RAMPARTS OF FATEHGARH FORT, BHOPAL, MADHYA PRADESH

Ramparts of Fatehgarh fort, Bhopal was architecture of the fort is largely Indian. (Begums of Bhopal’ by Shaheryar Khan). It is said that the Fatehgarh fort was built by Dost Mohhamad Khan in 1722. (‘The Royal Journey of Bhopal’ by SyedAkhtar Hussain’). Under the pressure of Dost Mohammad Khan to marry him,Rani Kamlapati committed suicide in 1723. (‘Banganga Se Halali’ by NiranjanVerma). There is no evidence of her giving up Bhopal until her death. Dost Mohammad Khan died in 1726.

Queen Kamlapati of Bhopal made the mostfatal mistake of hiring Dost Mohammad Khan for avenging the death of her husband. After killing her enemies, Khan killed her trusted bodyguards and left her with no options, but suicide. After her death, he renamed her fort ‘Fatehgarh’. However he renamed the fort on the name of his wife, a Rajput girl called Fateh Bibi. Fatehgarh Fort is the largest of living heritage sites in Bhopal.

A very large part of the fort is now in use by Kasturba Gandhi Medical College Bhopal. The residential quarters of the fort, including the royal balcony overlooking the upper lake and the city are used as a rest house and fort medical college. The main gate of the fort is adjacent to the Hamidia hospital and is used as a medical store now.

VIP ROAD, (RAJA BHOJ MARG), BHOPAL

"Statue of Raja Bhoj at VIP Road, Bhopal now known as Bhoj Marg."

Raja Bhoj, a king of the Parmar dynasty, was marked by the unveiling of 32 feet high gigantic statue of the ruler along the embankment of the Upper Lake, the lifeline of Bhopal. The 32-feet high statue which weighs seven tonnes is made up of gunmetal and bell metal and has incurred a cost of Rs. 27 lakhs. It took two months time to manufacture the statue. Its base is 12 feet and was installed on 10 feet high “Burj” (bastion) in the Upper Lake.

It may be mentioned here that the Madhya Pradesh State Government has dedicated 2011 to Raja Bhoj millennium year.

BHIMBETKA CAVES (BHIMBETKA ROCK SHELTERS), BHOPAL

The Bhimbetka Caves are situated just 46 km from Bhopal. This is archaeological World Heritage site located in Raisen District in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and they are surrounded by the northern limits of Vindhya mountain Range. As the legend goes, these hills got their name after Bhima, one of the five Pandava brothers. The name 'Bhim-bet-ka' means 'where Bhim sat down'. The name Bhimbetka is associated with Bhima, a hero-deity renowned for his immense strength, from the epic Mahabharata. The word Bhimbetka is said to derive from Bhimbaithka, meaning "sitting place of Bhima".  

There are more than 600 caves that have the collection of oldest prehistoric paintings in India. These caves were found by Dr. V.S Wakankar, the famous Indian archaeologists in the year 1958. It took around 16 years to excavate the entire area covered by these caves. Although there are more than 600 caves, only 12 are open for tourists at the moment, but they show you the best paintings that are there in all other caves. And out of the 24 world heritage sites that have been recognized by UNESCO in India, Bhimbetka caves are the oldest one.

There are many interesting facts about these caves. These caves had been used as a shelter by people from the earliest of periods. Thus, you will find paintings of all periods starting from Paleolithic era to medieval era. The paintings turn out to be a mirror showing evolution of humanity through time. The style of the paintings of separate periods is so different that you can easily differentiate between them. The paintings of Paleolithic age are huge linear figures of animals like tigers, bears and rhinoceroses. As the time passed, the paintings became smaller, shapely and more precise. The paintings now depicted the daily chores of people like hunting and dancing. Slowly the artistry from raw art turned into religious images showing the change in the mindset. The oldest painting here is said to be around 12,000 years old, whereas the most recent is around 1000 years old. The colors used by the cave dwellers, were prepared by combining manganese, hematite, soft red stone and wooden coal. The paintings over the years have stayed unharmed by nature due to the reaction between the chemicals present in rocks and the color. Even animal fat and plant leaves were used in the mixture.

These caves have now become one of the most popular attractions in Bhopal. You can plan a day’s excursion to experience the relics on the walls of the caves, admire the solitude and spend a day in wonderment exploring the fascinating history of the ancient times.

