Travel Insights: Bhopal

Bhopal was the venue for our class trip in year 2011. This upcoming visit to the capital city of Madhya Pradesh had raised a lot of expectations, especially in me. I thought of the city as a huge metro with public buses plying through every street. I imagined it to have infrastructure as good as New Delhi and people as casual and carefree as in Mumbai.

The actual city however was a comfortable combination of both the conventional and the contemporary. Old Bhopal, which was our prime site of visit, reflected the aura the reigns of yesteryears. It spoke of the majestic dynasties and made a spectacle of its enormous and magnificent architecture.

Venerable Antique:
The bus ride from Bhopal Railway Station to the Old City, from across the dazzling Upper Lake, takes one through gigantic gates overhead and exposes one to sights of people plying on motorcycles and rickshaws.

With its large Islamic influence, one spots a Mosque, big or small, alternating every three residential buildings in Old Bhopal.

One must look out for Taj-ul-Masajid, the largest Mosque in Asia at its time of construction. This Masjid is a very famous tourist spot in Old Bhopal. Tourists are required to cover themselves only uptil the knee for seeking entry into its premises.

One fascinating fact about this Masjid is that it has demarcated a section of its prayer hall for women devotees to offer their Namaz. This is an uncommon feature as most other Mosques disallow women from entering the Masjid and praying along with men.

City of Lakes:
The Upper Lake alone makes a visit to Bhopal worthwhile. The vast expanse of this lake makes it impossible for visitors to distinguish it from a sea. Daytime reflects the crystal clear blue of the water; whereas at night, the lake is merely a reflection of the yellow and white lights which shine bright on both sides of the lake.

Here, boating facilities provided by Madhya Pradesh Tourism. These include motor boats, peddle boats and boats which can accommodate more than 10 people at a time!

One will easily spot the multi-colored flags of MP Tourism which are hoisted at the edge of the raised platform on the Lake. Surprisingly, these splashes of color against the blue of the water and sky are equally breathtaking.

On the Rise:
Bhopal's major commercial area is M.P. Nagar or Maharana Pratap Nagar. This area is home to a lot of business houses and commercial offices. It is one of the most commercial areas in Bhopal.

In spite of this rise in private firms in Bhopal, most people of New City Bhopal hold posts in government offices, especially in Central and State Government Departments.

Bhopal is also going to be home to an IT park.

In an around Bhopal:
Man Museum: The Man Museum, also known as the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, is an anthropology museum located in Bhopal. It stretches through a large expanse and depicts the evolution of man through centuries by recreating their habitats and cultural artifacts. It showcases the houses of man through centuries within and beyond the enclosed museum walls. This museum however, has most of its depictions of the Indian lifestyle.

Don’t miss this time machine of Man’s ‘then and now’!

Sanchi Stupas: The brilliance of Ashoka’s devotion is exhibited through Sanchi’s stupas, which houses the relics of the founder of Buddhism, Gautam Buddha. Situated uphill, the three stupas of Sanchi attract a lot of tourists from different walks of life. The beauty of these stupas is that each carving on its walls tells a tale of the lives of Buddha and Ashoka.

Read your history books carefully before visiting this spectacular and awe-inspiring heritage site!

Bhimbetka rock shelters: The Bhimbetka rock shelters exhibit traces of art which date back to 80,000 years. Here you will find rock paintings in colors like green, red and white; which project the daily life of the people of the time. These paintings are predominantly based on themes like hunting, animal fighting and household scenes.

Go back in time at Bhimbetka Rock Shelters!