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Bhopal
Excursion
[ Jama Masjid | Shaukat Mahal and
Sadar Manzil | Taj-ul-Masjid | Gohar
Mahal | Bharat Bhavan | Moti Masjid
| Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya |
Government Archaeological Museum | Laxmi
Narayan Temple and Museum | Van Vihar | Chowk
| Upper and Lower Lakes | Aquarium
| Regional Science Centre | Islamnagar
| Raisen | Delawadi | Ginnorgarh
]
Jama Masjid
The Gold spikes seem to crown the minarets of this beautiful
mosque built in 1837 by Kudsia Begum who was the devout wife of
the ruler of Bhopal.
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Shaukat Mahal
and Sadar Manzil
Situated at the entrance to the Chowk area in the heart of the walled
city, Shaukat Mahal is an architectural curiosity. Its mixture of
styles in Occidental idioms sets it apart from the predominantly
Islamic architecture of the area. A Frenchman, said to be a descendent
of an offshoot of the Bourbon Kings of France, designed it. Post
Renaissance and Gothic styles are combined to charming effect here.
Nearby is the elegant once-opulent Sadar Manzil, Hall of Public
Audience, of the former rulers of Bhopal.
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Taj-ul-Masjid
The Taj-ul-Masjid
is one of the largest mosques in Asia. Nawab Shahjehan Begum, Bhopal's
eight ruler, built this pink mosque. The work of the mosque was
incomplete on her death and the construction could only resume in
1971 cause of lack of funds. This mosque is built around a courtyard,
with a large tank in the centre and with an imposing double storeyed
gateway with 4 recessed archways and 9 imposing cusped multifoiled
openings in the main prayer hall.
The most striking features of the mosque are the impressive main
hall with its inter-arched roof; the three white domes and the two
white domed massive minarets. Its broad facade, spacious courtyard
and smooth marble floors are impressive. The Quibla wall in the
prayer hall is carved with 11 recessed arches, while the mimber
is made of black basalt. A three-day 'Ijtima', a congregation of
Muslims in India, held here annually, draws people from all over
the country.
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Gohar Mahal
Situated behind the Shaukat Mahal on the banks of the Upper Lake
is the Gohar Mahal, which is an architectural gem dating back to
the times of Kudsia Begum, also known as Gohar Begum, who built
this sprawling palace in 1820. The Mahal is a magnificent expression
of the fusion of Hindu and Mughal architecture.
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Bharat Bhawan
Established in 1982, Bharat Bhawan a center for the creative and
performing arts is one of the most unique national institutes in
India. Designed by the renowned architect Charles Correa and located
in the Shamla hills on the banks of a lake, it is regarded as one
of the most important centres for the preservation of traditional
folk art. The contours of Bharat Bhawan merge in exquisite harmony
with the landscape creating a visual impact of spacious and natural
elegance.
The center houses a museum of the arts, an art gallery, a workshop
for fine arts, a repertory theatre, indoor and outdoor auditoriums,
rehearsal room, and libraries of Indian poetry, classical and folk
music.They are: Rupankar, this is a museum that has contemporary
urban, folk and art of aboriginals. It also has a ceramic workshop,
lithographic workshop and facilities for stone craft and metal casting.
Rangmandal, where numerous plays and stage shows are held. It
also has a rich library and play museum.
Vagartha, it is a centre of Indian poetry and provides an excellent
platform to the writers for interaction through lecture, recitation,
translation and publication. It has a rich collection of the ancient
and contemporary poetry.
Anhad, this is a center for Indian classical and folk music organizing
programmes of top musicians.
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Moti Masjid
Also
known as the Pearl Mosque, this mosque is architecturally similar
to Delhi's Jama Masjid. And Sikander Jehan, the daughter of Kudsia
Begum built this imposing mosque, in 1860.
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Indira Gandhi
Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya
This is a unique Museum, spread over 200 acres of undulating land
on the Shamla Hills on the Upper Lake front. It is situated in a
prehistoric site and may be the only museum in the world strewn
with numerous prehistoric painted rock shelters. It is a post colonial
museum of communities rather than objects, dedicated to in situ
revitalization of local knowledge systems and life enhancing traditions
rather than ex situ display of objects. It is engaged in recollection
rather than collection. The museum display has been curated directly
by the folk and tribal communities, camping at site, to create a
miniature presentation of Indian folk ways through display of ecospecific
habitations & subsistance practices in the tribal, coastal,
desert, and Himalayan habitats. The library, audio-visual archive,
computerised documentation and the collection of ethnographic specimens
in the Museum though modest in size are among the best in the world.
