Do you remember the catchy jingle of MP tourism ” Hindustan ka Dil Dekho? This ad has lasted the test of time and has ever since motivated me to take a trip to Madhya Pradesh(MP). I have attached the YouTube link to refresh our memories. This blog is dedicated to the “Dil- The heart of India” which I am covering over a long weekend. So please join me in my expedition to Bhopal, the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bhimbetka and the Stupa of Sanchi. I hope you will enjoy it!

A lot of us are sceptical to travel with our old parents over a short duration anticipating exhaustion. I think unless there is a mobility challenge, it is more of a mental block and lack merit for a debate. On this tour, I travelled with my parents, my little daughter and my spouse. As an additional challenge, I was in a bit of a financial crunch and thus had to be calculative all the way. As a travel addict, my passion for travel overcomes all other concerns, which is surely a huge advantage but I sincerely believe that if I can take up a weekend trip so can everyone else!

Key Facts about Bhopal:

• Bhopal is very well connected by Rail, Road and Air
• It is approximately 660 Kms from Mumbai by Air and 775 Kms by road
• Bhopal is known as the City of Lakes where Upper and Lower lake are the prominent ones. Apart from this, there are other Lakes and numerous small water bodies in this wonderful city
• Locals believe that the city derived its name from Raja Bhoj, the ruler of Malwa
• The best time to visit is from Nov to Feb as the weather is cold and pleasant. However, hotel tariffs are the cheapest in summer and that’s when I took up this trip

Day 1 Itinerary:

• Reach Bhopal early morning
• Visit Van Vihar
• Check in to the hotel and spend the day in leisure

We booked a 6 PM Sleeper A/C bus from Mumbai run by a private operator, through RedBus a popular portal for bus ticket booking. I would have preferred driving had I not been on budget as this was the cheapest mode of transportation. Also, none of us thankfully encounters motion sickness or disturbed sleep, in a moving bus, thus decision making was easy. The bus covers the journey in the night allowing the next whole day at our disposal in Bhopal. When this plan was still in my mind I was equally concerned like many of you think; that it might be tiresome for my parents to travel in this manner. However, when I discussed it with them they gleefully agreed. This is how parents are and to them travelling together is more important than the mode of travel. Please think about this!

The next morning we reached the Bhopal bus terminus at 7 AM. According to myself, breakfast is the most important ritual and on a family holiday, it ought to be special. It was my moral obligation to make it extra special by taking my family to a good restaurant. As I pondering about the venue I overheard my mother announcing the cleanliness and hygiene of the washroom. All four of us ( except my daughter) looked at each other and nodded in agreement to get fresh and deciding to meet asap at the same rendezvous point

I was the first one to get back to the rendezvous point. So I quickly dialled a colleague of mine from Bhopal and he recommended Manohar Dairy and Restaurant, which is located 600 metres from the bus terminal. We are a family of light traveller, and after answering nature’s call all of us felt light on our feet too. So, with alacrity in the heart in anticipation of a stupendous breakfast, we walked straight to the restaurant.

We initially started with Idli, Vada but soon graduated to Dosa, Poha and what not. I ordered a glass of Masala buttermilk and was so overwhelmed by its richness that I asked the waiter to fill up my spare water bottle with it. This smart act will help us during the day to stay hydrated as you will soon find out. The waiter recommended that the sweets are their speciality and I decided not to disappoint him. Our innings with sweets started with 2 Kaju Barfi to be shared among all of us. This miserly act instigated my sweet tooth to demand more. Therefore, we ordered 4 Rasmalai and finished them with an alarming speed before signing off from the breakfast table, fearing that we would go on….

Van Vihar

• Timing of the Park: 6 AM to 7 AM in Summers and 6.30 AM to 06.30 PM in Winters
• Entry Fees: Indians- Rs 20/-, Foreigners- Rs 200/-, Extras for Camera and vehicle
• The cycle can be hired at Rs 10/- per hour with a security deposit of Rs 50/-, which will be adjusted at the end of the trip
• The Safari trip is conducted by the Zoo officials. The cost is just Rs 50/- per person
• Recommended duration- 2-3 Hours

Our first destination for the day was Van Vihar. This is Zoo and a National park, which basically mean that the animals are in captivity although in their natural habitat. A true animal lover will never like to see their friends in a zoo but in reality, things are never in an idealistic state. The main attraction is the Tiger which I found to be marketed well through large sized posters. This magnificent animal thrills one and all for its prowess, agility and beauty and thus make sense to make it the Showstopper to draw crowds.

