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It was a journey on purpose. We had made the journey on 18th December and returned on 20th night. We had only one day so we covered the places whatever we could in the short span of time. Before taking you to my journey souvenirs, let me give you a small introduction about the city.
Bhopal erstwhile Bhojpur is the city of great King Raja Bhoj. Later on, the city was ruled by four begums. People over here are very friendly and helping. The environment is pollution free and has healing effect to your daily smoky life in big metropolitan cities. The plus point of the city is ; it is very well connected with Delhi.
Bhopal Satabdi runs everyday from New Delhi at 600 hours in the morning and takes about 7 hours to reach Bhopal Jn. Other trains are also available but Satabdi is the fastest option.
Manali -Leh road trip has a huge craze among Delhites. For me exploring Bhopal is a unique experience one shall always remember. The city is reasonable and the livelihood is simple and welcoming. For all Delhites, here is my small suggestion ; If you are looking for a change in your boring lifestyle, hop in the train and get in here. You would get ample amount of fresh air to rejuvenate your life. Getting in here is very convenient and pocket-friendly too.
Am sorry, if I am missing on few places in Bhopal. As I have already said, my visit was on purpose. So let us get started!
On day first, it is all regular for all travellers. When you gotta catch a train at 6 am on a chilly winter morning, you have to rush in to wake up, freshen up and to reach Railway Station an hour before the train departure. I too did the same. Undoubtedly, Satabdi has the best service to your eating experience in trains.
We reached there around 3.30 pm in the afternoon for the so called reason of train getting late by 2 hours. My mother was accompanying me through the whole trip. As the city was new for us, we had online booking of retiring room on Bhopal Junction. 24 hours is the maximum time a Railway retiring room permits to passengers. The rooms are big, spacious and has all basic amenities of solar water heater, air conditioner and 24/7 hours running water and electricity except for television.
The city is small so all the major attractions are nearby and could be easily covered in 2-3 days. The roads are also easily recognizable even if you are new to the city.
Keep it in mind one very important advice : Conveyance is cheap and in maximum 350 bucks you can visit the entire city. Do not fall prey to the local run autos. They charge exorbitantly from New comers. The same incident happened to me too before the locals advised me to get jugnoo app in my smartphone. Jugnoo autos make life simple and reasonable. So get the jugnoo app, type your destination and hop in. You would reach to your dream destination in a jiffy. However, if you like you can also book cab with Uber and Ola, but the fares would be a bit more.
1. Taj-ul-Masjid
The first stop of ours was the magnificent Taj-ul-masjid. The architecture is enormous and beautiful. The mosque is the pride of Bhopal. Bhopal is known as city of lakes. There are many lakes we did not touch down upon. The mosque is situated on the embankment of some lake the name of which I cannot remember right now.
The construction started during the reign of Shah Jahan Begum and continued by her daughter Sultan Jahan Begum in her lifetime. The huge pillars and domes of the architecture would drive you to the bygone era of nawabs when royalty was the symbol of excellence.
This is the place where I would be found if I am not found anywhere in the city. The superstructure would definitely pull you up from your depressive busy office life once you get in here.
2. Boat Club or Lake View
The next stop was mesmerizing evening at Boat Club. I must say, what a pleasant winter evening it was! The sun was warm and the breezes of lakeside was just romantic. It is a perfect winter evening for any travel reveller.
In short, the boat club is situated on lake View also known as 'Badi Jheel' in local colloquial term. The club is the best hub for water adventure sports. You can take a ride of speed boat or relax in paddling on your own amidst the huge man made lake where no ends is visible from either side. From a far view, you would witness the sky and the water meeting at the horizon and this is the best part of the lake view during day time.
Amidst the lake standing the huge structure of Raja Bhoj, the king of the city. The name Bhopal is derived from the name of the King Bhojpal. Raja Bhoj is still watching over his city. So be careful of your wrong deeds!
Sunrise and sunset at this point is a sight to behold. Nightlife is awesome surrounding the lake. Lake view is the symbol of Bhopal and you definitely cannot miss it.
3. Gohar Mahal
Since childhood, I am deeply fascinated in the stories of King and Queen and in real life I love to walk around the galleries of old heritage and passionately fond of clicking out the memories that I make there. So when I am getting a chance to witness the grandeur of an old heritage, Why shall I miss it? I am talking about the residence of Gohar Begum, also known as Gohar Mahal. The adjunct area of the palace is now in ruins. The outer adjoining of the Mahal is encroached with illegal constructions. The remains of the Mahal is also facing issues with sewer leakage by the encroachment. The palace is in a dire need of preservation.
4. Kamla Park
'Choti Jheel' or small Lake is another attraction of the city. You would get the best view of the lake and the surrounding city at a high point from 'Kamla Park'. The park is situated on the bank of 'Choti Jheel' is a hangout place for cheering your mood. The park is quite popular among strollers.
The park has yet another Mahal but this time of a Hindu queen Rani Kamlapati, now is a museum. Most of the parts of the Mahal is destroyed. The remains of the palace gives a wonderful location for all photography lovers. Here are some evidences:
5. Birla Temple
The scenic vew of the whole city if could be captured from one point then I would suggest to go to the Birla Temple, where one could get the most spectacular 180 degrees view of the city.
6. Noor-us-Sabah Palace
At last, we had scrumptious meal at a prominent luxurious hotel of the city known as Noor -Us-Sabah Palace. As the name suggests, this is also a palace now turned a luxurious hotel. Staying here would make your journey a lifetime worth to remember.
Unfortunately it was Monday, so we could not visit 'Manav Sangrahlaya' as it was closed. The museum is another worth place to know more about the city, the state and it's culture.
If you are science lover, you would love to visit the 'Science City'. I heard it has planetoreum. It would surely be delight for all sky gazers.
Then there is a place called 'Sair Sapata' a good relaxing place for all picnic lovers and strollers. I had not have the chance to visit here too.
These are the places I was able to touch down in a short span of time. All thanks to Jugnoo app. We met a very trusted auto driver, Mr. Rajaram Raikwar, who took us around all the places. We must say the man has huge knowledge about the city. He took us to all these places just on a click of hitting destination in the app. This is the best idea he has given to any new traveller like me and I would recommend all of you to follow that. We continued our ride in his auto till the moment has come to say goodbye to each other. We are grateful to him for this wonderful trip.
The city has much to offer. From food to fashion, the city has plethora of options to try. You do not need a guy to explore the city. You need internet and a road conveyance app to satisfy your desire of sole or with family vacation. The people over here are helping and soft spoken. But do use your judgement while having an opinion on good or bad people.
I have an instagram account. You can search me on @sanjuctakabasi. Do like my pictures and do follow me for more travel updates.
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