Bhopal : a city is born
- Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, came into existence in the 11th century between 1000 and 1055.
- The illustrious scholar king Bhoj of the Parmara dynasty constructed two beautiful lakes.
- He then established his capital city around them and named it Bhojpal after himself.
- This Bhojpal is now known as Bhopal.
- Gradually the Parmaras declined in power. Consequently, the city was ransacked several times and finally faded away into obscurity.
- BHOJPUR
- Apart from the lakes, Raja Bhoj also constructed a huge rock temple of Lord Shiva at Bhojpur village, 40 kms from Bhopal.
- This temple is popularly known as Bhojpur temple.
- It is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and has a 'shivling' over 20 feet high.
- The temple is today managed by Archeological Survey of India, which has successfully restored some of the original glory of the temple.
- The temple has earned the title of "Somnath of the East".
- BHIMBETKA
- Close to Bhopal at Bhimbetka are pre-historic caves, discovered in 1957 by the famous archaeologist Shri V.S. Vakankar
- There are roughly 1000 caves at this site.
- These caves preserve fascinating paintings dating back to Paleolithic times.
- Experts have concluded that these are as old as the ones at Pyrenees, an area in France believed to have 10,000-year-old prehistoric caves.
- Bhimbetka is probably one of the earliest human dwellings.
- The excavations at Bhimbetka reveal a cultural sequence which has its origin in the late Stone Age and continues upto the early historical period.
- Today Bhimbetka is a world-famous tourist destination, declared as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
- SANCHI
- Situated about 46 kms north of Bhopal.
- It has the unique distinction of having specimens of almost all kinds of Buddhist architectural forms - Stupas, Chaityas, Temples, Monasteries and Pillars.
- The Sanchi Hill works up in shelves.
- The lower shelf houses Stupa 2.
- The middle shelf includes Stupa 1, Stupa 3, a 5th century Gupta temple No. 17 and a 7th century temple No. 18.
- Finally, the apex of the hill is crowned by a monastery.
- Sanchi has also been declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
- Needless to say, it is one of the most important pilgrimage centres for Buddhists the world over.
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