Things To Do In The Heart Of Bharat - Madhya Pradesh (Bhopal, Indore, Omkareshwar, Ujjain)
We often call it as Hindi belt, cow belt, BIMARU state and what not - Madhya Pradesh, the centre of middle of Bharat is a state that has been ignored by the previous regimes. Only now can we see the tourism advertisements for Madhya Pradesh more often.
Where do I even begin - be it food, be it places of interest, be it the people, be it shopping - there is so much to experience in MP than you can imagine.
History, culture, nature, religion - you name it, MP has something or the other in store for you.
Our plan was literally a last-minute one. Tickets weren't confirmed till the last minute, but we took the risk - Baba Mahakaal ensured we have a comfortable and safe trip and how!
Here's an outline of our itinerary, I will break it down further.
Places visited:
- Bhopal
- Ujjain
- Indore
- Omkareshwar
Let me further elaborate on each place we visited.
BHOPAL - THE CITY OF LAKES
We spent about 3 days here. There is so much to see and do in Bhopal that you cannot imagine. Our first impression of the city (we alighted at old Bhopal station BPL) instead of Rani Kamlapati and booked a hotel room in the old part of the city - so our first impression was quite shocking. But over the next few days, the city just grew on us. Be it the people, the food or the sights and sounds, we loved it.
We visited MP in peak summer, so it was a bit harsh on us but let me tell you - if summers aren't hot, it is not summer season. So, we literally baked ourselves in 42+ degrees over the next 10 days in MP and enjoyed every bit of it.
Where We Went
Tropic of Cancer/Kark Rekha - Did you know that on the Vidisha highway, you can check out the Tropic of Cancer on the way to Vidisha district? Well, we did!
caves featuring Bhagwan Shiva and Vishnu. These are said to be from the Gupta period - 3 to 5 century CE. Apart from Hindu iconography, there was also some Jainism related iconography. Can be accessed by road as well as train - Vidisha railway station. Entry fee for Indians (adults) - Rs 20.
Sanchi Stupa - Falls in the Raisen district of MP, close to the Udayagiri Caves and also has a railway station nearby. Built in 3rd century BCE by Emperor Ashoka, this is a set of Buddhist temples and Stupas. Entry fee for Indians (adults) - Rs 40.
Bhojpur Temple - Falling in Raisen district, south of Bhopal city, the Bhojpur temple is located in Bhojpur village. This is an incomplete Shiva temple and has a 7.5 ft tall lingam. The temple is said to have been constructed by Raja Bhoja in 11th century. Open from sunup to sundown. Can expect crowd on Mondays and important festival days.
Bhimbetka Cave Shelters - These rock shelters/cave shelters located in Raisen district of MP are said to date back 10000 years! You can see cave paintings that are still visible today. The paintings show evidence of hunting, animals, warriors on horseback. The name of the rock shelter is also said to be derived from Bhima's resting place - it is believed that Bhim "rested" here - Bhim-betka. Entry fee was Rs 150 for a car carrying 4 individuals.
Janjatiya/Tribal Museum - A mind-blowing museum that will give you insights into the major tribes in MP. The exhibits include display units showcasing houses of various tribes, their festivities/weddings, their artwork, how they worship gods/nature/ancestors, games played etc. Entry fee - Rs 20 per person. Not to be missed.
MP State Museum - Located right next to the Tribal Museum, the state museum is filled with artefacts, paintings, historical information, manuscripts, postage stamps, coins, weapons, on Freedom movement, local historical figures, fossils etc. Entry was free for us that day. Not to be missed either - you will learn a lot about the various historical sites in MP, the rulers, the freedom struggle etc.
Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (Mankind Museum) - This museum has several open-air museums inside as well as indoor ones. We only visited the indoor museum. It had exhibits about the formation of life (DNA and stuff), early man, how the Homo sapiens species evolved and from whom, about Homo narmadensis etc.
Raja Bhoj statue/Raja Bhoj Setu - As you cross the Shyamala Hills, upper lake area, you are bound to come across the Bhoj Setu and Raja Bhoj statue. Stop by to immerse in the views of the picturesque city of lakes.
Upper Lake - The vast lake that gives Bhopal the title city of lakes is a must visit. It is so huge! Located near the Shyamala Hills area, this place offers scenic views, relaxed environs. Try boating here.
Old Bhopal area/Peer Gate area - This is the old Bhopal locality. You can walk or take a ride around to see how different it is from places like Shyamala Hills or MP Nagar.