The Van Vihar is spread across 4. 45 sq Km and thus advisable to have a vehicle unless one has the whole day at leisure. Keeping this in mind I hired a Uber Rental sitting at my breakfast table. The concept of booking a Cab through cab aggregators has become very popular in India, due to the convenience of a single platform to book and pay. Nowadays, I frequently use this service as this allows me to not worry about carrying my luggage around. Also, the avoidance of bargaining to hire a cab/auto from a tourist spot helps in conserving a lot of energy.

For those who are yet to catch up, let me try and explain. You can book a cab through your mobile app of the ride aggregator of your choice. The GPS tracker helps the driver to reach your location without any phone call. Personally, I have struggled multiple times trying to direct my cab driver in a new city, and thus this utility has been a lifesaver for me. Additionally, the Rental option allows booking a ride for a specific number of hours. Within that time there are no restrictions on the number of stops. Finally, the tariff of the tour is calculated basis the number of hours and the distance travelled, which in most cases are pretty reasonable.

If I was travelling alone I would have taken an Autorickshaw to the Gate of the Park and hired a cycle. There is no better way to visit a zoo on a bicycle as it’s pollution-free and the cheapest mode of transportation. There are designated zones to spot specific animals described through strategically placed signboards. After a point, I started walking through the pathway as I was tired of getting in and out of the SUV’s last seat.

I spotted a lot of deers very close to the net. Deers are extremely careful animals and this behaviour caught me by surprise. As I started observing closely, I realised they are overcome by the greed of junk foods that tourists throw nonchalantly inside the enclosure. People fail to understand that their noble intentions are very harmful to the animals. In fact, a young couple was feeding Lays chips to the deers and when I tried to counsel about its danger I was sternly asked to mind my own business. I am sure my readers are not as naive and not only understand the concern I am raising but will deter ignorant folks from committing it

With a heavy heart and praying that no harm should come to the innocent animals I moved ahead. We spotted the Indian Sambar deer, Leopards, Wild dogs, Jackals, a troop of monkeys and a lot of birds. One of the forest guards informed me that most of the animals are orphan and are rehabilitated here for their upbringing. Isn’t that a matter of pride for all residents of Bhopal?

I was the last one to arrive at the Tiger enclosure as I was walking while the others were moving in the vehicle. From a distance, I could see the frown on my daughter’s face and knew something was amiss. As soon as I reached she vented out her disappointment of not able to spot a tiger for 15 long minutes. I smiled at her innocence and explained that Tigers move around quite a bit and given the size of the park we should be able to spot it soon. As soon as I finished the statement, we spotted some movement behind one of the bushes. With bated breath, we all waited and out he came and stared straight at us as if with a smile.

There is something majestic about a tiger. The gaiety, the carefree attitude has a romance to it. The mere presence made us admire its beauty and feel so excited. The sheer thought of the Tiger posing for my camera is giving me goosebumps as I am writing this blog. I am not going to forget this moment in my lifetime. We waited till it moved out of sight and then bid farewell to our new friend with a wish of seeing him once again

Given our budgetary constraint, we decided we will stay 1 night in a budget hotel and the next night in a luxury hotel so that we can feel pampered as the tour comes to an end. Thus, we started for OYO Flagship 23530 Smriti Star MP Nagar from Van Vihar. While admiring the beautiful city of Bhopal I casually asked Sujeet (Uber Rider) if he knows someone who runs Tours and Travel. It turned out he himself runs a small travel company. Thus, I enquired whether he will be interested to take us to Bhimbetka the next day and he readily agreed.

