EP 2 Sanchi Stupa, Madhya Pradesh, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Udaigiri Caves, Tropic of cancer MP
Namaskar Friends, Welcome to Visa2explore! This is your host, Harish Bali. Right now, I am travelling in Madhya Pradesh. Right now, I am 10 KM from Sanchi.
I am at Udaigiri Jungle Resort, a property of the M.P. Tourism. First, take a look at the property. Then I will tell you my plan for today. This is a lovely 'Machan' (platform) they have built here. You would feel good sitting on this Machan, as this resort is in the middle of the jungle. It is not a huge jungle, but still, it is spread across a length of 2 to 2.5 KM.
The double occupancy room we've got here costs Rs 4050. This Madhya Pradesh tour is organized in collaboration with the M.P. Tourism. So, our stay here is complementary.
Now, we are leaving here to visit the Udaigiri caves. After that, we'll visit the Sanchi Stupa. We will be going to Bhopal by the end of the day.
The surroundings are lovely and I think if you prefer a peaceful environment... ...this would be a nice place to stay! Mr. Ranjit is our guide. He will accompany us on our visit to Udaigiri Caves. We will continue our journey further with him but in Sanchi, we will meet another guide too.
Let's go now. Let us put in our luggage and leave here. We have travelled about 3 KM from the jungle resort. And we've reached the Udaigiri caves. From where shall we start the visit? Sir, we will start from here. From here, we will walk for 200 meters.
Then comes the main point from where our visit would begin. Come on! All these caves were built during the 4th century A.D. During the reign of Chandragupta II. 4th century! 4th century A.D.
It was Chandragupta II who got built about 20 caves here. Really! Yes Sir! There are 20 caves. How many rock-cut temples are there? Sir, there are 18 temples here.
Two of those are Jain temples. The rest 18 are Hindu temples. Some of these temples are blank (without idols in it). Since these are sandstone structures, they are getting eroded with time.
So, these temples are inside the caves? Yes, these are inside the caves. What you will see now is Temple No. 17. The temples till No.s 16 were built during the Gupta Empire. At the gates of those temples, there are idols of Ganesh ji and Ma Mahishasurmardini.
Alright! Yes, this is the idol of Mahishasurmardini. In this idol, Ma Durga is shown slaying the demon Mahishasur. Yes! This is Durga ji. And Mahishasur? It is Mahishasur Sir, his face is shown here. And his tail is shown towards the end.
His tail is shown. On this side is Ganesh ji. Show me! This is Temple No 7. It is called 'Tawa Temple.' Tawa Temple? Tawa Temple! Do you see the stone placed atop this temple? It has been shaped like a 'tawa' (iron griddle). That is why it is called 'Tawa Temple.'
When Chandragupta II visited here,... He wrote an inscription here in Brahmi script. He wrote in Brahmi script.
Inside the temple, you will see inscriptions in Brahmi script Sir. From what can be inferred from the script, Chandragupta had a minister Bir Sen. It was Bir Sen who got these 20 temples built under his supervision. You can see a lotus carved on top.
An upside down lotus! Yes! This was also a temple once! It is completely dark inside, so... Yes! script isn't clearly visible. I get an idea that something is written. Yes Sir! Now, we are going to Cave No. 6. Cave No. 6.
Yes, cave no. 6. Here you will see the first Ganesh idol sculpted during Chandragupta II's reign. Ganesh idol! This one is the oldest Ganesh sculpture in all of India. This is the most ancient statue of Ganesh ji. You are talking about this sculpture. Yes Sir! This Ganesh idol! You are saying, no other idol in this whole country is older than this statue? You won't find a Ganesh statue older than this one anywhere in India! Next to the Bhagwan Ganesh idol, you will see a sculpture of Bhagwan Vishnu.
All these carvings date back to the 4th century. These sculptures are those of the sentinels. As are sculptures on this side too.
If you pay attention to the hair of the sculptures... ...these are curly. I haven't such carvings of sentinels anywhere before. With curly hair like this. These carvings are made as per the Indo-Greek style. Am I right? Yes Sir! On that side, Sir, you will see another inscription in Brahmi script.