Vidhan Sabha/Vallabh Bhavan - The secretariat of MP located at Arera Hills locality - scenic views, lots of green, located near the Shaurya Smarak.
Shyamala Hills area - One of the posh localities of Bhopal. You have all the museums, Van Vihar, the Upper Lake etc. in this locality.
Shaurya Smarak - War memorial in Bhopal near the Vallabh Bhavan in Arera Hills locality.
These are the places we pretty much roamed about in. We hired a taxi from ASAG Travels and Virendar Bhaiya (a Rajasthani descendent) ensured our trip was smooth and enjoyable.
What We Ate
We literally hogged chaat in Bhopal pretty much all day. Poha and jalebi are the state favourites but we disliked the Poha in MP. I am sorry but who puts dhaniya seeds in poha! It ruined the taste for us, and we hated it. Sorry.
You can devour on Dhokla, Pani Puri, (all other types of puris), Puri Bhaji and halwa, Kesar/Malai Kulfi, Cold Coffee, Khandvi, Khaman, Kachori, Raj Kachori and the many varieties. Of course, how can you forget Jalebi, Rabdi and MP ki chaai! Flavours bursting in the mouth - this should sum it up.
Manohar Dairy was our favourite place to eat.
We tried their Hamidia Road as well as MP Nagar branches, we loved the service and food at Hamidia.
You can also try the buffet at Jehan Numa Palace Hotel in Shyamala Hills locality in Bhopal.
If you need recommendations for staying, our driver recommended we alight at Rani Kamlapati station and book a room at MP Nagar. Pretty decent localities.
If you are looking for dirt cheap rooms and not worried about amenities and other stuff, go for Old Bhopal near Nadra bus stand.
UJJAIN
Devbhoomi Ujjain was the next on our itinerary. We had initially booked a train from Bhopal to Ujjain but found out later (via live train status tracking app) that our train was 8-10 hours late. I cancelled it and booked bus tickets via RedBus and chose the NueGo bus - flight like experience and what a smooth journey. This was an electric bus and was smooth like butter. We packed sandwiches from Manohar Dairy the previous night for the trip in the morning.
Ujjain railway station is about a 10-minute drive from the temple complex while the bus stand is about 20 minutes (5km) away.
There are several places to stay around the temple complex, we stayed at a lodging near the Mahakal Lok corridor, closer to the Triveni Museum.
Places To Visit
Mahakaleshwar Temple - One of the 12 Jyotirlingams across the country.
Mangal Nath Temple - Said to be the birthplace of Mangal (Mars)
Bada Ganesh Mandir - Located near the Mahakal Corridor, the deity is named so because He is big!
Harsiddhi Mata Mandir - One of the 51 Shaktipeeth, Devi Sati's elbow is said to have dropped here. The aarti/lighting of the lamps in the courtyard is a sight to watch.
Gadhkalika Mandir - Also believed to be among the Shaktipeeth where Devi Sati's lips fell. The deity is Ma Kaali.
Sthirman Ganesh Temple - Located close to the Gadhkalika Mata temple, it is believed that Bhagwan Rama and Sita came to this temple during their vanvas.
Maharishi Sandipani Ashram - Believed to be the ashram where Bhagwan Krishna, Balarama, and their friend Sudama completed their education under Maharishi Sandipani.
Chardham Mandir - Has the replica of the chardam temples across the country. Also has a replica of Vaishno Devi caves/temple, 12 jyotirlingams. Located near Harsiddhi Mata temple.
Bharat Mata Mandir - Located inside the Mahakal Lok Corridor, this temple is dedicated to Bharat Mata.
Vikramaditya Sinhasan - Located at Vikram Teela behind Mahakal temple, also houses a temple in the same complex.
Mahakal Lok Corridor - This corridor stretches about a kilometre long, has Nandi and Pinaki Dwar at both ends. You can view a number of sculptures featuring Bhagwan Shiva and all the stories around Bhagwan Shiva.
You can walk around during the day but it looks fabulous at night.
Shipra Nadi/Ram Ghat - Aarti - A 500m walk from Harsiddhi Mata temple, you can enjoy the aarti at 7pm (during summers) at the Ram Ghat. A bit dirty and you can expect insects and mosquitoes.
