We stayed for a day in Bhopal, and we filled the day with visits to Sanchi and the Tribal Museum in Bhopal. Below are the details:

We stayed at Lago Villa, a cosy homestay beside the Bhopal Lake.

We started for Sanchi in the morning. Sanchi is around 50 kms away which took around 2 hours in cab. We decided to first see the Sanchi Museum, then have lunch and then go to the Stupas.

First Stop: Sanchi Museum

In the museum, there were several artifacts which ranged from around 300BC to all the way till 14-15th centrury AD. I was not interested in the structures which dated from AD or CE (you know we had just come from Khajuraho, and we already had an overdose of schultures). It was the structures from BC/BCS which amazed me here! It was difficult to imagine that more than 2,000 years back, people in these areas made these amazings structures. How?

From 100 BC
From 100 BC
India’s national emblem from 300 BC

The museum also elaborated on how the Sanchi Stupa was found, and how it was renovated to the present condition.

Stop 2: Lunch at MP Tourism Hotel

The hotel was very nicely decorated with depications of the stupa and budhism.

Stop 3: Sanchi Stupa

I had seen photos of this place in photos..in history books in school and multiple other places. But the photos does not do justice to the place. The actual stupas and gates are quite big. The architecture is simply awe inspiring!

Stop 4: Manohar Dairy

By the time we came back to Bhopal, it was around evening. We had snacks in Manohar Dairy (food was yummy!), and also picked up few packets for Bangalore

Last Stop for the Day: Bhopal Tribal Museum

This place was the ultimate visual treat. I never could have imagined that such a museum displaying tribal arts and schulputures could have been made, to this scale and to this awesome visual effect. A visit to Bhopal is worth it, if you just visit this place.

At the end, we bought some Gond Paintings from the painter himself in the tribal museaum. He enthralled us with the origins of Gond paintings and the various nuances of it.

The next day morning, we caught our flight to Bangalore.

Raja Bhoj Statue beside Bhopal Lake…on the way to the airport..