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| Madhya
Pradesh |
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 It
is a large state located in India's heartland and is mostly
a flat plateau, interspersed with mountains and forests. Madhya
Pradesh is very rich in culture, tradition, history and natural
wonders. Its archaeological wealth is simply amazing, the most
prominent being the cave paintings from the Stone Age found
in Sehore, Bhopal, Raisen, Hoshangabad and Sagar. There are
numerous places of pilgrimage in Madhya Pradesh. The matchless
temples at Khajuraho are simply breathtaking because of their
unique sculptures and intricate carvings. Besides a number of
important Hindu temples, there are several Buddhist and Jain
shrines too, which attract thousands of devotees.
The first white tiger was found in the forests of this state,
which are home to almost one fourth of the world's tiger population.
A must visit are its wild life reserves like Shivpuri National
Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, Kanha National Park, Pench
Tiger Reserve and Panna National Park. |
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| GETTING
HERE |
Bhopal is the
capital of this Indian state. There are regular flights from
Delhi, Gwalior, Indore and Mumbai. It is linked by rail and
road to many Indian cities.
Indore: It is very well connected with Bhopal, Delhi and Mumbai
by air. By rail and road Indore is linked with several major
Indian cities.
Gwalior: There are regular
flights from Delhi and Bhopal. By rail and road Gwalior is linked
with many Indian cities like Delhi, Agra, Mathura, Jaipur, Chandigarh
and Bhopal.
Chambal: One can fly from Delhi to Agra and then go there by
road (65 kms).
Khajuraho: It has an airport
that has flights from Delhi, Agra and Varanasi. There is no
direct train to Khajuraho. The most convenient station is Jhansi
(175 kms), from where one can take a bus or taxi to Khajuraho.
Omkareshwar: The nearest airport is at
Indore (77 kms). Nearest railhead is Omkareshwar Road (12 kms).
Omkareshwar is connected to Indore, Ujjain and Omkareshwar Road
by regular bus services.
Mandu: The nearest
airport is at Indore (99 kms). Closest railhead is Indore (99
kms). It is linked by road with Indore, Ujjain and Bhopal.
Ujjain: The nearest airport is at Indore (55
kms). By rail Ujjain is connected with all major Indian cities.
The roads connect Ujjain with Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Mandu
and Omkareshwar.
Sanchi: The closest airport
is at Bhopal (46 kms). The convenient railheads are Vidisha
(10 kms) and Bhopal. By road it is connected with Bhopal, Indore,
Gwalior and other cities.
Chitrakoot: The
nearest airport is at Khajuraho (175 kms). The nearest railhead
is at Chitrakoot (11 kms). Roads connect Chitrakoot with Jhansi,
Mahoba, Harpalpur, Satna and Chhatarpur. |
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| WHAT
TO SEE |
Bhopal
The capital of Madhya Pradesh is a pleasure place for the tourist
for its scenic beauty, historical monuments and museums. Main
attractions are Jama Masjid, Moti Masjid, Shaukat Mahal and
Sadar Manzil, Taj-ul-Masjid (one of the largest mosques in Asia),
Gohar Mahal (beautiful palace on the bank of Upper Lake), Bharat
Bhawan (museum, art gallery, workshop for fine arts, theatre
and libraries of Indian poetry, classical and folk music), Indira
Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalay (Museum focusing on Indian
tribes and their ways), Government Archaeological Museum (splendid
sculptures), Laxmi Narayan Temple and Museum on the Arera Hills,
Van Vihar safari-park, Regional Science Centre, Chowk (with
its amazing craft bazar), Upper and Lower Lakes (with exciting
options like sail, paddle and motor boats).
Amarkantak
It is an important pilgrimage centre for the Hindus. The main
attractions are Narmada Udgam (origin of river Narmada, several
temple ruins), Sonmuda (source of the river Sone), Brighu Kamandal
(an ancient water pitcher which is always full of water), Dhuni
Pani (a natural hot spring), Kapildhara and Dugdhdhara waterfalls
(about 12 kms from Narmada Udgam) and Mai Ki Bagiya (a lovely
garden with a temple).
Khajuraho
This is an amazing temple complex with 85 shrines. The shrines
are divided into three parts.
The Western Group: It has the most spectacular temples like
the Kandariya Mahadev with its exquisite carvings and sculptures,
Chaunsat Yogini (the only granite temple in Khajuraho), Devi
Jagadambe Temple, Chitragupta temple (dedicated to sun-god),
Vishwanath Temple, Nandi Temple (with a massive rock bull),
Lakshman Temple, Varah Temple and the amazing Matangeswar Temple
with an eight feet high lingam. There is also an open air Archaeological
Museum.
The Eastern Group: It has both Hindu and Jain temples. The main
Jain shrines are Parsvanath Temple, Ghantai Temple and Adinath
Temple. Hindu shrines are Brahma Temple, Vamana Temple and Avari
Temple.
The Southern Group: It is few kms from Khajuraho village. Its
attractions include Chaturbhuj Temple and Duladeo Temple.
Other important tourist destinations some distance from Khajuraho
are Dhubela Museum (57 kms), Rajgarh Palace (25 kms), Ranguan
Lake (25 kms, ideal for fishing and picnics), Benisagar Dam
(7 kms), Raneh Falls (20 kms), Pandav Falls (34 kms), Panna
National Park (32 kms, a beautiful wildlife reserve where wildcats
like the tiger, leopard and the caracal can be sighted), Panna
(44 kms, known for its temples), Kalinjar Fort (100 kms) and
Ajaygarh Fort (36 kms from Panna).
