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Strange as it may sound, Bhopal is a pretty place. It is not over-crowded, over-populated, dirty or dingy like some of the worse known small-big towns in our country. It has a definite character – and it has the lakes. At the risk of sounding feminist, I’d like to presume that its string of women rulers gave it a certain air, a certain lilt – perhaps a certain femininity.
The legendary Raja Bhoj founded the city somewhere in 9th century AD, but it is the influence of its Muslim rulers that has marked it. There is an old-worldliness about Bhopal that is most distinct in areas like Lal Chowk – the older part of the city. The finesse, the ‘tehzeeb’ that one would associate with Lucknow is perhaps more palpable here than in the other city of the nawabs. The accents are different and in narrow alleys, Urdu is spoken by all and sundry.
 There are bangle-sellers, cloth and zari shops, silver trinkets, sequinned purses, beaded saris… There is even a distinct cuisine to be found in Bhopal – not quite Dilli-tandoori nor Lucknawi, but an in-between Mughlai, with flavours all its own. Try the string of roadside stalls at the chowk for authentic kebabs at moderate prices.
The other aspect of Bhopal’s historic influences comes through in its buildings and architecture. There are huge old mosques and palaces of former begums who ruled the city between 1819 and 1926. Whether the begums were intensely religious or were trying to outdo each other, they seemed to excel in mosque building. Taj-ul-Masjid, commenced by Shah Jehan Begum, but never really completed, is the largest mosque in India. Jama Masjid was built in 1837 by Qudsia Begum, while her daughter, Sikandar Jehan Begum built Moti Masjid in 1860. Shaukat Mahal, Sardar Manzil and Gohar Mahal are former palaces and reminders of nawabi opulence.^Top
 The historical feel of the place is a special experience in Bhopal. The other facet of the city lies in its modernity. But both have flourished because of the extremely pleasing weather – even when the rest of the country is sweating, the temperatures in Bhopal remain a few degrees lower. The Deccan plateau may have something to do with it and so must the lakes. The lakes sort of follow you around everywhere you are in Bhopal – there are two of them and all kinds of boats are available on hire. Tourists usually love them.
A little further off from the main town lie the industrial suburbs and there is the ‘new city’ to the west, distinct with its broad avenues, sleek high-rise offices and shaded residential areas.^Top
GETTING THERE:
By Air: Bhopal is well connected by air to Delhi, Indore, Gwalior and Mumbai.
By Rail: Bhopal is on the Delhi-Mumbai and the Delhi-Chennai mainline.
SIGHTSEEING :
Taj-ul-Masjid: It is reputed to be the largest mosque in India. The construction of this white domed building with two domed minarets was begun by Shah Jehan Begum (1868-1901). It could not be completed during her lilfetime and construction recommenced in 1971.^Top
Jama Masjid: It is a beautiful mosque built by Kudsia Begum in 1837.
Moti Masjid: Yet another mosque which is architecturally akin to Delhi's Jama Masjid and was built by Sikandar Jehan, daughter of Kudsia Begum.
Shaukat Mahal: Situated at the entrance to the Chowk area of the walled city, it skilfully mixes design elements of different kinds.^Top
Sadar Manzil: An elegant building, it was the hall of public audience of the former rulers of Bhopal.
Bharat Bhawan: Bharat Bhwan is an interestingly designed building for the performing and visual arts created by Charles Correa. The centre houses a museum of the arts, an art gallery, a workshop for fine arts, a repertory theatre, indoor and outdoor auditorium, a rehearsal room and libraries of Indian poetry, classical and folk music. It is also a sort of centre for the tribal and eco movement in the region.
The Chowk: Situated in the heart of the old city, it is lined with mosques, havelis, shops and alleys. This area transports one back to the olden days and is a must see for people who like the feel and ambience of the old royal Bhopal.^Top
 Upper and Lower Lakes: Seperated by an overbridge, these lakes are what give Bhopal its beautiful climate and the beautiful sunset here imparts a feeling of tranquility. There is also a boat club which offers facilities for sailing, paddling and motor-boat rides.
Shamla and Idgah Hills: The twin hills provide a panoramic view of Bhopal, especially in the evenings when the placid and calm waters of the lake mirror the city lights.^Top
Van Vihar Safari Park : Van Vihar is a ‘safari’ park – not quite Africanesque, but there are animals of all kind in open enclosures spread over 445 hectares, separated from the viewing area by a moat. It is more of zoo on a large scale, despite its promise of ‘natural surroundings’, than a safari park.
