Heliodorous Pillar, Vidisha

A monolithic free standing column, the pillar bears an inscription which states that it was garuda pillar raised in honour of vasudeva by heliodorous a resident of Taxila who had been sent to the court of Bhagabhadra as an envoy of Indo Bectrian monarch, Antialkidas.

This inscription is particularly valuable historical record revealing both the relations that existed between the region and  greek kingdoms of Punjab and that Greek had become follower of Hindu God Vishnu. The inscription of the name Antialkidas dates approximated errection of the pillar to 140 BC. The pillar with its bell capital carrying figure super structure resembles Ashok Pillar but is much smaller in size with more slender proportions. The power portion of the shaft is octagonal, the upper, sixteen sided with panel of thirty two facets.  The carvings have Buddhist motifs such as border with geese in pairs as well as Hellenic ones such as honey suckle and the bead molding.

Tropic of Cancer at Vidisha

Shahrukh Khan in Bhopal

Shahrukh Khan was in Bhopal yesterday to promote Ra One. He was greeted by thousands of his fan in the city at DB mall, where he performed on his songs from Ra-one. Have a look at some of the pictures of his visit ...

Pictures courtesy : A.M. Faruqui

Baby Hippopotamus at Indore

A Baby calf was born yesterday to Hippopotamus named Nanda at Indore's Kamla Nehru Zoo. 

Have a look at Nanda and her calf.

Ganpathi festival in MP

Madhya Pradesh also marks Ganesh Chaturthi in style which falls on September 1, 2011. The festival begins with the installation of elaborately crafted statutes of Ganesha in homes, community places, specially constructed and beautifully decorated podiums. You will find people taking idols from markets in tempo’s with dance and music.  Artisans put months of effort into making the statues.  It is celebrated for one to 11 days with the immersion of the idols taking place on the last day called Ananta Chaturdasi day. Pics are from Bhopal and Gwalior, wherein Ganpathi idols are getting ready and are on sale in Gwalior.

Idols at Gwalior

Idols at Bhopal

Idols at Gwalior

Some glimpses of Gwalior

Normally in tourism circuits Gwalior is known for fort, but as this blogs tries to brings out something different ! so here are glimpses of Gwalior ......normally one will not see in the tourism brochures !!

Tigara Dam

Gol Padhi on the way to Tigara

Glimpse from Tigara

As we drove through the heart of India

LAST MONDAY, I was on road travelling from Jabalpur to Mandla. The distance is about 100 kilometers and normally takes about three hours on national highway number 12, which connects Jabalpur to Kanha National Park. Though it was an official hectic trip, the untampered with natural surrounding added a soothing touch to our nerves. The weather was clear and sunny after two days of consistent rains, probably for us to admire the beautiful environment. One could see an early morning sun trying to fit into the gaps between teak trees, with cover of clouds on the curves of the hillocks.

We stopped our cars on a curve, to treat our eyes and tickle our senses. Sound of water fall, chirping of birds, flutter of emigrant and lime butterflies moving over the shrubs and enjoying the sunshine, and rain droppings on leaves of trees around us added to that comforting touch. We were on a hillock and could see kids playing in water flowing down the hillock; it was fun to see them enjoy the nature. Also, there were women with ‘lumps of mud’, trying to direct water in a particular direction to avoid flooding of the fields.

The straight road, which followed the hillocks crossed over meadows and looked majestic with sun shining over it. We wanted the time to stop for a while so that we could enjoy the beauty of nature, but we had a busy day ahead of us, so there ended our communion with nature.

Later in the day, we got an opportunity to pay respect and admire the beauty of Holy Narmada river- the life line of Madhya Pradesh, at Ghats in the Mandla district. It was one memorable experience the memories of which will stay with us for a lifetime. - Anil Gulati

Bir Singh Palace, Datia

Datia, an ancient town, which is mentioned in the mahabharata as Daityavakra. At present it is a district of Madhya Pradesh, about 70 kms from Gwalior and about 35 kms from Jhansi. The district has Bir Singh Palace, which is a seven storied dome complex made up of stones and bricks. It is deserted plaace but has a beauty and history to it. It is like a diadem on a hillock. This architectural entity is visible from a distance (one can even site it from Delhi - Bhopal Shatabadi train when it cross Datia).  An interesting palace has arches, chattris, ornamental jaali screens, balconies, oriel windows and murals adorn its inside walls.

View from the train in Hoshangabad

View from train journey as it droves closely from hillocks in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh

Narmada at Dhuandhar, Jabalpur

Waterfall is located 25 km from Jabalpur on the Narmada river.Dhuandhar Falls or the smoke cascade is a beautiful waterfall in Bhedaghat. Now of days it is raining so water levels have risen and flow of water have broken the structure wherein one could watch the water fall. The pictures have been taken from rope way on the falls. (pixs @ anil gulati)

World Heritage Day Special - Profiling Narsinghgarh fort

Narsinghgarh fort - A majestic fort privately held is in the Rajgarh district of the State of Madhya Pradesh. It is two kilometers from main Bhopal - Guna highway, and approximately 83 kilometers from Bhopal.The two kilometer road which is inside from main highway is on uphill and is made of mud and sand. Approach road to fort is steep, difficult to drive and non motorable.

The fort is said to be built nearly 300 years ago and is constructed in Mughal & Malwa style of architecture. It is said to be third in size after Gwalior and Mandu fort in Madhya Pradesh. It has approximate 350 rooms, 4 halls and 64 varandahs. It is situated in a hill overlooking lake and a temple. Though at present it is in depilated condition with its roofs, and walls needing repair and walls have been spoiled by visitors to the fort who have written all kinds of messages and paintings on its walls. But a site to visit especially during rains and winters.

Tamia...wow !

Tamia's steep hills, dense forests, and the valley make it a beauty spot and 'must visit' place in Madhya Pradesh. Tamia is located in Chhindwara district of MP, located on the South-West region of 'Satpura Range'. Chhindwara district has an area of 11,815 sq. km occuping 3.85% of the area of the state and is one of the largest district of the State. First picture is of sunset view is taken from forest rest house and shows a hill peak, in the Satpura range.

Betul's Ghost fair !

A village in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh, holds an annual fair of Ghosts. This is month long fair nromally around january -Feburary. People gather here in numbers for being exorcised at a shrine of Guru Maharaj Deoji, a Hindu holy man who lived in the 18th century and, devotees believe, had the power to exorcise ghosts and evil spirits. No one knows how all this began but they say “Deoji passed on the ‘art of exorcism’ to his successors (the priests here). It peaks as the night of Paush Purnima (full moon preceding Magh month) falls, the ‘possessed’ are taken to the shrine for being exorcised. The people who bring their relatives here feel that their bodies have been “taken over by the ghosts of the dead” and that exorcism is the only release for them.

During the fair one can hear sound of temple gong, ghost busters chant mantras and priest here say that  they have been able to expell thousands of ghosts and evil spirits from human bodies. Though people who advocate on scientific reasoning do not agree with it and reason that this propogates myths and supersitions.

गरीबी का चेहरा

कोई साठ- बासठ बरस
पहले लगा था

कि दूर होगी गरीबी !

चेहरों पर होगी रौनक
आएगी खुशहाली

लेकिन इन साठ-बासठ बरसों में
सिर्फ चंद बोर्ड ही पहुंच पाए
हम तक

दूर तलक  बस उदासी है
देखो ऐसा ही होता है

गरीबी का चेहरा।

- राकेश मालवीय, सतना से लोटकर

(छाया ओर कविता)