With the logistics set for the next day, we decided to spend the remaining day at leisure. Given that my parents had a long bus journey I thought it would be wise to let them recuperate. In the evening my spouse, daughter and I surveyed the locality on foot trying to pick up local artefacts to be carried back home. Unfortunately, our luck did not support this endeavour but we discovered an Oriental restaurant called the Hong Kong Chinese restaurant. At least, the dinner helped us forget the disappointment of a failed quest of shopping! The food was delicious and thus we packet a special dish for my parents too. Good food leads to good sleep and that is exactly what happened on reaching back to our Hotel room

Day 2 Itinerary:

• Bhopal to Bhimbetka Rock Shelters
• Bhimbetka to Bhojpur
• Bhojpur to Hotel at Bhopal
• Fine dining at Bhopal

Checklists:

• Wear sports shoes and preferably avoid Slippers, Flip flop etc
• Carry at least 1 bottle of water for each person. Please avoid buying plastic water bottle instead to reduce single-use plastic waste. Keep yourself hydrated all through. I always have a steel water bottle in my backpack when I am travelling. Can you please try it out too?
• Please apply Sunscreen lotions and carry a cap/Hat as per your preference
• Please carry some light snacks, Cold drinks/ Juice, biscuits, chips as there are hardly any eateries.
• If you perspire a lot please carry a spare T-Shirt. Wear cotton clothes in summer.
• Please carry a hand towel. You can also carry Wet tissue, though I try and avoid it as it contains microplastics, which gets flushed to our oceans harming the marine animals

Distance and timelines:

• Bhopal to Bhimbetka Rock Shelter- 50 Kms; approximate driving time of 1 hrs 30 mins
• Bhimbetka to Bhojpur- 30 Kms; approximate driving time of 1 hr
• Bhojpur to Bhopal- 30 Kms; approximate driving time of 1 hr

Information on Bhimbetka Rock shelters:

• Entry tickets: Rs 10/- for Indian National and Rs 100/- for foreign national. Always check the site to know the latest update
• Entry timings: 06:30 AM to 05:30 PM
• Duration: 2 Hours approximate
• If you have mobility challenges due to old age or otherwise the trek can be a bit challenging. However, you can hire a motor ride through the rocks which can be a stop-gap arrangement

As planned, we started at 9 AM from Bhopal due to our new found friend Sujeet, who was extremely punctual. The road was quite mediocre and thus it takes 1 1/2 hrs. As we crossed the city the shops became quite spare and thus if you intend to pick food items, it is advisable to do it before you leave the city limits. As the popular songs of Kishore Kumar played in the Car stereo my thoughts went back to my early recollection of Bhimbetka from one of the adventures of Kakababu, a fictitious character created by Sunil Gangopadhyay in his works in Bengali.

For Bengalis, the Durga Puja is one of the greatest events and during these 4 days of festivities, the entire state comes to a standstill. For Bengalis reading is synonymous with Leisure and fortunately, I am no exception. During this time, almost all publication publishes their Puja special (Pujabarsikhi) just before the Puja. My personal favourite was and is the “Anandamela Pujabarshiki” whose target segment is primarily the children. In one of the Puja edition, I recollected a story wherein Kakababu arrives in Bhimbetka Rock shelters whose drawings are dated 30,000 years.

It was my first introduction to Bhimbetka thanks to Sunil Gangopadhyay and now my wish to visit here is about to come true. I was also fascinated by Sunil Gangopadhyay’s style of writing wherein he ensured a vivid description of a place. Similarly, I take inspiration from him and try to help my reader form an image of their own through my descriptions of a place. While I was still lost in my thoughts and desperately trying to recollect the name of the Novel, I was startled by a sudden shriek of my daughter! She was just happy that she can get out of the vehicle as we have reached Bhimbetka.

Bhimbetka has 760 Rock shelters and 500 of them found to have paintwork. The old paintings depict day to day life and are larger in size than the smaller newer ones (15,000 years) which touches the religious beliefs during that time. While researching I also learnt that there are distinct similarities between the paintings of Bhimbetka and the ones by the Bushmen of Kalahari. There is another school of thought that believes that Bhimbhetka was derived from “Bhimbhithka” or Bhima’s seat. Bhima was one of the brothers of Pandavas from Mahabharata, an epic we all have grown up listening to in India

Bhimbhetka is located in the foothills of the Vindhya mountain ranges inside a forest. The Rock shelters are around 600 meters above Sea level and spread of 100 metres in the surrounding plain. The hillocks are formed of sandstones in the Vindhyan supergroup, one of the oldest geological formations. These sedimentary rocks have been differently metamorphosed and turned into orthoquartzite. The outcrops with painted rock shelters run east-west for a length of more than 8 Kms. Its Eastern and Southern slopes are steep, while the Northern and Western slopes are gentle The hill is topped by a chain of dissected vertical tors rising sometimes up to 20 metres high that are eroded remnants of a former continuous rock mass- Courtesy- Signboard at Bhimetka

The excursion will start from Cave 15 and go up to Cave 1, which is spread about 250 metres. This stretch basically covers the most important artwork which is popular. Initially, I was sceptical if my parents would be able to trek through, but their enthusiasm acted as a catalyst to us. We were able to cover all these 15 shelters in spite of the challenging terrain. But with each difficult terrain, a new mystery of Bhimbetka came to light. As we finished this wonderful excursion all of us were really happy albeit quite tired. I wish this treasure trove can be promoted across the globe allowing visitors and scholar to visit this magnificent piece of history.

