Bhojpur
is a town of historical and religious importance in Raisen
District of Madhya Pradesh, India. Founded by the legendary Parmar King of Dhar, Raja Bhoj
(1010-1053), and named after him, Bhojpur, 28 km from Bhopal, is renowned for
the remains of its magnificent Shiva temple and Cyclopean dam.
The temple which has earned the nomenclature of the Somnath of the
east, is known as 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.
Bhojpur is famous for
the incomplete Bhojeshwar temple, which is dedicated to Shiva. The temple
houses the largest Shiva lingam in India, which is
5.5 m (18 ft) tall and 2.3 m (7.5 ft) in circumference and
is crafted out a single rock.