Belonging to the time of Chandragupta? Yes! Chandragupta II, 4th century A.D. And here, you will see the carving of Lord Vishnu, Sir. His crown and necklace are carved in Indo-Greek style. If you see this sculpture carefully, its necklace, etc, you will see... ...male and female forms depicted here. And Sir, this is Mahishasurmardini here.
This sculpture is that of Mahishasurmardinin Sir. This is a beautiful carving. Very well-made! It is the first time I have seen such a beautiful carving of Varaha avatar! This is a sculpture of Bhagwan Vishnu wearing a 'Vaijayanti Mala.' Above it is a carving of 'Bhu Devi' (Mother Earth). Here is a sculpture of Laxmi Mata! This sculpture shows Bhagwan Vishnu with a foot on the Nagaraj (King of Snakes). His other foot is shown in the 'Pataal Lok'.
Yes Sir! As per the Puranic stories. Puranic stories. This is Cave No. 5.
Yes, No. 5. Lovely! We have now reached the Cave No. 3. Ranjit tells me this is the first sculpture of Bhagwan Kartikeya in the North India. This sculpture has been carved out of a single stone. Beautiful! Lovely! Sir, this is Cave No. 4.
This cave has a Shivling inside. The Shivling has Shiv Ji's face carved into it. And it is shown that the river Ganga is flowing out of his hair. The face shows all three eyes of his. This is an 'Ek-mukh' (one face) Shivling. I have been travelling through the country for many years now.
But I have never seen a Shivling like this before today. I really enjoyed this visit today. I had planned this tour at a very short notice.
I think you can spend a couple of hours here provided you're interested in old carvings. But if you don't, then you won't be able to enjoy it. It would be like you go on a jungle safari but you aren't interested in animals. Where are we going next? Sir, now we are going to Cave No. 13. This is Sheshnaag Vishnu - Bhagwan Vishnu is lying on the Sheshnaag bed.
You can see Bhagwan Vishnu's statue is missing its head. And Naagraj's face is also destroyed Sir. The Naagraj is below Bhagwan Vishnu. Above him is Lakshmi Ji with the lotus flower.
Where? You will see Lakshmi Ji Sir, if you press a little closer to the glass wall. Next to it is shown the birth of Brahma Ji, out of the navel of Bhagwan Vishnu. In the second sculpture, you see the birth of Brahma Ji. Bhagwan Vishnu has Garud as his vehicle.
Then Garud ji is shown here too. He has in his hands four weapons - Gada, Chakra, Padma and Shankh. All the weapons are represented in human form. Here, you can see Chandragupta II and behind him is his minister, Bir Sen.
Chandragupta II and his minister Bir Sen. Bir Sen, Sir, the minister who supervised here. Very nice! It is nice that they have covered this with glass for protection. Yes Sir! This is Cave No. 12 Sir. Vishnu Bhagwan's fourth avatar was Narasimha avatar, half man-half lion.
This sculpture represents the Narasimha avatar. Its head is that of a lion. The rest of the body is that of a human. He has a "Vaijayanti Mala" in his neck and below him are the sentinels.
So beautiful! We have also learned an interesting thing about how these caves came to be named. He told me that Cave No. 1, 300 meters from here, had a Sun Temple earlier. The cave still exists but the temple is no longer there. It isn't Sir. On June 21st every year, the first ray of sunlight falls on that cave. That's why these caves came to be called 'Udaigiri Caves.'
Yes! The caves are collectively called Udaigiri. Yes, that is the name Sir! Beautiful! I have a few observations after this visit. No. 1! You should go for a guided tour. Guides aren't readily available here, standing outside the caves. You will have to pre-book a guide after talking to your hotel manager.
You can book a guide a day in advance, like we did with him. Now, Ranjit Bhai, we are going to visit the Sanchi Stupa. Yes Sir! Alright! Yes Sir! We will meet Rakesh ji there. Rakesh Sir! Let's plan further. Yes, of course! We will connect with you again as soon as we are free from there. No problem Sir! That will be good? Yes Sir! So, now you will return to Sanchi? No, I will stay here for a while.
