The city of lakes

Bhopal should be known for more than the the unfortunate gas tragedy.

It is a pity that when you think of Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, most often the first thing that comes to your mind is the gas tragedy. It will be 25 years next week since that fateful night, which some might say put the city on the global map, though for all the wrong reasons.

But there’s a lot more to Bhopal than the gas tragedy. Known as the city of lakes (seven in total), Bhopal has the largest artificial lake — the Upper Lake — in Asia, which is over 1,000 years old.

The lake is surrounded by Van Vihar, a national park which adds to the beauty of the lake. The Upper Lake and the national park are the most visited tourist spots of the city.

Apart from lakes, the city is home to one of Asia’s largest mosques, called the Taj-ul-Masajid, which means the “crown of mosques”. The mosque has a pink facade that is topped by two 18-storey-high octagonal minarets with marble domes. The mosque also has three huge domes, an impressive main hallway with attractive pillars and marble flooring. Thousands of tourists come to visit the mosque every year and it is a popular tourist spot in the city.

There are plenty more mosques, as well, which are part of the architectural heritage of the city.

Speaking of architecture, the Bharat Bhavan, an arts and culture centre which overlooks Upper Lake, is another tourist spot. Designed by renowned architect Charles Correa, Bharat Bhavan is the cultural hub of the city.

The state assembly, also designed by Correa, is another architectural marvel.

Noor-us-Sabah, an old palace which has been converted into a WelcomGroup hotel, is a beautiful site located on top of a hill.

The old bazaars in the bylanes are one more charming aspect of the city.

There’s a lot to see in the neighbourhood of Bhopal as well. Sanchi, which has ancient Buddha stupas, is located about 40 km from the city. Then there is Bhimbetka, a World Heritage Site at which there are rock shelters dating back over 100,000 years, some of which have remnants of prehistoric wall paintings. The rock shelters are located an hour’s drive from Bhopal.

And, of course, if you have time, do visit the old Union Carbide factory, site of the worst industrial disaster in history, whose legacy still blights lives a quarter century after it occurred.

Chances are, however, that won’t be at the top of your agenda once you’ve seen the many good sides of Bhopal.