Everytime the word Bhopal is mentioned, it takes one back to
the 3rd December 1984, when a Union Carbide Corporation pesticide plant in
Bhopal leaked around 32 tons of toxic gases, including methyl isocyanate gas leading
to the worst industrial disaster ever. But when we drove into Bhopal a few
months back, nearly 28years after the tragic event, we found that people had
moved on and there were no obvious
signs of the tragedy. It was as lively as
any urban Indian city with manic traffic on narrow roads and crowds jostling at
the markets making their way to trade goods.
Bhopal, now the capital of Madhya Pradesh, according to
folkolore was founded by Raja Bhoja of the
Paramara dynasty.
After checking into Hotel Ranjit, had a quick lunch and then
set out for the State Museum. This museum
devoted to archaeology, exhibits
antiquities like coins, sculptures and terracotta excavated from all the
significant sites of the region. Also on view are paintings and handicrafts
made by the tribal communities of
Madhya Pradesh. It sure is a place where one
can spend hours marveling at the amazing art of the artisans. The timings of
the Museum are 10.00am to 5.00pm and closed on Mondays and Government Holidays.
There is no entry fee too, presumably to encourage people to visit and learn.
It was evening by the time we finished with the museum and
so headed out to the lake for a cruise by sunset.
The cruise was magical.
We ended the day at Chatori galli – Bhopal’s khau galli
where we feasted on Kababs and tandooris
followed by sweet paans.
Bhopal has a very quaint city tour transport onto which we
hopped on the next day. Our first stop was the
Lakshmi Narayan Temple devoted
to Vishnu and his mythological consort Laxmi, called Birla Mandir. You
can get
some beautiful overviews of Bhopal from the lawns of the temple.
The next stop was the Tajul masjid – the 3rd
largest mosque in the world. After a photo session in the masjid we left for
the Tribal museum – an amazing place which has tribal art from all over Madhya
Pradesh and it
would take you a minimum of three hours to scan through the
museum.
In the evening we went to check out
the Moti masjid and
the
Jama Masjid which are close to the Chatori gully which beckoned us again for
some delicious biryani at Jameel’s and some delicious ‘Khajoor’ which is crisp
on the outside and soft within!
Next day we set out for the famous Bhimbetka caves that are
around 45kms from the city. Got a licenced
guide at the entrance to the
Bhimbetka complex who took us through all the important sites giving us a
lowdown on the historic importance of each. It is a World Heritage Site and a
number of analyses suggest that at least some of these shelters were inhabited
by hominids like homo erectus more than 100,000 years ago. Some of the Stone
Age rock paintings found among the Bhimbetka rock shelters are approximately
30,000 years old (Paleolithic Age).
The name Bhimbetka is said to be a derivative of Bhimbaithka, meaning "sitting place of
Bhima". Bhima is the hero-deity renowned for his immense strength, from
the epic Mahabharata. It was discovered by V.S.Wakankar in 1957.
It is a marvel that these paintings have not faded even
after thousands of years.The oldest paintings are considered to be 30,000 years
old, but some of the geometric figures date to as recently as the medieval
period.
A cursory visit here too takes around two to three hours.
On the way back to Bhopal we visited the Bhojeshwar temple
in Bhojpur. It is a temple dedicated to Lord
Shiva and houses a huge Linga that
is 5.5 m (18 ft) tall and 2.3 m (7.5 ft) in circumference.
Unfortunately this
temple was not completed due to King Bhoja being defeated and killed in a
battle by the combined strength of Chalukyas of Kalyani and Gujarat combined
with Lakshmi-Karna of the Kalachuri dynasty.
Thus ended our visit to historic Bhopal.
How to get there:
By Rail: Bhopal Railway Station is a major railhead
connecting all major cities in India.
By Air: Bhopal Airport, also known as Raja Bhoj Airport, is
15 km away from the heart of the city. It is well connected by domestic
airlines from all major cities of India.
By Road: Overnight deluxe buses from Delhi, Gwalior and
Jabalpur are available to Bhopal.
