BHOJPUR, BHOPAL, MADHYA PRADESH

Bhojpur is a town of historical and religious importance in Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh, India. The Bhojpur Shiva Temple, or Bhojeshwar Temple, also known as Somanath of the East is an unfinished temple located at Bhojpur Village near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The Bhojeshwar Temple located near the Betwa River was founded by the legendary Parmar King of Dhar Raja Bhoj (1010-1055). A massive Shiva lingam rising to a height of 22 feet and made of a single block of polished stone is the main attraction in this ornate temple. The linga is one of the tallest in India. 

 


















The temple which has earned the nomenclature of the Somnath of the east, the Bhojeshwar Temple. The temple was never completed and the earthen ramp used to raise it to dome-level still stands. Had it been completed, it would have had very few rivals. As it is, even with the ravages of time, it remains one of the best examples of temple architecture of the 11th - 13th centuries.