Temple trail

It does not take you to be a religious person to understand and admire the work of art some temples and shrines are. This is true of the Bhojpur temples located around 30 kms south of the city of Bhopal. Built by Raja Bhoj, a Rajput ruler who reigned over Malwa in the 11th century, Bhojpur is set on a sandstone ridge next to a deep gorge on the Betwa River. A keen culture enthusiast, Raja Bhoj was into philosophy, poetry, medicine and yoga and this interest of his led to the foundation of many temples in Bhojpur, including the famous Bhojeshwar Temple. It is an incomplete structure but is worth visiting for the exquisite sculptures that cover its doorways and ceiling. The temple houses a huge Shivalingam that is 8 feet high and 18 feet broad in circumference. Apart from temples, you can locate the ruins of a palace and an unfinished Jain temple in the vicinity of Bhojpur.