Bhojpur temples

Located on sandstone ridges typical of Madhya Pradesh, next to a deep gorge on the Betwa River, Bhojpur was the seat of Bhopal’s founder, Raja Bhoj, a Parmar Rajput who ruled Malwa in the 11th century. Raja Bhoj was known for his works on philosophy, poetry, medicine, veterinary science, phonetics, yoga and archery, his military leadership, and for establishing Malwa as an intellectual hub with a Sanskrit centre at Dhar. At Bhojpur, he is credited with the construction of dams built using massive hammer-dressed stones, creating a large lake destroyed in the 15th century on the orders of Hoshang Shah. Raja Bhoj built many temples including Bhojeshwar Temple at Bhojpur, about 30km south of Bhopal. The temple is a simple square shrine supported by massive pillars, surmounted with an intricate corbelled dome. Though incomplete, Bhojeshwar Temple is worth seeing for the exquisite sculptures that cover its doorways and ceiling. Within the temple is a huge shivalingam, a cylindrical stone about seven-and-a-half to eight feet high and 17 to 18 feet in circumference rising from a tiered platform. Given its massive size, ropes and pulleys are used to offer milk to the lingam, which is dressed daily with fresh flowers. Walk around the temple to see the ramps used to haul stones up to the high roof of the temple. You can see plans of the temple complex etched on rocks. Across the gorge is a cave. Bhojpur also has the remains of a palace and an unfinished Jain temple. Pilgrims throng Bhojpur during Shivratri, when a religious fair occurs around the Bhojeshwar temple.