Gwalior
Important sightseeing spots are Gwalior Fort (called the pearl
among Indian forts, with the beautiful Man Mandir Palace. Visit
the fort at night for the sound and light show), Suraj Kund
(a pond in the Fort), Teli ka Mandir (a unique temple towering
100 ft), Jai Vilas Palace (a museum displaying some rare treasures),
Darbar Hall (with its beautiful interior design), Kala Vithika
(art museum), Gujari Mahal Archaeological Museum, Tansen's Tomb,
Sarod Ghar (Museum of Music) and Gwalior Zoo.
Tourist destinations some distance from Gwalior are Datia (69
kms, famous for its Gopeshwar Temple and a seven-storeyed palace),
Sonagiri (with its 77 Jain temples), Pawaya (68 kms, complex
of ruins), Kuno-Palpur Sanctuary, Chambal Ghariyal Sanctuary
and Ghatigaon Sanctuary.
Chambal
It is famous for the Chambal Valley (known for its dams namely
Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam, Jawahar Sagar Dam and
Kota Barrage) and the National Chambal Sanctuary. The Chambal
River here has rare aquatic life like the Ganges river dolphins,
crocodiles, freshwater turtles, river otters and various species
of fish. The crocodile centre at Deori Moreno is a must visit.
At least 150 species of water birds have been identified in
this region. |
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Indore
It derives its name from the 18th century Indreshwar temple.
Tourist attractions include Lal Bag Palace, Bada Ganpati (temple
with the largest Ganesh idol in the world), Kanch Mandir (Jain
temple, architectural marvel in glass), Town Hall, Central Museum
(sculptures, collection of coins, arms and armour), Gita Bhawan,
Chhatris (cenotaphs of Holkar rulers), Annapurna temple, Khajrana
Ganesh temple, Bijasen Tekri (Arms Museum on a hillock, magnificent
view of the sunset) and Gomatgiri (21 feet statue of Lord Gomateshwar,
24 marble temples).
Places some distance worth visiting are Patal Pani waterfall
(36 kms from Indore, a popular picnic spot), Wanchoo Point (dam
on Narmada and another picnic spot), Dhar (64 kms, visited for
the Bhoj Shala, Lat Masjid, the Fort and the lakes).
Omkareshwar
The sacred island at the confluence of the rivers Narmada and
Kaveri is famous for its Shiva temple by the same name. Other
important temples here are Siddhanath Temple, 24 Avatars (cluster
of Hindu and Jain temples) and Satmatrika Temple (6 kms). Kajal
Rani Cave, 9 kms away, is a scenic spot.
Mandu
Located at an altitude of 2,000 feet it is a beautiful fortress
city. It has many fascinating monuments like the Darwazas (huge
gates in the 45 km parapet encircling Mandu), Jahaz Mahal (the
'ship palace' between two artificial lakes), Hindola Mahal (swinging
palace), Dilawar Khan's Mosque, Nahar Jharokha (tiger balcony),
Taveli Mahal, Hoshang Shah's Tomb (India's first marble monument),
Jami Masjid, Rewa Kund (a sacred pool), Baz Bahadur's Palace,
Roopmati's Pavilion, Nilkanth temple, Nilkanth Mahal, Hathi
Mahal, Darya Khan's Tomb, Dai ka Mahal, Malik Mughit's Mosque
and Jali Mahal. Other places worth visiting are the Echo Point,
Lohani caves & temple ruins and the Sunset Point.
Ujjain
An ancient sacred city on the banks of the river Shipra, it
has many wonderful shrines like the Mahakaleshwar temple, Bade
Ganeshji Ka Mandir, Chintaman Ganesh
temple, Harsiddhi temple, Kal Bhairav temple, Mangalnath temple,
Gopal temple, Navagrah temple, Ram Janardhan temple and Gadkalika
temple (2 miles from Ujjain).
Other important tourist spots are Pir Matsyendranath, Bhartrihari
caves, Kaliadeh Palace, Durgadas Ki Chhatri (cenotaph of the
brave Rajput warrior Durgadas), Siddhavat (a sacred banyan tree
on the Shipra bank), Sandipani Ashram, Gomti Kunda, Vedha Shala
(ancient astronomical observatory), Vikram Kirti Mandir (Scindia
Oriental Research Institute, archaeological museum, art gallery
and auditorium).
Sanchi
It is known for its Stupas, monasteries, temples and pillars
related to Buddhism. The Great Stupa No. 1 is the oldest stone
structure in India. Worth seeing are the Eastern Gateway, Western
Gateway, Northern Gateway, Southern Gateway, Stupa No. 2, Stupa
No. 3, Ashoka Pillar and Buddhist Vihara (monastery), Great
Bowl (mammoth bowl carved from a stone), Gupta Temple and the
Museum.
Important getaways around Sanchi include Sonari,10 kms, and
Satdhara, 11kms (having more Stupas), Vidisha (10 kms, ruins
of a Brahmanical shrine, Vidisha Museum, Lohangi Rock, Gumbaz-ka-Maqbara
and Bijamandal Mosque), Udaygiri Caves (13 kms), Udaypur (93
kms from Sanchi, Neelkantheshwar temple, Bijamandal, Sahi Masjid
and Mahal, Sher Khan-ki-Masjid and Pisnari-ke-Mandir) and Rahatgarh
(82 kms, medieval fort and a picturesque waterfall).
Chitrakoot
Chitrakoot, or the hill of wonders, is a beautiful place with
lush forests and sparkling streams. It has great religious importance
and its major tourist spots are Ramghat on the bank of river
Mandakini, Kamadgiri (chain of temples around a hill), Bharat
Milap temple, Sati Anusuya, Sphatik Shila (rock crystal boulder),
Janaki Kund, Hanuman Dhara (a beautiful natural spring) and
Bharat Koop.
Other important tourist spots some distance from Chitrakoot
are Chachai and Keoti Falls, Govindgarh Palace and Mara caves.
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