Madhya Pradesh

The name of Madhya Pradesh means ‘central province’. With Bhopal as capital, it is the second largest state in India by area. It was the largest until 2000, when the state of Chhattisgarh was created. Khajuraho with its amazing temples is one of the must-see towns in Mahya Pradesh. For the more mystically inclined, there are also two Jyotir Lingams, or lingams of light, to be visited.

Khajuraho

Khajuraho, a small village in Madhya Pradesh, is famous for its sumptuous temples, built under the Chandela dynasty and listed as Unesco World Heritage. They are famous all over the world for their relief sculptures of the “art of love”…

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Chitrakoot

People don’t come by chance to this ‘city of wonders’. It is a busy, buzzing pilgrimage town vibrating to the sound of the mantra ‘Ram Ram Sita Ram’. The legend goes that Lord Rama, his spouse Sita and his brother Lakshmana spent 11 years in exile in the dense forests of Chitrakoot. In ancient times many saints and poets chose also this place as their home…

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Orchha

What’s astonishing at Orchha is that such a small town, nestling peacefully beside the river Betwa, should have so many sumptuous buildings. But once upon a time Orchha was the capital of a flourishing kingdom ruled by the Bundela kings…

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Gwalior

Gwalior, the fourth largest town in the State of Madhya Pradesh, owes its fame to the fort, perched atop a 300ft hill, which the Moghul emperor Babur called “the pearl amongst the fortresses of Hind”. Gwalior is also known as a cultural centre and home of both the famous poet and musician Tansen and a renowned gharana or school of classical Hindustani music…

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Indore

The town of Indore, which was once a village at the confluence of the Khan and Saraswati rivers, is the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh. It is renowned for its historic monuments, reflecting a glorious past under the patronage of the queen Ahilya Bai Holkar. Indore lies equidistant from two major Hindu pilgrimage sites, the Jyotir Lingam temples at Ujjain and Omkareshwar…

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Omkareshwar

Omkareshwar is one of India’s holiest cities. It is the home of “the Lord of the sound Om“, one of the 12 Jyotir Lingams or “lingams of light”. At Omkareshwar the river Narmada divides into two channels around an island called Shivapuri. The island is said to be in the shape of Hinduism’s symbolic syllable “OM” (ॐ) – whence the name Omkareshwar…

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Ujjain

Ujjain stands on the right bank of the Shipra, an affluent of the Ganges. It is one of the oldest holy cities in India. Its various names are Avantika, Pratikalpa, Kanakasrnga, Amaravati, Shivapuri, Chudamani, Kumudvati and also Ujjainyini, “he who conquers with pride”, because it is said to be the place where Shiva triumphed over the demon Tripura…

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Bhojpur (Bhojeshwar Temple)

Bhojeshwar is an uncompleted Hindu temple in Bhojpur village, 28km from Bhopal. It is dedicated to Shiva and houses a 2m lingam, one of the tallest in India. A huge, rough, blocky structure from afar, the temple reveals its delicacy as you approach. It is one more monument in India’s long list of architectural wonders…

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Sanchi

Sanchi, a small village 46km northeast of Bhopal, is famous for its splendid group of Buddhist monuments, some of which date back to the 3rd century BCE. It is the oldest Buddhist sanctuary in existence and remained a major centre of Buddhism in India until the 12th century…

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Bhopal

Bhopal is the capital of Madhya Pradesh. Alone among the princely states of India, it was ruled by a succession of four Moslem queens, the Begums, from 1819 to 1926. The Begums made considerable infrastructure investments in Bhopal, including its railway network. There are not many vestiges of Bhopal’s history, but a trip to the region is worthwhile for the Bhojpur, Sanchi and Bhimbekta sites alone…

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