BHOJTAL OR UPPER LAKE, BHOPAL

Photo Travelogue :
Read first part - Here!


with lots of trees on its banks, its a sheer pleasure walking by Bhojtal Lake..


spotted this sign, look closely ;-) someone got mischievous here, ahem...


I see the boats...Yay! I wanna hop in one of them...


yep...there at last, the entrance. Boat Club maintained by Madhya Pradesh tourism.

Meet my friends from #Bhopal #travelblogger #ttot #lp #travelphotography #upperlake #bhojtal #roadtrip #wanderlust pic.twitter.com/QfoQRgCrt6

— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) November 14, 2015

get the tickets first ( price is reasonable; got two - speed boat, as well as for the cruise, I'm adventurous you see ); next, the life-jacket ( its compulsory ), and off I go wheeeee...

My video-shooting skill sucks,but dis was one jet-speeding on da massive #Bhojtal lake in #Bhopal Its WOW in real <3 https://t.co/ZU3KaZ2YPm

— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) November 22, 2015

small video of the same ;-)

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cruise time, yippee!!


but, read this first...


isn't that tiny? No, the lake is huge, makes everything look tiny, except my finger, lol :-)


aboard the cruise, the Shyamala hills at the back drop of the lake...


reflections of the city lights, as it gradually gets darker...

Night view of the #Giant of a #manmade #Lake #IncredibleIndia #BadaTalab #TravelBlogger #ttot #lp #travel #UpperLake pic.twitter.com/cha6r2ZkXj

— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) November 5, 2015

grab some yumminess from the food stall near the lake, which is visible from it.
Bhojtal, formerly known as Upper Lake, and Shah Ali shah talab is a large lake which lies on the western side of the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal. It is a major source of drinking water for the residents of the city, serving around 40% of the residents with nearly 30 million imperial gallons (140,000 m3) of water per day.[2] Bada talaab, along with the nearby Chhota Talaab, meaning small lake in Hindi, constitute Bhoj Wetland, which is now a Ramsar site. A huge statue of Raja Bhoj, standing with sword, is also installed on a pillar on one corner of the lake. ( wiki )

My day-trip to Bhopal ended with the nice outing ( speed & cruise ) on the Upper Lake till late evening. It was thrilling as well as a very relaxing experience. But it was time to head back finally. So taking an auto, I went to the railway station to catch my train.. It was a night train, so I slept the way till I finally reached lBombay the next morning...


reached Nashik in the morning...home only 3 hrs away now...
Address : Bhojtal Lake, near Shymala Hills, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462013
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THE INDIRA GANDHI RASHTRIYA MANAV SANGRALAYA, BHOPAL

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I am not really a museum a person, although, I have visited quite a few ( for knowledge purpose ). However, I was heavily recommended to visit the Tribal Museum...and learning about the unique setting of the entire museum itself, I headed for it. Its a huge area to start with and walking about can be quite tiring. But where was I to get a scooty there...so, walk was it. The museum was nearing its closing time, so, they let me in but told me to be quick. The tribal Museum is further up the road, but I visited the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya on my way which is an anthropology museum, to present an integrated story of the evolution of man and culture with special reference to India. It spreads over an area of about 200 acres on the Shyamla Hills.


the entrance and ticket rates....


the various structures depicting various evolutionary aspects of human dwellings...


a woman weaving ( or doing something )...its just to show the visitors...
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the museum shop...



the main building or office...it has a gallery inside...


the Bhopal gallery...it was quite interesting to see pictures of old rulers...


the Bhojtal/Upper lake beaconing me...
It was long tiring day. With many ( some unusual ) places covered, I decided to wrap my trip lazing by the lake till it was time to board my train. The lake was near the Museum itself, so I strolled towards it. With the sun going down gradually ( not set yet ), it was a pleasant walk.

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya or National Museum of Humankind or Museum of Man is an anthropology museum located in Bhopal, India.
The Tribal museum in Bhopal is very thoughtfully planned and the entire campus is theme based right from its entrance. The museum has a collection of tribal clothing, crafts & tools, plus a space for events & performances; preserving the state's rich art and culture in various tribes. The folklores, lifestyle, rituals and social customs of all seven indigenous tribes of MP―the Gonds, Bhils, Bharias, Sahariya, Korku, Kol, and Baiga ( wiki )

Address : Lake View Road, Next to RCE campus, Shymala Hills, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462013/ Shyamla Hills Rd, Near State Museum, Shymala Hills, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462002
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BHOPAL IN PICTURES - DAY TIME

Photo Travelogue :
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Enjoying the contrasts of #Bhopal A mix of old heritage, new modernity n #nature all brewed together! #travelblogger pic.twitter.com/2uDSnOKWV5

— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) November 5, 2015

I left the Bhopal Gas Tragedy site and hailed an auto. It was quite cheap, Rs.80/- around the city.