You've some work to do here? Yes! Okay! So, we will contact you again once we are free from there. Sure Sir! From Udaigiri caves, we travelled for about half an hour. Now we have reached the Sanchi Stupa. We have also bought entry tickets for Rs 40 per person. Let me introduce you to Rakesh ji. Please come Sir, Namaskar! Namaskar Rakesh ji! You are our tour guide here.
Yes, I am. Currently, the weather is hot. It is the month of May. Most of the tourists visit here during November and Feb-March but... ...to visit this monument, tourists come throughout the year. I am talking about the tourist frequency because the weather is hot.
Yes Sir, this monument receives tourists throughout the year. We are going to visit Sanchi today, which is a World Heritage Monument! Here, you will see 51 monuments dating from the 3rd century B.C. to the 12th century A.D. It has a long history. Let's go inside. Buddhism holds a significant place among prominent religions in India. The same holds true for Gautam Buddha and his teachings. Buddha has no connection with Sanchi, though.
Lumbini is where he was born. In the year 563 B.C. He received enlightenment in Bodhgaya after a long meditation period. He gave his first sermon in Sarnath. Afterward, he lived in Kushinagar, from where he left for his heavenly abode.
So, the four main centers in Buddhism are - Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath, and Kushinagar. Buddha spent most of his life in these four locations but... ...it was Emperor Ashok who spread Buddhism far and wide in the sub-continent. To do so, he got constructed 84,000 Stupas across 16 Janapadas in ancient India. Sanchi was made the main center of Buddhism. If we talk of the main monument or symbol of Buddhism, it is Stupa. "Chaita-Vihar.'
The Sanchi Stupa contains the sacred remains of Bhagwan Buddha. The four corners of Sanchi depict the main life events of Bhagwan Buddha. The Stupa was built during the 3rd century B.C. The 2nd dome was built during the 2nd century B.C. And the gateways were built in 100 B.C. The carvings depicting the main life events of Bhagwan Buddha were also made in 100 B.C.
These were built during the Saravahan period. What do you mean by the 2nd dome? Yeah! Sir, you will see, this is a double-dome architecture. This monument has a dome within a dome. Are you talking of the upper portion? No Sir, The outer dome built during the 2nd century B.C. is covered in stone and lime mortar. Inside it is the original Stupa built with Terracota bricks.
From where did Ashoka get the mortal remains of Bhagwan Buddha? Yeah! So this story begins in Kushinagar. When Gautam Buddha left for his heavenly abode, many local rulers claimed... ...his mortal remains as theirs. For instance, the Shakyas wanted to take his remains to Kapilavastu. So, there were many claimants to his remains.
Eventually, Bhagwan Buddha's remains were divided into eight parts. That was when Stupas came to be constructed. Then comes our great Emperor Ashok. History says that Ashok, after the bloody Kalinga war, converted to Buddhism. He got Buddha's remains extracted from the Kushinagar Stupa.
And he got constructed 84,000 stupas and monasteries. To place those remains? Exactly! So, some of those remains are kept in Sanchi too. It is from here that Ashok's children, Mahendra and Sanghamitra,... ...left for Sri Lanka to spread the teachings of Buddhism. This is from where Buddhism was spread to the world. Sir, look at this.
This is 'Kamal' (lotus flower), which was dear to Bhagwan Buddha. Kamal! Look at this carving of Kamal, Sir! This is a 100 B.C. monolith. It is made of a single stone. It is worth noticing that this has been made over a single stone! Yes, it is a single-stone carving! Beautiful carving! This sandstone was brought here from Udaigiri while Vidisha sculptors carved it. We just saw a carving there. Yes! This is the second carving? Yes Sir! Total how many carvings are there? You will find four such carved entrances in four directions.
All of these were built in the 1st century B.C. Gautam Buddha has been shown in the form of different symbols here. Come here Sir, let me explain to you in detail. This is a carving of the 'Mahabodhi' tree in Bodhgaya.