Harsiddhi Mata Mandir Aarti - An aarti that you must witness. The temple premises is small, but you can view from the street how the pujaris climb up the lamp post and light the lamps from the top - a sight to be seen to be believed. Aarti time is around 630pm.
Ujjain Market Shopping - Located near the Bada Ganesh temple, you can buy a lot of interesting things, trinkets, magnets, bags, bangles etc - reasonably priced.
Jantar Mantar - Said to be constructed by Maharaja Jai Singh in the 18th century along with the 4 other observatories one each in Jaipur, Delhi, Mathura and Varnasi. Entry fees - Rs 20 per adult. There isn't much to view here though.
Triveni Museum - Located inside Mahakal Lok Corridor, you can take a look at the artefacts and sculptures associated with Ujjain and MP. Entry fees - Rs 20 per person.
Best time to do easy darshan of Mahakaal is at around 2PM in the afternoon.
There were a few more temples to visit but we skipped them owing to lack of time. You can choose to finish Ujjain trip in a single day or spread it over 2-3 days.
Where To Eat
We tried a few restaurants but settled for Kailash Lok restaurant a few 100m away from the corridor gate. There are other restaurants and shops near the Bharat Mata mandir side as well. You can do your own research and decide where to stay and eat. Breakfast is mostly paratha and puri bhaji. We found one Moti Mahal offering Idli sambar but it was better avoided - a joke in the name of idli. We did not even get poha here. Do your due diligence and decide.
You can purchase namkeen from one of the shops on the way to Kailash Lok. We got nearly a kilo of different types of namkeen - each variety cost Rs 260 per kg.
Commuting inside Ujjain is mostly done in the regular autos and the electric auto. But I'd recommend you choose the regular auto since the EV auto is kind of flimsy and can topple any time. Safety is in your hands, please choose wisely.
You will be approached for darshan of Kal Bhairav and 4 other temples for about Rs 500. The entire trip will take about 2.5 to 3 hours and you can hire an auto to take you to all these places. Alternately, you can tailor the places to visit according to your interests.
Our darshan of Baba Mahakal was a miracle. We had our lunch and strolled to the Triveni Museum, we arrived on a Monday and expected it to be crowded. But speaking with a few devotees on the way, we realised there was very less crowd. So we walked into the temple, half expecting some rush but trust me it was over in just 15 odd minutes. When Baba gave darshan, tears started streaming down my cheeks, I did not realise what was going on around me as my mind melted away in His thoughts.
You can get some nice things to buy in the Ujjain market near Bada Ganesh temple, they are all priced reasonably, and it is our duty as tourists to encourage the locals.
INDORE
Our next leg of the journey was towards Indore. We took the train from Ujjain in the morning and alighted at Indore, it was a 1.5-hour journey. You can get poha and tea at the railway station. The drop to the station in the electric auto cost us Rs 50 (for 2 persons).
What To Do
Rajwada Palace - Constructed by the Holkar dynasty, this palace gives you an insight into how they lived. There is not much to see here but good to know. Entry fees - Rs 20 per head.
Rajwada Museum - This is more important and informative than the palace itself. It gives you a glimpse into how the Holkar dynasty started, the contributions of Punyashlok Ahilyabai Holkar, who were her descendants and how she ruled. Very interesting - you need to remove your shoes here, 10 rupees for the shoe rack.
Lal Bagh Palace - Also built by the Holkars, this palace is built in colonial (Italian) architecture. The Holkar descendants are said to have resided here till the 70s.
Kanch Mandir - A Jain temple, also called Sheesh Mahal. Located in the Cloth market.
Krishnapura Chhatri - A memorial/cenotaph/chhatri built by the Holkars at the cremation spots of important members of the Holkar dynasty. It overlooks the Kahn river (dirty one). It is located close to the Rajwada Palace/Rajwada Market.
Sarafa Bazaar - A jewellery market by day, also houses food spots during the day, transforms into a food hub by night. Located near Rajwada Palace.
Shopping at Rajwada Market/Cloth Market - when I looked at the markets, it felt Bombay will fall short! We saw a food bazaar, diamond/jewellery market, cloth market, makeup market, shoes market, market for men's wear, market for women's wear and so on.
Sarafa food bazaar - The Khaugalli of Indore - must visit.
There are roadside sellers selling mirrors, jewellery/trinkets etc near the Rajwada Palace. Pretty cheap.
What To Eat & Where
Sarafa Bazaar - the food spot!