Museum of Man: The Museum of Man is a creation, the likes of which don’t exist anywhere else in India. Spread over an entire hillock, which incidentally is a prehistoric site with cave paintings, it has recreated all possible tribal dwellings, complete with pots and pans. The buildings were constructed using genuine materials by members of the tribes themselves. Here is an academic description: “It is a post colonial museum of communities rather than objects, dedicated to in situ revitalisation of local knowledge systems and life enhancing traditions rather than ex situ display of objects.” That perhaps says it all. ^Top
EXCURSIONS FROM BHOPAL:
Islamnagar: At a distance of 11 km from Bhopal, it was the palace of the Afghan rulers and was built by Dost Mohammed Khan. A marvel of the blending of Hindu and Islamic architecture, the palace has columns decorated with floral motifs. Other attractions of this palace include the Hamam of Chaman Mahal and Rani Mahal - a double-storeyed structure.
Vidisha: 10 km from Bhopal, Vidisha was a bustling city under the Sunga, Naga, Satvahana and Gupta dynasties. The attractions here include the ruins of a shrine dedicated to lord Vishnu and the Heliodorus Pillar - also known as Khamba Baba - which is a free standing column with inscriptions which prove that it was a Garuda Pillar, raised by Heliodorus, a Greek.
Udaigiri Caves: 13 km from Bhopal, Udaigiri is famous for its rock-cut cave sanctuaries, which are carved into a sandstone hill.
Bhojpur: 28 km, the place got its name from the legendary Parmar king of Dhar - Raja Bhoj. It is renowned for a temple devoted to Shiva - Bhojeshwar Temple.^Top
AROUND BHOPAL:
Delawadi: 62 km from Bhopal, situated in a lovely forest glade, Delawadi is a picturesque picnic spot, rich in scenic splendour and natural beauty. A small, well-furnished Forest Rest House provides accommodation.
Ginnorgarh: This historical fort stands on an isolated hill. It is about 1,127 metres long and 266 metres broad and is situated approximately 3 km away from Delawadi. Buses ply on the route, but from Delawadi to the fort one has to travel on foot. The fort was once a stronghold of the Gonds, but fell to Mohammad of Bhopal state.^Top
Bhimbetka Caves: Surrounded by the northern fringe of the Vindhyan ranges, Bhimbetka lies 46 km south of Bhopal. In this rocky terrain of dense forest and craggy cliffs, over 600 rock shelters belonging to the Neolithic age were recently discovered. Here in vivid, panoramic detail, paintings in over 500 caves depict the life of the prehistoric cave-dwellers, making the Bhimbetka group an archaeological treasure, an invaluable chronicle in the history of man. Bhimbetka has over 600 rock shelters from the Neolithic age.^Top
Executed mainly in red and white with the occasional use of green and yellow, with themes taken from the everyday events of aeons ago, the scenes usually depict hunting, dancing, music, horse and elephant riders, animals fighting, honey collection, decoration of bodies, disguises, masks and household scenes. Animals such as bisons, tigers, lions, wild boar, elephants, antelopes, dogs, lizards, crocodiles etc. have been abundantly depicted in some caves. Popular religious and ritual symbols also occur frequently.
The superimposition of paintings shows that the same canvas was used by different people at different times. The drawings and paintings can be classified under seven different periods:
Period I - (Upper Paleolithic): These are linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge figures of animals such as bisons, tigers and rhinoceroses.
Period ll - (Mesolithic): Smaller in size than the Paleolithic paintings, the paintings of this period show human figures along with the animals. Various kinds of scenes are depicted, and these paintings show us the kind of musical instruments and weapons that were used in those times.^Top
Period lll- (Chaleolithic): Again, as in the Mesolithic paintings, these paintings also tell us a lot about the life and activities of the people of these times. It seems that the cave dewellers of this region had established some kind of a contact with the agricultural communities of the Malwa region, and a form of a barter system had come into existance, to meet the requirements of everyone concerned. ^Top
Perlod IV & V - (Early Historic): The paintings of the early historic times show that religion had been incorporated into the life of the people. This is symbolised by the figures of yakshas, tree gods and magical sky chariots. These paintings have been done mainly in red, white and yellow colours, which makes them very eye catching.^Top
Period Vl & Vll - (Medieval): The paintings of the Medieval period are not as good as the ones of the earlier times and show that the artistic standards had gone down considerably.
The colours used by the cave dwellers were prepared by mixing manganese, haematite, soft red stone and wooden coal.Sometimes animal fat and extracts of leaves were also used in the mixture. The colours have remained intact for many centuries due to the chemical reaction caused by the oxide present on the surface of the rocks. ^Top
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