As we got into our vehicle we blasted the AC to cool ourselves down as our Rider, Sujeet started driving towards Bhojpur. After the trek, we were naturally a bit hungry and thus used the driving time to nibble in on our biscuits and chips. The next 1 hour passed away chatting about the experience in Bhimbetka amongst us. There were quite a large number of tourists and the road to the temple was jammed and thus we got down about 50 metres from the temple and walked up to the gate. The enormity of the temple structure comes alive as you move closer to the temple. Its not only huge but has a beautiful grandeur to it.

The Shiva temple in Bhojpur was built in the 11th century during the reign of King Bhoja in the village of Bhojpur. This temple is incomplete and the reason remains unknown to this day. What is strange is the lack of any construction material found in the temple premises. Nevertheless, the Temple attracts a lot of attention due to the huge Shiva Lingam inside the premises. The Lingam is made of three superimposed marble blocks which are 7.5 Ft in Length and 17.8 Ft in Circumference. The total height including the square platform is 40 ft and I could not believe my eyes when I actually witnessed it.

About 200 metres from the temple is a small museum dedicated to the history of the Bhojeswar Temple. It wonderfully illustrates the glorious empire of Raja Bhoj. The entry was free and it might be charged as it gets completely built. We finished the entire tour within 30 mins as the summer heat was becoming unbearable to continue on.

As we came out of the temple complex we spotted a lot of local food joints and was tempted to eat. So, I got into one of the shops and immediately felt as if I have entered a blast furnace and thus decided to skip the meal and rescued myself in the comfort of our vehicle. The voyage back to Bhopal was boring so I took a nap to make up for the time. This time Sujeet dropped us at our new Hotel, The Jehan Numa Palace and promised to be back the next day at 9 AM. It is one of the most hospitable hotels in Bhopal and we made the best use of it. To get rejuvenated I went for a swim and a Jacuzzi and was brimming with energy by the time of Dinner.

We had an option of in-house dining or going out. My parents again surprised me and declared that they do not mind going out. A little bit of google search made me take notice of a unique restaurant called the “Bhopal Express”. The restaurant is created in the form of a contemporary Rail coach with all the amenities of a fine dining restaurant. It is located on the campus of Hotel Lake View and was about 250 metres from our hotel. We had a good time with a lavish meal accompanied by lovely beverages and an overdose of laughter and conversation. Can there be a better way to end a day with your family sharing a meal together ?

Day 3 Itineary

• Bhopal to Sanchi Stupa
• Sanchi to visit to Bhopal lakes and back to hotel
• Take a overnight bus back to Mumbai

Checklists:

• Please carry 1 water bottle per person and drink to stay hydrated
• The entire Stupa area is well maintained and is easy to go around.
• Please wear comfortable cotton clothings if you visit in summer

Distance and timelines:

• Bhopal to Sanchi – 50 Kms, approximately driving time of 1 hr 30 minutes
• There are direct buses run by the MP State Transport which runs from Bhopal bus terminus
• Sanchi is also connected by rail, but better to avoid as road transport is the fastest

Information on Sanchi Stupa:

• Entry ticket: Adult Rs 40/-, Children below 15 gets free access. Foreigners: Rs 600/-
• Timing: Sunrise to Sunset.
• A museum is present at the Sanchi Stupa site. Entry fees Rs 5/-
• The museum is practically a treasure trove as it displays various relics which were excavated from the site. If you like history you will surely love it. If not maybe you can give it a miss.
• Recommended duration: 2 hours

The next morning Sujeet was again on time, but we faltered in our commitment owing to the revelry of the previous night. With a heavy head, we were able to start by 10:30 AM. We apologised to Sujeet, however he said he did not mind as my daughter kept him busy with volleys of questions about Sanchi.