Sarafa is a jewellery market by day that transforms into a khaugalli by night. Some shops are open during the daytime and serve some amazing chaat.
Vijay Chaat House for their Khopra patties, Sabudana Vada, Surti Khaman, Jalebi
Also check out Joshi Dahi Bada for their Dahi Vadas. There are a few eateries that open in the evening around 4 as well in Sarafa (Bada Sarafa)
Chappan Dukaan - which is about 3-4km from Sarafa.
Here you can try a variety of food - there's everything you want to eat - dosa, pani puri, kulfi - you name it, they have it.
We had Dabeli, Egg Benjo from Johny Hot Dog, and Kulfi here from one of the shops.
If you are looking for a thali, try Prithvi Bhojanalay in Cloth Market - about 170 per thali (unlimited). They offer 3 sabjis and in summer gave us Aamras with ghee phulka, salad, rice, dal.
OMKARESHWAR
We did a day trip to Omkareshwar from Indore. Omkareshwar is about 72-75 km from Indore. The roads are half ok - they are being built so please be ready to encounter really bad roads on the way. There is a ghat section for about 10-15km. So, if you can get travel sick, do take appropriate measures.
I had pre-booked Sheegra darshan tickets online (costs you 300/- per person) because it can get pretty crowded and chaotic at Omkareshwar. You can do it here - Ticket Booking-Shri Omkareshwar jyotirlinga 'Official Website'
We started at about 8/830 and reached at about 11/11/30. You can skip 90% of the queue with the Sheegra Darshan tickets. Walk across the bridge and enjoy the sight of the Narmada River and dam.
You can also bathe in the Narmada River - really cool and clean water. You can also do a boat ride - there are different prices for the rides depending on the number of ghats you visit. We skipped this and just did prokshanam at the Narmada River.
Omkareshwar queues can get long, chaotic - so please be ready for everything. The Pandas there can be annoying - they will promise you VIP darshan and say you can do jal abishek but towards the end, they will let you go with the crowd. The lingam at Omkareshwar is pretty small in comparison with Mahakaleshwar. Look at the bottom as you enter the garba gruha. The security there will keep chasing you out so be prepared. It is a very small space, can get claustrophobic.
Also visit the Mamleshwar or Amareshwar temple that is across the river Narmada.
You can also enquire about the Shankaracharya Cave and the Statue of Oneness. We could not stay on for Mamleshwar darshan but just had gopura darisanam/shikar darshan and left the place. We had a bout of vomitting/upset stomach the previous night and did not want to risk standing in the sun.
We stayed one more day in Indore and roamed around and shopped a bit. We did not have a direct train to Chennai so took a train to Bhopal and then from there took the Jaipur Chennai Express to Chennai.
Some common things you can see in MP.
- Fairly clean roads, Indore is sparkling clean - garbage does accummulate but there is someone or the other cleaning every 30 mins.
- People generally do not litter but they consume pan masala and spit.
- UPI is encouraged everywhere.
- People are generally friendly in MP - autowallahs can come across as weird.
- The dialects spoken in MP are not entirely Hindi, there is a mix of Marwari/Rajasthani/Urdu, Marathi, Malwi, Bundeli, Bagheli etc.
- Indore is closed on Monday - plan your trip accordingly
- Use Ola/uber in cities, use local autos for other towns
- Indore markets/shops open at noon. It's very difficult to find food or anything before that. Roadside thailis selling poha can be found.
- Tea can be scarce - esp in summer. We had a hard time finding tea in the evenings, especially in the summers.
- There are QR codes put up at every tourist spot - you can scan it and get the required information. Quite useful.
- Their chaach (buttermilk) and tea is amazing - do try it out when you get a chance.
What To Buy From MP
Namkeen
Clothes - their variety for women is just outstanding
Maheshwari Silk/Cotton sarees/dress materials
Chanderi Silk
Local rice varieties
Gulab Jamun/Jalebi
We covered just one portion of MP. There is quite a lot more to see and savour - you have Orchha, Gwalior, Khajuraho, Pench (there are a few more national parks), Mandu, Maheshwar, Pachmarhi, Amarkantak to name a few.
Summer is not a good time to visit but it is slightly lean season if you ask me. If you can bear the dry heat, go for it. Rainy season is a good time to visit as the whole state turns green.
List of districts covered
- Bhopal
- Raisen
- Vidisha
- Indore
- Khandwa
- Ujjain
Have you been to MP - do let me know your experience in the comments.
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