SHAUKAT MAHAL AND SADAR MANZIL , BHOPAL

The Shaukat Mahal and Sadar Manzil displays a combination of Asian and Western styles of architecture which makes this building stand out in the crowd of the traditional Islamic architecture of Bhopal.  The Shaukat Mahal and Sadar Manzil is situated at the entrance to the Chowk area in the heart of the city. The Shaukat Mahal and Sadar Manzil are two architectural curiosities of Bhopal. The Mahal is a blend of both oriental and occidental styles of architecture. The Mahal is supposed to have been designed by a decadent Frenchman who claimed to be a descendant of the Bourbon Dynasty of France. The building is very different from the rest of the Islamic architecture in the vicinity. The Shaukat  Mahal is flanked by the Sadar Manzil which served as a Hall of Public Audience during the princely period. This brick-red building has an ostentatious appearance, and the gardens that surround the palace makes the Manzil look as pretty as a postcard.

Shaukat Mahal is architecturally something of an oddity amongst the Islamic themed monuments in the walled city. It is rather western in its design, given by a Frenchman who was supposedly descended from the Bourbons of France. It combines Gothic influences with a Post Renaissance sensibility, and this combined with Islamic features offers quite a unique picture. You may also pay a little visit to the Sadar Manzil, once the Hall of Public Audience of the erstwhile rulers of Bhopal, now head office of the municipal corporation.

How to reach Shaukat Mahal and Sadar Manzil -

The Shaukat Mahal and Sadar Manzil is located at the entrance of the Chowk area, in the center of the city. It is easily reached by all modes of transport inside the city.

TOMB OF NAWAB SIDDIQ HASAN, BHOPAL

This marble tomb of Nawab Siddique Hasan, the second husband of Nawab Shahjahan Begum, was built by the Begum in 1890. Nawab Siddique Hasan was well versed in Arabic, Persian and Urdu and was renowned as a scholar. The design of the lattice screen around the grave is of particular interest. Near Bhopal Talkies Square in the Old City ,The Marble made Tomb of late Nawab Siddiqui Hasan is located .

 

Nawab Siddiqui Hasan was a great historian and a great literary person of his time .It is now said that during his time no other literary person was found of his status in India. He was a scholar not only of Arbi but also of French and Urdu.

KANHA FUN CITY, BHOPAL, MADHYA PRADESH

Kanha Fun City is situated at Bhopal the capital of Madhya Pradesh It is on NH 12 between Bhopal & Hoshangabad. It is about 14 Kms from Bhopal towards Hoshangabad. Kanha Fun City is the biggest Amusement/Waterpark in Central India. It is built in 14 acres of land.

Kanha Fun City was founded by Shree Om Prakash Patidar in year 2000 as a one-stop entertainment, relaxation and celebration place for people of all age groups. Today, we are proud to have the largest amusement and water park in Central India. Whether you are children, youth or senior citizen, we have something special for every age group.

Fun Facilities-

• Amusement Park
• Water Park
• Motel
• Marriage Garden
• Pavalion Lawn/Village Lawn
• Jalpari Water Park

Contact Details-

Contact Person- Mr. B. M. Patidar

Phone No.- +91-2499463, 2499464, 2426501 

Corporate Office- +91-755-2426301 

Mobile- +91-9826989744

E-mail- info@kanhafuncity.com

Website- http://kanhafuncity.com/default.html

Address- Kanha's Fun City , Rukmani Amusement Ltd., Hoshangabad Road, Ratanpur, Bhopal – 462004, Madhya Pradesh, India.

RAM MANDIR, BHOPAL

Ram temple (राम मंदिर) of Bhopal situated at Berkhera BHEL area. Governed and Maintained by Bharti Samaj.

Address- B – Sector, BHEL Area, Berkhera, Bhopal- 462022, Madhya Pradesh, India.

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.

VIDHAN SABHA (LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY), BHOPAL MADHYA PRADESH

The Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha (Hindi: मध्य प्रदेश विधान सभा) or the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The seat of the Vidhan Sabha is at Bhopal, the capital of the state. It is housed in the Vidhan Bhavan.  The Vidhan Bhavan was inaugurated on: 3rd Aug 1996. The Vidhan Bhavan is a huge building, covering an area of more than 32,000 sq. metres of built space (10.24 Hectares - 25.26 Acrs). 

