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A Trip4India > India & States > Madhya Pradesh Tourism

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Madhya Pradesh Tourism

Madhya Pradesh lies in the heart of India and is the biggest state in the country. It consists largely of a plateau, streaked with the hill ranges of the Vindhyas and Satpuras. It has been home to the cultural heritage of Hindhuism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam. Innumerable monuments, axquisitely carved temples, stupas, forts and palaces, all evokes memories of great empires and kingdoms. Some of the interesting places to visit are murals of Bagh caves, the Buddhist Stupha- the Sanchi Stupa, the world famous Khajuraho temple, Gwalior Fort.

Capital : Bhopal
Language : Hindi, English, Urdu and multiple dialects.
Area : 443000 Sq. km.
Tourist season : Winters and Spring
Literacy Rate : 44.2%

Bhopal is the capital city of Madhya Pradesh which has a lot of monuments of Islamic style for example, the Tej-Ul-Masjid built in 1837 is the largest existing mosque in India. Besides Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh offers attractions like Gwalior, Jabalpur, Kanha, Khajuraho and Sanchi.

Gwalior is famous for its fort which is built on a 3 kilometre long hill. The British ended the mutiny here in 1858 when the Rani of Jhansi died fighting, a memorial for her is built in Gwalior city. Jabalpur is a beautiful area ideal for trekking and rock climbing. The main attraction here is the Marble Rocks, a rock formation through which the Narmada river passes. The Kanha National Park is famous for its tiger, leopards, chital and sambar. This forest was the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book.

The famous temples of Khajuraho were built between 950 and 1050 A.D. The divine sculptures in these temples, are a tribute to Life itself, embodying everything that is sublime and spontaneous about it. The murals depict the life and times of the Chandelas and celebrate the eroticism of humans. These temples are of distinctive Hindu style architecture. Originally there were eighty five temples, out of which only twenty two exist at the present. Sanchi has the Buddhist stupa which is 37 metres in diameter and is surrounded by intricately carved archways. This stupa was built by Emperor Ashoka in 300 B.C