Very good information. For those of us, who did not see the place so far an incentive too. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThank you Vetrimagal.
DeleteYou brought back so many wonderful memories. We've lived and worked in Bhopal for a few years. It's a wonderful place with a very active cultural life. Did you go to Bharat Bhawan?
ReplyDeleteIf the tribal museum is in the Bharat Bhawan complex, yes.
Deletelovely city....my city...
ReplyDelete:-)
nice post.
thanks
anu
So glad you liked it Anu!
DeleteThank you!
I spent the first 4 years of my life in Bhopal, and not surprisingly do not remember anything of the city. Your post only makes me want to go back and connect with the city.
ReplyDeleteOh you must! You will love it!
DeleteHaven't been there but saw through your post,,it is beautiful..I feel there is a certain vibration which invites us to visit...
ReplyDeleteKeep posting :)
Thank you. I will. :)
DeleteA wonderful, all encompassing Bhopal!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see Hotel Ranjeet where I used to stay during my visits to BHEL about 15 years back!
Thank you Amit.
DeleteLovely post on Bhopal. The sunset photo looks magical.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com
Thank you Niranjan
DeleteNice informative post... Now I know which all places to visit in my next trip to Bhopal (rather to ask my in-laws to take me around to :) )
ReplyDeleteHave fun!
Deletewow!!! I wish I had read this post before I visited Bhopal!!! DANG, DANG!
ReplyDeletePosted this last evening, if it is any consolation :)
DeleteAnd my contribution to this piece--the Bhopal zoo is to die for --lovely lovely place!
ReplyDeleteThank you for that. If I ever revisit Bhopal shall visit the zoo!
DeleteSunset shot is just too awesome. My craving for biriyanis and pans, saris and temples and generally India itself is increasing exponentially......
ReplyDeleteThank you Meoww. :)
DeleteFor me sunset is the money shot, great post.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sandeep
DeleteDeepak i have been to Bhopal many a times,but your info & pics are informative & interesting.What i liked best about Bhopal were Bhimbetka & Raja Bhoj temple.Panchmarhi is only a short drive away,i wish you had been there.It is the icing on the cake.
ReplyDeleteThank you Indu. Will do sometime :)
DeleteBeautiful shots with good information...
ReplyDeleteThank you Vinisha
DeleteWho knew there was so much to see in Bhopal? Neatly done.
ReplyDeleteThank you Shovon
DeleteDeepak, it is really nice to read some one write about your own city. One point which I would like to make is that the Tribal Museum or Indira Gandhi Rashtreeya Manav Sangrahalay inludes every tribal habitat in the Country (not merely MP) and it is too large to be seen and appreciated in a day.
ReplyDeleteThank you Subramanian. I stand corrected and agree that it cannot be seena and appreciated in a day.
DeleteIndia is full of surprises!
ReplyDeleteThis is really fantastic and amazing !! I really love watching your journey pictures !!
ReplyDeleteUnseen India
:) Thank you Bharat
DeleteIf I can help ot,. I don't want to live there,
ReplyDeleteSounds and looks lovely! I think the people who don't hear about a tragedy linger on with it for a lot longer than those who do. Hope to visit Bhopal soon!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant stuff!
ReplyDeleteGujaratonnet.com
Thank you Jindal
DeleteI loved the sunset pic, Terrific shot...
ReplyDeleteThank you Ajeeth
DeleteI am glad I kept this for a leisurely day to read and savour. So I am more than two months late, but the wait was worth it for me. Beautiful round up and the pic of the sunset is awesome. Ahem...could I...?
ReplyDeleteI have gone to Bhopal only once with the L&M for a day when he went there on some work and so had half a day literally and had to spend it shopping for friends from Delhi :(
I would have loved to see the tribal museum and the masjids among other things, of course. Did you visit Bharat Bhavan? I don't know if they have any museum attached to it, but the name is famous because of Habib Tanvir.
What happened to my comment? I had posted one a few days ago and now it is not there! I had even asked for the sunset pic for my desktop! A long comment swallowed by a black cyberhole :(
ReplyDelete