Bhopal

The capital city of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal is rich in history and culture. The citys Muslim culture is evident in its beautiful old mosques, massive stone and brick gateways and the broken down remains of the walls that once protected the princely state of Bhopal. The jewel of Bhopals Islamic cultural heritage is the Taj ul Masjid, the crown of mosques. Sadar Manzil, the hall of public audience of the erstwhile Nawabs, the Jami Masjid and the Moti Masjid are the other important monuments in the city dating back to the 19th century.
Other places of interest in Bhopal are Shamla Hills, Upper Lake, Museum of Man (or Tribal Habitat Museum) and Bharat Bhavan. One can also enjoy boating in the placid Upper Lake.
For those who wish to carry home a part of heritage, there are the old city streets near The Chowk of the old walled city which have fascinating shops to explore, where you can buy the famous Maheshwari and Chanderi sarees, gold and silver jewellery, hand-embroidered clothes, genuine antiques and bric-a-brac at reasonable prices.

Well connected by rail, road and air, Bhopal is a good base for several excursions into the neighbouring area where there are many interesting places like Chaman Mahal and Rani Mahal in Islamnagar, 11th century Shiva temple (built during the reign of Raja Bhoja) in Bhojpur and pre-historic Stone Age rock shelters and cave paintings in Bhimbhetka. Neori and Hathaikheda are good picnic spots not very far from the city.
Best Time to Visit: November to March
Languages Spoken: Hindi
Climate: Moderate climate throughout the year with warm summers and pleasant winters
Heritage and Holy sites: Taj ul Masjid, Sadar Manzil, Jami Masjid, Moti Masjid, Chaman Mahal and Rani Mahal(Islamnagar), Shiva Temple (Bhojpur), Bhimbhetka caves
Picnic spots: Shamla Hills, Upper Lake, Neori, Hathaikheda
Places to visit: The Chowk, Bharat Bhavan,

The Journey into Madhya Pradesh

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After a few days, its time to explore another Hindi heartland right in the middle of India, Madhya Pradesh. This time I have to go to Ashta and Harda. I take the Samta Express which would arrive in Bhopal in the evening.
Now, in Bhopal, the train is on time and as I get down, I have made better plans this time and have already checked out which hotel I would be checking into. It is a stone’s throw from the railway station but for that you need to get past the shield of Auto Rickshaw Drivers who behave as if they have been sent there by god themselves and will not leave unless death do them apart from you. After using the technique of not looking at them, I check into the hotel and just fall asleep.

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Hindustan Ka Dil Dekho (M.P. Trip) – Part 1

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After having good time watching all above, we moved to the left side of the premises, to see if there was anything left. And there found a small handicraft shop, a tiny farm where white pigeons, rabbits and ducks are being kept and an astonishing view point, from where we could see whole of Sanchi’s wheat fields. It was completely mesmerizing.

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Bhopal – Nagpur- Raipur – Road Trip Review

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We were on the Ring road, Nagpur at around 12.30 pm and after that we continued towards the NH 6/AH46. We decided to continue without taking hold due to traffic in the city. We just stopped to exchange of driver seat at the outer ring at the start of AH46 where the road sign shows that Raipur is now 275 kms ahead. So now I have the pilot seat in my hands. We continue towards the Raipur on the Nagpur- Durg- Raipur express way. The complete AH 46 is a 4 lane road, but with some traffic. After driving about 70 kms we reached Bhandara at about 2 pm and here we decided to take a halt and have lunch. We found a restaurant just on the highway and also a petrol pump besides it. So this is the best place to have a halt. After having a good lunch at Bhandara and having a tank full of my car, I continue ahead towards the Raipur. The road is excellent with lots of toll plaza in between we paid around Rs. 250 as a total toll from Weinganga Toll plaza to Raipur Toll plaza.

The road from Bhilai is with lots of traffic and from here I found the name expressway and paying toll as an injustice to the travelers.  But still after a lot of hustle and bustle we reached Pandri Raipur same day and we notice the time is 6.25 while entering the Raipur from Tatibandh Square and covered the distance from Tatibandh Square Raipur to Pandri Raipur (9.7 kms) takes 45 minutes and finally reached our hotel in pandri Raipur at 7.10 pm. Thanks to the congested and traffic with no traffic sense peoples of Raipur. Now I have to complete the official and the important tasks for which we have travelled Raipur.

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