The architect of Vidhan Sabha was Mr. Charles Correa and landscape architect was Mr. Kishore Pradhan. The Engineer was Mr. S. K. Murthy, the Structural Engineer was Mr. Mahendra Raj and the Acoustic Engineers was Mr. Gautam Suri. The decorator of Vidhan Sabha was Mr. Satish Madhiwala.  The total cost of this Vidhan Sabha project was 56.00 Crores INR. Seeing the form taken by the normal run of Government architecture, the Vidhan Bhawan could have degenerated into a lump of heavy dough perched on a hill. In point of fact viewed from any point of the compass the Vidhan Bhavan impresses by its light footedness and efferverscence.

History of Vidhan Sabha-

The history of Madhya Pradesh legislature can be traced back to 1913, as the Cenral Provinces Legislative Council was formed on 8 November of this year. Later, the Government of India Act 1935 provided for the elected Central Provinces Legislative assembly. The first elections to the Central Provinces Legislative Assembly were held in 1937.

After Indian independence in 1947, the erstwhile province of Central Provinces and Berar along with a number of princely states merged with the Indian Union became a new state, Madhya Pradesh. The strength of the legislative assembly of this state was 184.

The present-day Madhya Pradesh state came into existence on 1 November 1956 following the reorganization of states. It was created by merging the erstwhile Madhya Pradesh (without the Marathi speaking areas, which were merged with Bombay state), Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal states. The strengths of the legislative assemblies of Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal were 79, 48 and 23 respectively. On 1 November 1956 the legislative assemblies of all four erstwhile states were also merged together to form the reorganized Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. The tenure of this first Vidhan Sabha was very short, it was dissolved on 5 March 1957.

The first elections to the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha were held in 1957 and the second Vidhan Sabha was constituted on 1 April 1957. Initially, the strength of the Vidhan Sabha was 288 which was later enhanced to 321, including one nominated member. On 1 November 2000, a new state, Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh state. As a result, the strength of the Vidhan Sabha was reduced to 231, including a nominated member. The present house, the Thirteenth Vidhan Sabha was constituted on 11 December 2008.

STATUS

Seat of Government - Bhopal

Executive Governor - Rameshwar Thakur

Chief Minister - Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Legislature

Speaker - Ishwar Das Rohani

Deputy Speaker - Harvansh Singh

Members in Assembly - 231

Judiciary

High Court - Madhya Pradesh High Court

Chief Justice - Syed Rafat Alam

Contact Details- 

Website- http://mpvidhansabha.nic.in/

Address- Arera Hills, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.

THE STATE ARCHAEOLIGICAL MUSEUM, BHOPAL

The State Archaeological Museum of Madhya Pradesh was earlier known as Bhopal Museum. It was during the reign of Nawab Shah Jehan Begum (1868-1901) that a serious effort was made to collect rare objects for the Museum. It was inaugurated in November 2005 and is housed in a new majestic building. It is located near the Museum of Man and the Regional Science Centre. The Archaeological Museum in Bhopal houses a splendid collection of sculptures brought from various parts of the state. 

The State Museum, Bhopal is the treasure house of antiquities such as coins, excavated artifacts like terracotta articles, sculpture, and paintings of the most significant historical sites around the region. The State Museum of Bhopal exhibits a splendid collection of the antiques retrieved from various excavated sites of Madhya Pradesh. The State Museum, Bhopal is devoted to archeology. The State Museum of Bhopal also exhibits the samples of the beautiful carvings of Khajuraho's romantic couples. Apart from this the State Museum at Bhopal harbors 87 Jain bronzes that are retrieved from Dhar, an excavated site of Madhya Pradesh whose origination dated back to the Paramara Dynasty of 12th century.

The paintings belonging to different period, the handicrafts of the tribal’s, the musical instruments, the figurines and other important artifacts having historical significance are displayed in different departments of the Bhopal State Museum. The various archaeological findings exhibited in the State Museum at Bhopal illustrated the rich cultural history of Madhya Pradesh.

Museum Opening Hour-

10 A.M. to 5 P.M except on Mondays and Government holidays.

Contact Detail-

 

Address- Banganga Marg,Near Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, india.