BHOPAL CITY

Population : over 15,00,000.

Languages : Hindi, Hindustani, Urdu,Sindhi and English

Best Time to Visit : Post Monsoon--October-March

STD Codes : 91-755

Bhopal is the capital of the central Indian State of Madhya Pradesh. The city is also called the City of Lakes because of the two picturesque lakes that are situated in the heart of the city. Bhopal's natural beauty gets accentuated by undulating surfaces and plenty of green cover, Bhopal is also famous for its mosques. The Taj-ul-Masjid in Bhopal is the largest mosque of India. Bhopal is also known, rather unfortunately, for 1984 Gas Disaster, caused by the leakage of deadly poisonous gas from the local Union Carbide pesticide plant. Bhopal lies along the slopes of a sandstone ridge, which is a part of the Malwa plateau. The weather in Bhopal during summers (April-June) is very hot. Winters (November-February) are cooler and pleasant. The Monsoon season stretches between July and September.

Places of Interest

Bhopal has Taj-ul-Masjid, the largest mosque in India. The Jama Masjid and the Moti Masjid are other important mosques built by the local Begums in the 19th century. Shaukat Mahal and Sadar Manzil, located in the heart of the old walled city, are other important tourist attractions. While Shaukat Mahal is a mixture of Indo-Islamic and European style of architecture, Sadar Manzil is a hall, which was used by the local rulers for public audience. Today it houses the offices of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation.

Bhopal is also famous for the multi-arts complex--Bharat Bhavan. The Manav Sangrahalaya (the Museum of Man), on Shamala hills, is another torusit attraction. it has an open-air museum depicting tribal dwellings, from all parts of India. The Upper Lake has world class infrastructure for boating and sailing. The Government Museum on Shamla Hill, Van Vihar National Park near the Upper Lake, and the Aquarium are other places worth visiting within the city. The Lakshmi Narayan Temple (or the Birla Mandir) on Arera Hill is another site to be visited.

Sites near Bhopal

Bhopal has a number of historical places around it. Sanchi, 46 km northeast of Bhopal, is world famous for its Buddhist monuments including the great Sanchi Stupa.Islamnagar, 11 km from Bhopal, is famous for its buildings made by Dost Mohammed. Twenty-eight kilometer southeast of Bhopal is the ancient city of Bhojpur. Forty-five kilometers south of Bhopal are the famous Bhimbetka caves known for their prehistoric paintings.

HOW TO REACH

Bhopal airport is 12 km from the Old City and one can either take taxi or auto-rickshaw to reach there. Indian Airlines now called Indian, operates daily flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Indore. The main bus station is on the Hamidia Road. Bhopal is also connected with other cities by road. Bhopal is also an important railway station as it is on the main Delhi-Chennai route. The city is also well linked to Mumbai, Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi and Ujjain by train.

PLACES TO STAY

There are a number of hotels and lodges in Bhopal to cater to all sorts of travelers. Most of the hotels are clustered on Hamidia Road, in the Old city. One can find cheap, medium and high-end accommodation in the hotels across Bhopal. Some of the good hotels in the city are: Jehan Numa Palace, Noor-Us-Sabah, Hotel Lake View Asoka, Palash Residency, and Amer Palace.