Gautam Buddha received enlightenment under this tree. Here, you see Gautam Buddha meditating under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya. Bhagwan Buddha received enlightenment by the banks of the Niranjana river. Rivers are a huge part of our Indian culture. Here, the ruler of Magadh, Bimbisara, is leaving his royal palace. In these detailed carvings, you will see Bimbisara's royal palace.
In this carving, you will see each life story of the ruler. You can see the king enjoying a boat-ride here. Here, people are shown worshipping the Maha-Bodhi tree. Look at the faces of the worshippers of that time.
Also, observe their headgears, turbans, their costumes. All these details have been carved into a single stone. Very nice! Come Sir, I will take you to another panel. In this panel, the artistes have shown Ma Mahamaya in a supine position.
This shows that Bhagwan Buddha's mother, before giving birth to him, ... ...was sleeping when she saw an elephant in her dream. This carving shows her dream, in which a white elephant is shown in her womb. Do you see that Sir? Yes! This carving depicts people talking about the Maharani's (queen's) dream. They started speculating that some great soul is going to be born. These are the carvings depicting various stories. Do you see these?
Soon, people also began to talk of the Maharani's dream. They began to speculate that someone great is going to be born! That was the ongoing debate. After the dream, what do we learn from this carving? Here, we see a chariot moving outside the palace. The chariot is shown carrying Mahamaya Devi and some of her soldiers. She is on way to her parent's home to deliver her child.
That was the norm earlier. Yes, the babies were delivered at the parents' house. This means Bhagwan Buddha was born in... In the jungles of Lumbini. ...in the jungles of Lumbini. While on her way to her mother's house.
Seven days later, the mother expired. So, it was his maternal aunt, Gautami, who raised him. Yes! Lumbini! I have read about it. His birthplace. His mother died seven days later and who raised him? His maternal aunt, Gautami.
His mausi! His mausi. Yes, his aunt Gautami raised him and he came to be called 'Gautam.' Sir, look at its first arc. You will see 1..2..3..4..5..6..7 - 5 stupas and 2 Bodhi trees. This one shows Buddha and Mansi Buddhas. Sir, the second panel also has Griffin, do you see it? Next to it, you see Siddharth leaving his home, his palace, to become the Buddha.
Here, he is shown with his favorite horse, Kanthak. His symbol, the Chhatra (umbrella) is over the horse. At the end, you can see his 'charioteer' worshipping at his feet. When he was the king, he was on a horse, with an umbrella over his head. And that is how he leaves for the jungle. The charioteer bowed down at his feet and Siddhartha's horse also leaves him there.
Siddhartha is now without the umbrella. This is the story of Prince Siddhartha on way to become Gautam Buddha. Sir, if we talk of the third panel... ...it shows Emperor Ashok on a 'Dharm-Yatra' in Bodhgaya after the Kalinga war. His wife and children accompanied him.
Emperor Ashok and his family are shown near the Mahabodhi tree at Bodhgaya. Now you will see the sculpture of the most beautiful woman, Salabhanjika. It is on the right side.
This masterpiece shows her standing atop a mango tree. Salabhanjika. Salabhanjika Sir! This sculpture was carved on both sides, but this one is still intact. Do you see it is standing in the 'Vihanga' mudra (position)? Yes! She was a symbol of youth and prosperity during those times.
One of the main Stambhas (pillars), that Emperor Ashok got built, stands in Sanchi. Its height was 42 feet. It was built from a stone. It says here that a landlord came to the jungle for hunting once and broke the pillar. To build a machine to extract sugarcane juice.
So that pillar? This used to be that pillar Sir. He was unaware of its significance. Yes, he looked after his own need Sir. This is what remains of it? Yes, this is it. Its top part and the four lion statues are in the museum here. The museum is nearby, right? Absolutely Sir, it is in the Sanchi town.
