Bhopal
Capital
of the State of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal,. Coiled between soft hills which overhang
two artificial lakes pleasantly, the city is far from being unpleasant. To
north, the old districts extend their networks of lanes and bazaar (the chowk)
around three mosques which affirm a significant Moslem presence.
Bhojpur
Located
at just about thirty km from Bhopal,towards the east of Madhya
Pradesh, is the large temple of Bhojeshwar, in the small village of
Bhojpur,with its gigantic Shiva Lingam,.
This temple, built in blocks of red sandstone at the 11th century by Rajah Bhoja of Dhar (Paramâra dynasty) is an impressive proportions: of massive square plan, one sees it by far, perched on an arid monticule in the plain.
At a distance approximately 1km from the village, by a small road, one arrives at a Jain temple. A large statue (6 m height) out of brown stone representing Shantinath is framed by two Parshvanath. Two other statues, out of white marble, of Mahavira frame this group. This temple would date from the same time as the temple of Bhojeshvara (Shiva) and is also built by the same Rajah Bhoja.