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Government Archaeological
Museum
Situated to the south of the lower lake, on the Banganga road, this
Museum has a fine collection of sculptures from various parts of
Madhya Pradesh. The collections include paintings of various schools,
copies of paintings from the Bagh Caves near Mandu and the statues
of Alakshmi and the Buddha. Museum shop sells stone figure copies.
Fine collections of sculptures are on display here from various
parts of Madhya Pradesh.
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Laxmi Narayan
Temple and Museum
Also known as Birla Mandir, this beautiful Vaishnavite temple on
the Arera Hills has an excellent museum attached to it which houses
a collection of sculptures from Raisen, Sehore, Mandsour and Shahdol
districts of Madhya Pradesh. The stone sculptures are mainly of
Vishnu, Siva and their consorts and incarnations. There is also
a small selection of terracotta exhibits from Kausambi.
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Van Vihar
This safari park, comprising of an area of 445 hectares is located
on a hill adjacent to the Upper Lake. It has a rich variety of animals
and birds. Hence, in these natural surroundings, wildlife watchers
can view a variety of herbivorous and carnivorous species.
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Chowk
Located in the heart of the city, the Chowk is lined with old mosques,
havelis, and reminders of a bygone era. The shops in its narrow
alleys are treasure troves of traditional Bhopali crafts like silver
jewellery, exquisitely fashioned beadwork, embroidered and sequined
velvet fashioned purses and cushions. An excellent place for purchasing
traditional crafts.
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Upper and Lower
Lakes
The legendary Raja Bhoj is credited with the construction of these
two lakes. The Upper Lake, which is 6-sq. km. in area, is divided
from the Lower by an over bridge. Madhya Pradesh Tourism's, Yacht
Club on the Upper and Lower Lakes provide facilities for exciting
trips by sail, paddle and motorboats.
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Aquarium
Facing
the Lower Lake, the fish-shaped aquarium houses a number of fascinating
species of fish in all shapes and sizes.
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Regional Science
Centre
This is basically a science museum, located on the picturesque Shamala
Hills, Regional Science Centre houses about 300 participatory exhibits
distributed equally in 'Invention' & 'Fun Science' galleries,
and a 'taramandal' (Planetarium).
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Islamnagar
Islamnagar was the palace of Bhopal's Afghan rulers and was built
by Dost Mohammed Khan and it is locaed 11 km away on the Bhopal-Berasia
road. Conventional gardens surround the palace and the pavilion.
The pavilion, a synthesis of the Hindu and Islamic decorative art,
has columns lavishly embellished with floral motifs. Other monuments
to see are the Hamam of the Chaman Mahal and the double-storied
Rani Mahal.
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Raisen
45 km from Bhopal is the ancient fort of Raisen on the Bhopal-Sagar
road. The fort was built in the early 6th century. It is situated
on a high hill. The fort was under the famous Hindu king Rai Puran
Mal before it was seized by Sher Shah and brought under the Afghan
control.
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Delawadi
This place is situtated 62 km from Bhopal in a lovely forest glade.
Delawadi is a picturesque picnic spot, rich in scenic splendor and
natural beauty.
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Ginnorgarh
The historical fort standing on an isolated hill about 1,127 metres
long and 266 metres broad is situated 3 km away from Delawadi. Though
bus is the easiest form of transport, but from Delawadi to the fort
traveling by foot is much interesting. The fort was once a stronghold
of Gonds, but fell to Mohammad of the Bhopal State.
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Festivals
Lokrang
On the auspicious event of the Republic Day celebrations,
a five-day festival of tribal and folk is held by the performing
arts in Bhopal. This festival is entirely based on the rich folk
tradition of the estate and the country and is known as Lokrang.
This festival is particularly focused on single geographical and
geo-cultural unit of the country besides Madhya Pradesh State's
own.
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Information on Tours & Travel excursion of Bhopal city of Madhya
Pradesh - India
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