It is right behind the window from where you purchased the ticket. The Sanchi Stupa photo on the Rs 200 currency note of India was taken here. We look at it as a 2000-year-old history on a Rs 200 currency note! And the 1000-year-old Rani ki Bawri on a Rs 100 currency note! The 500-year-old Lal Qila of Delhi on Rs 500 currency note! The 14th century Hampi monument on Rs 50 currency note! All world heritage sites are thus covered Sir. Sir, look at this, the most important part of the monument - Sanchi monastery or Vihar! At a time when Emperor Ashok got this Stupa built... ...he also got this Stambha and this monastery built here. For teaching? Yes! In fact, this is where his wife and children also received their education. From their Guru Moggaliputta Tissa.
Both his children finished their education here before visiting Sri Lanka. You see Sir, in the absence of groundwater, they had built a rainwater harvesting system. This place had civil water tanks. The main part of the complex is Betwa river, which flows in from the South of Sanchi. It flows straight into the direction of Vidisha.
The monks used to visit Vidisha to seek alms. The alms that the monks collected were stored in that huge stone bowl Sir. The monks lived in this first monastery built here, under wooden roofs. Along with the Stupa! Very good! Excellent! This place was discovered by Taylor? Yes! I read somewhere that during the period Cunningham carried out excavations here... ...the dome was also opened. Was it? Yes Sir! Stupas numbered 2 and 3 were completely opened up. This is No. 1 Stupa?
This is Stupa 1. It belongs to Bhagwan Buddha and it was also examined from inside. That is when it was learned that there was another Stupa inside it. Later on, these domes were closed. It was not entirely opened, though.
So, they didn't enter inside? No, they didn't. The inner Stupa, built with terracotta bricks wasn't opened. So, the Stupas number 2 and 3 were opened completely? Yes, those were opened. What we are seeing now is the main entrance built during the 3rd century B.C. 'Dakshin Gate' (Southern gate)! Emperor Ashok got these pillars built.
The temple was built during the Gupta dynasty's reign. They also built a "Chaityalaya" (prayer hall) here. Sir, look at the height of these columns! At one time, this whole mandap was covered with a wooden roof. It had a Stupa at the centre. It is called "Chaita."
So, Emperor Ashok built Stupas, Stambhas, Chaitas and Viharas. In Chaitas, groups of people could pray together. In this Chaita, you will see a glimpse of the Greek Acropolis monument. So, we call it based on Indo-Greek architecture. It is looking good. Beautiful! Absolutely Sir! The main reason behind it is that Vidisha is home to the Heliodorus Pillar! It dates back to the 2nd Century B.C.
Heliodorus was a Greek emissary who visited Vidisha. This is why you will see some Greek impressions on monuments in this region. Lovely! We haven't visited inside yet. We can go around it.
Shall we go? This is the place where Cunningham cut open the dome. And later the dome was closed here. It has been plastered on this side. This portion, covered in plaster, was left untouched, as it belongs to the 2nd century. If nobody is told, he would be surprised to see only a portion of the dome plastered.
Absolutely Sir, the 30% part of this dome on the Western and Southern side... ...was opened because he was aware that this was the main entry. Now, we've entered the Stupa. Yes Sir! What is it called? This is Bhu-Betiya Sir! And this is 'Pradakshina Path' (circumambulation path). We can enter the Stupa from any of the four entrances in four different directions.
Then we do the 'Parikrama' (Circumambulation). Actually, earlier, this was the entry route. Absolutely! These stairs go around the dome and we do Parikrama this way. So, we will do Parikrama clockwise? Then we will climb the stairs. We will go clockwise. This 5th Century A.D. sculpture was built in the Mathura school of art.
During the Gupta reign. It shows Buddha in a meditative state. In Padmasana mudra! Four such sculptures are placed here, one in each direction! Our visit to Sanchi Stupa is complete now. Rakesh ji, thank you! Thank you Sir! Even though tourists visit here throughout the year.
But most of the tourists visit during monsoon or winter seasons. This place becomes more beautiful during the monsoon season. Every place that has greenery, jungles, looks more beautiful during rainy season.
Okay! Thanks once again. Thanks Sir. Thank you! You should move now because your group is about to arrive. Okay Sir! Thank you! Great! We all have read of the Tropic of Cancer while studying Geography in school. Here, we are standing near the 'Kark-Rekha' (Tropic of Cancer). You can see it is written here 'Tropic of Cancer".
