Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Used as a drinks factory and coffee shop by the British after the First War of Independence (Indian Uprising) of 1857, this 30m-high, 9th-century temple…
Must-see attractions in Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Secreted in a forest of teak atop craggy sandstone hills 45km south of Bhopal are more than 600 rock shelters. Over 400 of these World Heritage–listed…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
If you have time, this group of handsome buildings is worth a detour between Mandu village and Rewa Kund. The main ones are Malik Mughith's Mosque, built…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Ujjain has been India’s Greenwich since the 4th century BC, and this simple-looking but surprisingly complicated observatory was built by Maharaja Jai…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
On the way down from the palace to the ghats, a small doorway announces the NGO Rehwa Society, a craft cooperative where profits are ploughed back into…
Khajuraho
Raneh Falls, a series of waterfalls in a 30m-deep canyon carved by the Ken River, 21km east of Khajuraho, is a worthwhile nature excursion, especially…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
A kind of tribal safari park, only without the tribes, this parkland museum reveals the huge ethnic diversity within Indian territory. Authentic dwellings…
Khajuraho
Right next to the Lakshmana Temple but separated from it by the enclosure fence, Matangesvara is the only temple in the Western Group still in everyday…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Entered through a kaleidoscopic potpourri of a gate, this complex is a splash of kitsch among the Islamic monuments. The temples feature marble, silver…
Khajuraho
The town's original Archaeological Museum, opposite the Western Group of temples, has a good collection of sculptures from around Khajuraho, starting in…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Vikram Teela, a small island in Rudra Sagar lake, is covered with statuary (installed in 2016) that re-creates the magical throne and court of the…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Square and simple in design, this 1000-year-old Hindu temple – built by Bhopal's founder Raja Bhoj – doesn’t look much from the outside, but the interior…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The Holkars' original Indore palace, begun in 1749, is currently undergoing major renovations and is closed to the public. The temple in its rear, however…
Khajuraho
The ruins of Chausath Yogini, beyond Shiv Sagar lake, date from the late 9th century and are probably the oldest at Khajuraho. You may find it locked up…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Bhopal’s oldest and teeniest mosque (early 18th century; 16 sq metres inside) stands on top of an old fortification tower next to the Gandhi Medical…
Khajuraho
The 700m track to Bijamandala veers left (signposted) 200m before you reach Chaturbhuja Temple. This is the excavated mound of an 11th-century temple,…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The Scindias built this marble-spired temple, a fine example of Maratha architecture, in the 19th century. The sanctum’s silver-plated doors originated at…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Madhav National Park, 355 sq km of very degraded forest as well as lakes and grassland, is just east of Shivpuri. It's scattered with relics from the…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The vihara (literally 'resting place'), just outside the monuments compound, was built to house relics of the Buddha's disciples Sariputta and Moggallana,…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Tucked away in a lawned compound in the Hazira neighbourhood, just off the southwest corner of the resplendent tomb of the Sufi saint Mohammed Ghaus, is…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Local guides seem unsure just how old these rock-cut chambers are, but they may have been the residences of Shaivite sadhus in pre-Muslim times. Some…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Eight hundred metres past the railway bridge on the Sagar road in Vidisha, the District Museum houses some beautiful sculptures recovered from local sites…
Khajuraho
The Vamana Temple (1050–75), 300m north of the old village, is dedicated to the dwarf incarnation of Vishnu. It has quirky touches such as elephants…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The focus of the dusty 19th-century Rani Mahal (Queen's Palace), apart from its pretty garden, is the colonnaded Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience)…
Khajuraho
The granite Brahma Temple, with its sandstone sikhara (temple spire) overlooking Narora Sagar, is one of the oldest in Khajuraho, dating from about AD 900…
Khajuraho
Located between the old village and the Jain Enclosure, the small Jain Ghantai Temple is named after the ghanta (chain and bell) decorations on its…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
Today there's almost nothing to see at the ancient site of Bharhut, except the slightly raised, grass-covered outline of the Buddhist stupa, but when the…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The 18th-century Chaman Mahal combines Malwa and Mughal architecture, with pretty drooping eaves on its towers. The main attraction is the Mughal water…
Khajuraho
If you're ready to deal with requests from local children for pens, money or your bicycle, then a stroll or ride around the streets of the old village can…
Khajuraho
The Duladeo Temple, dedicated to Shiva and set among well-tended gardens just above a small river, is Khajuraho's youngest temple, dating to 1100–50. Its…
Orchha
The dilapidated Palaki Mahal, immediately north of the Ram Raja Temple, was the palace of Dinman Hardol (son of Bir Singh Deo), who committed suicide to …
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
This colourful weekly haat (market), behind the Jama Masjid, is similar to ones held in many central Indian areas with a tribal population. Adivasis …
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
This museum has a good (despite its utterly uninspiring presentation) collection of medieval (and earlier) Hindu sculptures, along with tools, weaponry…
Khajuraho
Resembling the Chaturbhuja Temple in the Southern Group, the Javari Temple (1075–1100) stands just north of the old village. It’s dedicated to Vishnu and…
Khajuraho
The small Chaturbhuja Temple (c 1100) anticipates Duladeo and its flaws, but has a fine 2.7m-high, four-armed statue of Vishnu in the sanctum. It is…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
This early 19th-century royal palace, chiefly associated with Qudsia Begum (r 1819–37), now stands empty, but its pretty courtyards, balconies and…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The preserved Gothic-style 'bungalow' of Sir John Marshall, director of the Archaeological Survey of India, who led the excavation and restoration of…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The path passing in front of the Shiva statue near Gaudi Somnath Temple can be followed back to the Shri Omkar Mandata in about 2.5km of ups and downs…
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
The rectangular Temple 31 was built in the 6th or 7th century, but reconstructed during the 10th or 11th century. It contains a well-executed image of…
Khajuraho
The late-11th-century Adinath has been partially restored over the centuries. With fine carvings on its three bands of sculptures, it’s similar to…
