My first love .......Bhopal !

Since the day,i could understand the world around me..The first thing i remember thinking is this "People say when a person dies, he/she goes to heaven , but here i was fully alive and still in heaven ".

 

It was more beautiful than the heaven i saw in mythological TV shows i use to watch with my grandpa..It was my city, my hometown ,my first love ...Bhopal !...i feel lucky to be born in a city i consider as one of the best cities of the world to settle in.

Bhopal is the capital of Madhya Pradesh which is called the heart of India ,which it truly is, and i am going to tell you why. Our whole body is connected to our heart via blood , same way Bhopal is connected to every part of India ,in the sense that it combines the traditions,cultures,languages,food, lifestyles etc. of East,West,North and South India. People often tell me that we (bhopalies) have no specific language , culture,food etc. then why do i love it so much? But the answer lies in their question , living in Bhopal is living "the dream".

It's the dream our ancestors had for us , the dream of one nation -INDIA , where there will be no discrimination based on culture, region etc. Bhopal is exactly that , no one who comes to Bhopal is an outsider .No matter what their cultural background is,it is also a culture of Bhopal . Everyone is welcome !

Bhopal is truly the heart in the sense that all it offers love to anyone who comes here .We are one big family. If you ever come to Bhopal , you will find that people from almost every region of India live here together in harmony ,because there is no concept of being a "localite" since almost nothing here is local. 

Bhopal is the essence of India , a mixture so pure that you wont realize its a mixture.

Bhopali culture is such that both Hindus and Muslims visit each other on their respective festivals to greet and exchange sweets(Wikipedia says so,not just me ). Every festival is celebrated here with equal vigour and spirit.

If i were to decide what to do with Bhopal , i would change nothing here .

It's a perfect combination of a metro city and a countryside.Its neither too congested,polluted,dirty, full of traffic,terrorism or crime like a big city. Nor is it lacking in essential facilities like a village. It has reputed schools,industries,colleges, hospitals,malls etc.It's neither too big so as to get lost somewhere nor too small to stop you from exploring. So you can actually just take your bike and roam around anywhere you like without the fear of getting lost ,since you know you can always find your way back home (I actually did that).Plus it is abundant in natural beauty like lakes,rivers,streams,hills,sunset points,waterfalls,grasslands.

 It is one of the greenest cities of India and is also called "The city of lakes" having more than 15 small and big lakes. It has a monsoon like weather most of the time which gives the feeling of living on a hill station . The roads of bhopal are lined on both sides by trees even in the bussiest areas of the city.

A view from the dashboard :

Bhopal lies in the West Central Railway Zone. Considering both North-South and East-West train routes, it is one of the most rail connected cities in India. It is the only city in the world which has 2 UN identified heritage sites - Sanchi(The place is one of the oldest stone structures of India and it edifies Buddhism in India over 2000 years) 

 Bhimbetka(They have evidence of dwellings of pre-historic man during the Paleolithic era.)..

Bhimbetka pre-historic rock cave painting near Bhopal include 500 sandstone caves and shelters. These are dated to range from 12,000 years ago tochalcolithic era of human history. They are a UNESCO World Heritage site

It has the worlds highest shivling ,in the temple called Bhojeshwar which was built in the 10th century

(a wonder in itself).Legends say that it was built by the Pandavs.

The biggest attraction of Bhopal is it's lakes ,specifically the upper lake which has an area of 360km2. It extends between 2 cities. You can actually look at the horizon and get the thrill of looking at a sea (while avoiding disasters like tsunami) . The same lake has so many forms.

Afternoon :

Sunset :

On one shore of the lake is van vihar (the city's zoo) located in natural surroundings where people often go for early morning bicycle rides which is a wonderful experience because you can actually see the whole wildlife and nature waking up and coming to life .

 

A leopard in van vihar in bhopal 

Then for the ladies,there are local markets where you can buy designer clothes at half the price as compared to the malls. Also these markets have everything from a teaspoon to clothes to foot wares to eatables and what not .

People of Bhopal love picnics, so as soon as there's a holiday everyone is on the go. People here actually go looking for a quite place somewhere in the forest near some brook. It is never pre-decided where we are going .That makes it even more fun.

Picnic spots in wilderness :

In short , it's a wonderful place to live and also to visit .No matter what kind of a person you are, there is something for everyone in Bhopal. If you like adventures ,there are water sports, hiking trips etc for you here.

If you are a person who likes solitude and peace ,there are wonderful coffee shops on hilltops beside the lake where you can relax and sip your coffee while enjoying the beauty of nature.

If you are an art lover, there are lots of Art theaters in Bhopal like Bharat bhawan which is a centre for performing and visual arts.

 If you are a science lover Bhopal has the Regional Science Center which is a science museum located on the picturesque Shyamala Hills. This centre houses about 300 science exhibits in ‘Invention’ and ‘Fun Science’ galleries. ‘Taramandal’ and Planetarium at the centre helps the students and enthusiasts study the astral and mysterious world of stars, galaxies and the universe. Stargazing sessions are organized at the planetarium for those who want to have a real close view of these luminous bodies.If you are a history lover ,then there is the Sanchi Stupa,Bhimbetka,Taz-ul-Masajid(which is one of the largest mosque in India).

So if you ever get a chance ,do visit Bhopal "The city of lakes ".