They have marked here to show tourists like us the direction in which the line travels. You can see the line going across the road here. The Tropic of Cancer is 23.5 degrees North from the Equator. If you go 23.5 degrees South from the Equator, you'll touch the Tropic of Capricorn. If I ever get a chance in life, I would love to visit Topic of Capricorn & Equator, both.
Although, the Equator is an imaginary line, but still it would be an experience to visit. I remember when I had visited Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh... ...I saw the 'Kark-Rekha' there as well. So, today is the second time.
The 'Kark-Rekha' passes through eight states in India. Some of these are Gujarat, Rajasthan, M.P., West Bengal, and Mizoram. So, in all there are 8 states. It passes through different districts of M.P. I know of Ujjain because I have visited there. Now, we are also seeing it on our way from Sanchi to Bhopal.
Interesting, isn't it? We left Sanchi about 20 minutes ago. We've reached here. So, for a heads up, some of this information I had read about and some, I've seen here. Together, we've seen this line now. Right now, we have sun right above our heads. The weather is scorching.
We are on our way to Bhopal. We will join you in Bhopal now because we will be travelling non-stop. Right! So, see you after some time! It is evening time and I've reached Bhopal. I am going to introduce to you Mr. Shiv Shekhar Shukla ji.
He is here with me. Namaskar! He is the Principal Secretary, Madhya Pradesh Tourism and Culture Department. Sir, I would like to take you back 10-12 years from now. We looked at Madhya Pradesh as a forest destination. If I would think harder, I can also add heritage to the list. So, forest and heritage are two aspects of travel.
That is how we looked at M.P. all these years. I want to ask you about the categories into which the M.P. tourism is expanding today? Or, even if people are not aware of those, what are the categories? First of all, I thank you for visiting Madhya Pradesh and our capital city, Bhopal. We call Madhya Pradesh as the "Heart of Incredible India." We are at the heart of Hindustan! And this heart is beating well! I would like to tell your viewers that ... ...we call Madhya Pradesh an "offbeat, multispecialty destination." This state will give you multiple travel experiences, unlike any other Indian state.
Tourists know Madhya Pradesh mainly for its national parks. Also, we are the tiger state, we are the leopard state! Madhya Pradesh has the largest populations of tigers and leopards in the country. You yourself talked about the heritage aspect. Madhya Pradesh is home to 13 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This is the highest number of World Heritage Sites in any one Indian state. Now, let's talk about religious tourism.
We have two Jyotirlings - Mahakaleshwar Ji and Omkareshwar Ji. Lakhs of devotees visit these two temples daily. I've been to Ujjain, but never to Omkareshwar, though it's been on my mind for a long time.
I will plan it within the next one year. So, Mandu is also connected, I mean to the same geography? Absolutely! So Indore, Mandu, Omkareshwar, Maheshwar and Ujjain... And, Maheshwar is famous for sarees? Maheshwar is also famous for sarees! That is also one of the things. But Maheshwar is, in itself, a beautiful town located along the banks of Narmada ji. There is a beautiful Fort built during the reign of Ahilya Bai Ji. There is a very nice museum too.
Maheshwar is, in itself, a beautiful city where you will feel at peace. Mandu is a medieval town, which is on the tentative world heritage list of UNESCO. It is so beautiful and archaic that you would feel you have entered a Medieval Period city. It is a small and beautiful town! Mandu also has a beautiful monument called "Jahaz Mahal." It is also home to many other heritage buildings. So, this whole circuit encompasses history, religion, and spiritualism! And Indore is the cleanest city, not just in Madhya Pradesh, but in the whole country! This year, for the 7th consecutive time, Indore has been acknowledged the "Cleanest City" in India.
And, it is the second time that Madhya Pradesh got the "Cleanest State" award! You'll notice while travelling in Bhopal too that the level of cleanliness & hygiene... ...is so good, as is the level of law and order. There is no harm or problem if women go out even at 12 AM midnight. You won't see any untoward incident of law and order problem or hooliganism anywhere.