As the car started towards Sanchi I asked Asmi ( daughter) what he learnt from Sujeet uncle. Like a parrot she recited, “The Sanchi Stupa was constructed during the reigns of Emperor Ashoka under his orders during the 3rd Century BC. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the oldest stone structure in India! ” I was truly impressed and exclaimed, “Proud of You”!

She remarked quite disturbed at my interjection, ” I am not ever yet. Please have patience” and continued further. “The Sanchi Stupa was inexplicably abandoned in the 12th century. Later in the 19th Century, a British General by the name of Henry Taylor visited the town of Sanchi and documented his findings of this magnificent structure. Finally, in the 20th century, a museum was commissioned by Sir John Marshall and from that time it was always preserved wholeheartedly”.

Asmi looked at all of our bewildered faces and burst into a peal of laughter. I thanked Sujeet for teaching Asmi the history of the Stupa but he just waved his hands as if its nothing. He also informed us that the Great Stupa contains the ashes of the Buddha and thus has enormous significance to the Buddhists.

While the car kept running at a good speed I kept on wondering how did the Stupa self preserve itself for almost 600 years while it laid abandoned. So, I asked Sujeet if he knows anything about it? With all humility, he does not know nor are experts. But, he continued with the same breath that the nucleus of the Sanchi Stupa was a hemispherical brick structure built over the relics of the Buddha. It was crowned by a parasol like structure symbolising high rank and that was supposed to honour and protect the relics. Maybe that protected it for 600 years!

When I got the first glimpse of the Sanchi Stupa I realised it looks much more beautiful with my own eyes than any picture I have seen so far. I read on the visitor information board that the Stupa is present on a flat-topped sandstone hill that rises some 300 feet above the surrounding land and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1989.

The main body of the stupa symbolises the cosmic mountain. It is topped by a ‘Harmika’ to hold the triple umbrella, or ‘chhatraveli’, which represents the three jewels of Buddhism – the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. There are massive stone railings and it depicts the life of the Buddha and his previous births too.

There are multiple other small Stupas in Sanchi but the main Stupa is obviously famous for its architectural brilliance and because it has remained untampered. The other must-visit is Temple 40 in ruins, which was built around the same time as it is a free-standing temple. Due to an inscription, it is believed that it was built by Bindusar, the father of Emperor Ashok. You can also get to see Small Stupa no 2 & 3 which was built during the Shunga period 180-75 BC. Stupa no 2 has intricate and extensive decoration depicting the Life of the Buddha.

In 2 hours we were able to cover the Stupa premises and the Museum. Sujeet enquired if we want to have Lunch in a local shop and we gleefully agreed. He drove us to the town to a vegetarian restaurant called Jain Bhojanalay. We ordered a 4 Thali and shared it within ourselves. Apart from a delicious meal, the manager enlightened us that Ashoka’s wife Devi was born in a nearby town of Vidisha (10 kms from Sanchi) and that she was born in Sanchi. Probably, that can be the reason Sanchi was chosen to build the Stupa!

After lunch, we thanked the manager for a wonderful meal and started our return back. As we reached Bhopal Sujeet informed us that he has a surprise for us and drove us to Gohar Mahal. He informed us that Gohar Mahal was built in 1820 by the first woman ruler of Bhopal “Qudisiya Begum” also popularly known as Gohar Mahal. It is opened to the public from 8 AM to 6 PM. It has an amalgamation of Nawabi craftsmanship and Indo-Muslim architecture which will please a tourist who loves heritage structure. The most beautiful place is a hall from which you can view the splendid upper Lake of Bhopal. Due to the hot summer breeze, it was not very comfortable but I promised to come back once again at a better time of the year.  

As we finished our tour of Gohar Mahal we went back to our hotel and slept late in the evening. The hotel was kind enough to extend our check out free of cost. Given this gesture, we gathered at the restaurant and had a good long dinner. We recounted the two days with gratitude and thanked my parents for being a sport in the entire trip. Post dinner, we thanked the hotel for the wonderful hospitality and hired a cab to the Bhopal bus stand board our bus back to Mumbai.

I have been to Bhopal many times after this tour and every time discovered something new. But this journey remained special as it was planned in a jiffy and was executed by the whole family together. Would love to hear your comments and suggestions if any. In case you want me to plan out a tour of MP, drop me your request and I will get back. I bid farewell to all of you with a promise to come back with an update on another travel destination!