Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Dating from the 15th century, this is the most famous building in Mandu. Built on a narrow strip of land between Munja and Kapoor tanks, with an upper…
Must-see attractions in Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
An enjoyable outing from Jagdalpur, this park covers 200 sq km in a thickly forested valley south of Jagdalpur, with a number of waterfalls and caves…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Built between 1886 and 1921, Lal Bagh is the finest building left by the Holkar dynasty. As was the fashion among many of the late-Raj-era Indian nobility…
Khajuraho
While not competing in size or erotica with the Western Group temples, this largest of the Jain temples in the walled enclosure is notable for the…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
This fine museum has a small collection of sculptures from the site. The centrepiece is the 3rd-century-BC lions-on-lotus capital from the Ashoka-era…
Khajuraho
The Chitragupta Temple (1000–25) is unique in Khajuraho – and rare among North Indian temples – in being dedicated to the sun god Surya. While its…
Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
East of Sirpur, the forests of the 245-sq-km Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary are home to rarely seen leopards, many deer and antelope, a large population…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
This museum is housed in the 15th-century Gujari Mahal palace, built by Man Singh for his favourite rani (queen), next to the Badalgarh Gate. The entrance…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Set in formal gardens, the chhatris are magnificent walk-in marble structures as big as large houses, with Mughal-style pavilions and sikharas (Hindu…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The Sasbahu, dating from the 9th to 11th centuries, are reminiscent of Central American Maya temples, with their dome- and pillar-covered roofs looking…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Of course no museum can really re-create or translate the horrors that took place on that December night and in the days, months and years since, but the…
Khajuraho
Devi Jagadamba was originally dedicated to Vishnu, but later to Parvati and then Kali. The carvings include sardulas accompanied by Vishnu, surasundaris …
Orchha
Prince Dinman Hardol is venerated as a hero in Bundelkhand for committing suicide to ‘prove his innocence’ over a supposed affair with his brother's wife…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Reputed to be India’s oldest marble mausoleum, this imposing tomb is crowned with a tiny crescent thought to have been imported from Persia or Mesopotamia…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Built during the Maratha period, this temple enshrines a famous vermilion-painted image of goddess Annapurna. At the entrance, two tall blackened stone…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Just north of the Man Singh Palace is the entrance to the ruins of the Vikram Mahal, Karan Mahal and other dilapidated palaces in the north of the fort…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Almost resembling a Gothic cathedral, this looks more like an emporium than a mere shop. It was a warehouse for saffron and musk, imported and sold at a…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Maheshwar is dominated by its fort, whose huge ramparts, towering above the river ghats, were built by Emperor Akbar. The Maheshwar Palace and several…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The Ashrafi Mahal was built as a madrasa (Islamic college) by Hoshang Shah between 1405 and 1422. It was a quadrangle with rows of cells and arcaded…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Baz Bahadur (r 1555–61) was the last independent ruler of Mandu. His palace, a curious mix of Rajasthani and Mughal styles, was built in 1508–09 by the…
Khajuraho
Mahadeva, a small, partly ruined temple on the same platform as Kandariya-Mahadev and Devi Jagadamba, is dedicated to Shiva, who is carved on the lintel…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Within Kanger Valley National Park, Tirathgarh Falls, 33km southwest of Jagdalpur, tumbles 35m in several sections down a canyon formed by the Mugabahar…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Stupa 3 is northeast of the Great Stupa and similar in design, though smaller, with a single, rather fine gateway. It dates from the 2nd century BC and…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Guides lead you through up to 300m of narrow passages, concrete steps and large chambers with many stalactites and stalagmites at this cave within Kanger…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Stupa 2 is halfway down the hill to the west (turn right at Stupa 1). Instead of gateways, ‘medallions’ of flowers, plants, real and fanciful animals,…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
On the highest point of the island, the 11th-century, red-stone Gaudi Somnath Temple contains an enormous 2m-high black Shiva lingam. You can climb the…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Omkareshwar's most important temple, towering up above the island's river ghats, is the salmon-pink Shri Omkar Mandhata. This cave-like temple, 150m east…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
So-called because its water supposedly smelled as sweet as the champak flower, the Champa Baodi is a circular step-well with vaulted side-niches. It was…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Just north of Ghiyas’ stately pleasure dome is the Hindola Mahal, so-called because the slope of its walls sort of resembles that of the ropes of a swing…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Chauragarh (1308m), Madhya Pradesh’s third-highest peak, is topped by a sizeable and panoramic Shiva temple that attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Covering a whopping 31 sq km, Bhojtal Lake forms a beautiful backdrop to Bhopal. Join the locals on an enjoyable sunset walk along the promenade that…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Built by Dilawar Khan in 1405, this is Mandu’s earliest Islamic building. It was built mainly with material from earlier Hindu temples – particularly…
Khajuraho
Impressive, and creative little museum that showcases central India's rich tribal arts and culture through life-size village houses, as well as displays…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Sirpur's pineapple-shaped 7th-century Laxman Temple is one of the oldest brick temples in India.
Orchha
This soaring temple-cum-fort, on the road out to Ganj village, has fine rooftop views and well-preserved murals on the ceilings of its domed towers.
Orchha
Built for a famous lover of the 16th-century Raja Indrajit, this pavilion features murals of Praveen in various dance poses, plus one of Indrajit on…
Khajuraho
Facing the Lakshmana Temple, the little Varaha Shrine houses a wonderful 1.5m-high sandstone carving of Vishnu as his boar avatar, dating from AD 900 and…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
This palace on an island-like spit of land at the corner of Munja Tank is thought to have been a private retreat for noble couples. It has several step…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
If you’re looking for a great reason to cycle out into the countryside, consider visiting this unusual former palace turned temple. It stands at the head…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The admirable NGO Saathi provides crafts training and marketing help (through fair-trade organisations), and assistance in fields like health, education…