We've covered heritage, jungle/forests, and religious tourism! Religious as well as spiritual add-up to it! The fourth component I would say is the 'Wellness Tourism." Now, we are also focusing on destinations that are offbeat as well as ... ...beautiful and located in the mountains or by a water body. There are heritage sites too! In those cities, we've started hosting Tent Cities there...
For example, we do it at Gandhisagar Dam in Mandsaur. We also do it at Hanuwantiya, a beautiful destination, about two hours from Indore. At all such locations, we organize wellness retreats! So, if you are fed up with city life, and want a break from the stressful life...
....you would want to go somewhere where you get relief, peace! In a wellness retreat, you will find a Yoga Guru, who will be with you for a week or so. They will look after your treatment and help you do meditation and yoga practice. In that beautiful yoga retreat, you will get to practice all the aspects of wellness. So, a layman can gather information about all this from your tourism website? Yes, yes! We have a rich website for M.P. Tourism. You can explore it to extract all the relevant information. I always say that the social media handles of M.P. Tourism are the best in the country.
I request everyone to follow our social media handles. We often upload reels that work as an eye-opener for tourists. It will make clear to you that our country has so many beautiful locations...
...that we don't need to run after the foreign locations. We are in the process of launching about 1000 village homestays throughout the state. In fact, it's the villagers who are making those homestays. We are just assisting them. We train them so that they can build homestays that reflect their original lifestyle. They're inspired to use similar materials as they use in their homes, like grass or bamboo.
Those are the places where you may not just stay but also gain unique experiences! There, you can accompany the family while cooking meals over wood fire. We will also serve you good local cuisine! Then, you will also be visiting the fields. In the morning, you can pluck vegetables yourself and get them cooked later in the day.
That would be a different joy to behold! You will be taken to orchards, where you can pluck mango, guava, and eat it right there. We already have 150 homestays in the state. Those are functional! Those can be booked through Airbnb and other booking sites. Our website also contains the details of all the homestays that are functional. The website also has walkthroughs of those homestays. Sir, right now, we are standing at the Minto Hall rooftop restaurant.
Yes! I really liked this place! Such a nice place where you can enjoy the lake-view from the top. Yes! What is there, in front of us? The larger buildings are part of the Gandhi Medical College. It is a government medical college. You can see two minarets next to it. Yes! That is the biggest mosque in Asia.
It is called "Taj-ul-Masajid." If you spend more time in Bhopal, you can visit that part of the city. The water body you see now is called "Chhota Talaab" (small pond). Upstream to this pond, and behind this settlement is a huge pond, like a sea! That was constructed by Raja Bhoj during the 9th century. So, that pond is much bigger in size as compared to this pond? This pond is nothing as compared to the bigger one! Looking from here, I find this pond quite huge in itself! You won't be able to see the banks of the larger pond! All you will see there is the water! That lake is spread between Bhopal and Sehore district. Really! Yes! We are also blessed to have seven major tribes.
And 45 sub-tribes. Tribes like Gond, Bheel Saharia, Bharia, etc live safely in our state. We have conserved their culture very well! Now that you are in Bhopal, I would insist that you visit the travel museum here. A lot of my subscribers commented on my channel.
They asked me not to miss the travel museum Absolutely! I would say this is one of the best museums in the country! And one of the best benchmark museums Internationally too! International tourists who visit there come back impressed. Different tribal cultures and lifestyles have been showcased beautifully there. M.P. Tourism Corporation also has a helpline number. You can call that number to seek advice or get the bookings done.
I was not aware about that. Yes! We will share that number with you so that you can further share it through your channel. You can also get the bookings done through regular operators.
Sir, so nice to talk to you at great length. And you talked to us in detail about the state. And thank you so much! Thank you so much for being here and enjoy your stay! Thanks! I really wish you a comfortable stay here that you will relish.
I am definitely having a great time! I would like to invite you here with your family. And have an enjoyable stay here. I will plan a family trip here, hopefully by next year February! Absolutely! Everyone in the family, from children to the elderly, there is something for everyone! You can come with your entire family and enjoy! Thank you so much. So nice to meet you!
2024-07-01 00:54