Dekho mujhe Gabbar mil gaya...he looks ditto with a missing tooth...


Bhopal is like any other Indian city....the dusty old business parts...


the mohammedan areas...bhopal has lots of mosques and minarets...

br /> the posh areas...more clean...


dunno what these are, passed across a few...


passed by Lower lake...


then, by Upper Lake ( Bhojtal )....
Bhopal is a city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It's one of India’s greenest cities. There are two main lakes, the Upper Lake and the Lower Lake. On the banks of the Upper Lake is Van Vihar National Park, home to tigers, lions and leopards. The State Museum has fossils, paintings and rare Jain sculptures. Taj-ul-Masjid is one of Asia’s largest mosques, with white domes, minarets and a huge courtyard. ( wiki )

It was a one day-time only trip. By evening I would be catching a train back home. But, I still had some time left and quite a few choices. One was to go to the Van Vihar National part just near the Upper Lake, but since it was noon already, I wondered if I'd get the entry. 2nd option was the heavily recommended Tribal Museum, which was also near the Upper Lake, so I headed for that. The Upper Lake, I was not done with it as well...so, after a visit to the museum I'd head for the waters. ( One can also visit the various mosques, but I skipped that ).

Address : Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, Asia
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TRIP TO THE BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY SITE, UNION CARBIDE FACTORY

Photo Travelogue :
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Had 2 literally bribe da caretakers of da very spooky #UnionCarbideFactory #Bhopal, responsible for '84 Gas Disaster pic.twitter.com/oz4F4StXRM

— ? ? NandiniDéka ? ? (@NandiniDeka) November 8, 2015

I had long before made up my mind to visit the Bhopal Gas Tragedy site, while in Bhopal ( in continuation of my Spook Travel series ). The magnitude of deaths there due to the tragedy is mind-boggling, and the survivors still continue to suffer till this date - almost 40 years now. You need to get permission from the Collector's office to pay a visit there. But since, I wasn't aware of it - got to know of it only when I reached the spot, when the people at the gate refused to let me in. Its banned to go there without permission, period! However, an official came by and offered to give me a tour round the place on his bike, provided I paid him 200 bucks ( bribe, eh? ). Thrilled, my efforts won't go in vain, I readily agreed; because, I really really wanted to get a glimpse of the place. Reaching there was however, twisty and turny.

On my return from the Sanchi Stupas, I took a bus and headed back for Bhopal. On my way, we even witnessed a road accident - of a biker bleeding profusely on the road, near Raisen town. I got down at a small outskirts town called Bhanpur, as I was informed the factory would be closer from there. I took an auto who said they knew the place very well...but, well....they took me for quite a ride before dropping me off at the site! Thankfully, they didn't kidnap me :o


get down at Bhanpur town on the outskirts of Bhopal city...


the auto took me via some jhuggy-jhopri colony - short-cut they said, hmph! #grr


till we reached the main road flyover - thank God! phew...


inside, the grounds are still contaminated, hence, advised not to touch anything...


a small video of the tour around the factory, pardon my voice ;-p


this hole in the wall is how people smuggle themselves in and out...how innovative!


the small town across the road which suffered most deaths & physical ailments...


last glimpse of the factory from outside its walls...
The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a gas leak incident on the night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal. Deaths‎: ‎At least 3,787; over 16,000 claimed. Over 500,000 people were exposed to methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas leak from ‎Union Carbide Factory. The site was abandoned by the company and came into possession of the Madhya Pradesh state government( wiki )

I was overwhelmed by this visit. Although, deaths inside the factory ifself was quite few ( 2-3 ), the whole place had a very spooky feel. Abandoned as it is. I wouldn't like to be alone there, lol. But the tragedy outside of it was what really saddened me. Every family that resides there saw deaths due to the gas leakage - and they were of all ages; young, old and infants too. With a heavy heart, I decided to head back to the city....

Address : Union Carbide Factory : Arif Nagar, Bhanpur, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462001,India, Asia
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