in red & white with occasional use of green & yellow with themes taken from the everyday events of that age.