Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh
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© Lonely Planet Publications 669 Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh The vast state of Madhya Pradesh (MP) doesn’t roar for attention like its neighbours. Instead it growls deeply, offering something big and beautiful to those who will prowl the plains. Tiger parks are the star attraction, with Kanha, Pench and Bandhavgarh offering excellent chances to see India’s most treasured animal. In fact, at Bandhavgarh you’d have to be pretty unlucky not to see one. Outdoor enthusiasts can also head to the hill station of Pachmarhi for more jeep safaris and trekking, while river rafting can be done around Orchha. Rivers play a more spiritual role elsewhere. The ghats at Ujjain are one of the four locations for Hinduism’s Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest festival. A similarly reverent aura envelopes the temples and ghats at Omkareshwar and Maheshwar. Mosques and bazaars abound in Muslim- dominated Bhopal, while those interested in Buddhism shouldn’t miss Sanchi’s stupas. The erotic carvings at Khajuraho are among India’s finest examples of temple art, but they don’t stand alone, either architecturally or artistically. There are splendid Afghan monuments at the ruined hilltop city of Mandu and wonderfully imposing palaces towering over the laid-back village of Orchha, while Bhimbetka offers 12,000-year-old rock paintings. The more adventurous will love a foray into tribal Chhattisgarh, which split from Madhya Pradesh in 2000. Poor infrastructure leaves much of this densely forested state out of bounds for the average tourist, but for the intrepid it offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of tribespeople in central India, a world still far removed from mainstream Indian culture. MADHYA PRADESH & MADHYA PRADESH & CHHATTISGARH CHHATTISGARH HIGHLIGHTS Ride elephant-back through the tiger parks of Bandhavgarh ( p719 ), Kanha ( p717 ) or Pench ( p716 ) Orchha Stay with a tribal family in the villages Khajuraho around Jagdalpur ( p723 ) Blush at erotic carvings on the World Bhopal Bandhavgarh National Park Heritage temples at Khajuraho ( p682 ) Bhimbetka Mandu Raft the Betwa River in Orchha ( p677 ) Pachmarhi Kanha National Park before drying off with a stroll around the Pench Tiger Reserve village’s magnificent palaces (National Park) See 12,000-year-old rock paintings at Bhimbetka ( p695 ), a short bus ride from the mosques and bazaars of Bhopal ( p689 ) Jagdalpur Escape the heat of the plains at the ruined city of Mandu ( p709 ) or the picturesque hill station of Pachmarhi ( p699 ) 670 MADHYA PRADESH & CHHATTISGARH •• History lonelyplanet.com 0 200 km MADHYA PRADESH & CHHATTISGARH 0 100 miles Agra Jaipur Lucknow Dholpur Kanpur U T T A R P R A D E S H R A J A S T H A N 25 Gwalior 86 28 Sonagir Datia Jhansi Allahabad Shivpuri Mahoba Varanasi Harpalpur Chitrakoot Kota Orchha Madhav (Shivpuri) Dhubela Khajuraho National Park Ajaigarh Chhatarpur 27 2 Chanderi Lalitpur Bamitha Panna 3 Satna 26 Amarpatan Rewa Panna JHARKHAND National Mandsaur Kota Park Udayapur Sagar Biaora Tala Katni Bandhavgarh National Park 12 M A D H Y A Sanchi Vidisha P R A D E S H Umaria Ratlam Jabalpur Ambikapur Ujjain Bhojpur Dewas Bhopal 12 Dindori Obaidullaganj 7 Ramnagar Narsinghpur Bhimbetka Kanha Dhar Indore Pipariya Hoshangabad Mandla National To Ahmedabad Mhow Itarsi (200km) Pachmarhi Park Barwaha Satpura Chiraidongri Bhoramdeo Bagh Mandu Timurni National 26 Bilaspur Park Khatiya Dhamnod Mukki Kawardha Maheshwar Omkareshwar Chhindwara Seoni Baihar Betul Pench Tiger Khawasa C H H A T T I S G A R H Khandwa Reserve Balaghat (National Park) Sirpur Raipur Barnawapara Sanctuary 3 (National Park) Nagpur 6 To Mumbai Dhamtari (200km) Udanti Sanctuary Kanker (National Park) 7 O R I S S A Bastar 43 M A H A R A S H T R A Region Kondagaon 50 Chitrakot Falls Bastar Pamela Nagarnar Tokapal Jagdalpur Chingitarai Kanger Valley 16 Pakhnar Nangur National Park Darbha A N D H R A Kuknar 5 P R A D E S H Bheemunipatnam Bay Visakhapatnam of 4 Bengal History FAST FACTS Virtually all phases of Indian history made their mark on the region historically known CHHATTISGARH CHHATTISGARH Madhya Pradesh as Malwa, starting with the rock paintings MADHYA PRADESH & MADHYA PRADESH & Population 60.4 million at Bhimbetka ( p695 ) and Pachmarhi ( p699 ), Area 308,000 sq km which date back more than 10,000 years. They Capital Bhopal tell of a cultural succession through the late Main language Hindi Stone Age to the start of recorded history in When to go October to March the 3rd century BC, when the Buddhist em- peror Ashoka (see boxed text, p41 ) controlled Chhattisgarh the Mauryan empire from Malwa and built Population 20.8 million Sanchi’s Great Stupa ( p696 ). Area 135,000 sq km The Mauryas were followed by the Sungas Capital Raipur and the Guptas (see p40 ) – Chandragupta Main language Hindi II ruled from Ujjain and had the caves cut When to go October to March at Udaigiri ( p699 ) – before the Huns ram- paged across the state. Around 1000 years ago .