Bharat Bhawan
Roopankar: Museum of Fine Arts
Gouhar Mahal
Jama Masjid
Laxmi Narayan Temple or Birla Mandir
Moti Masjid
Ravindra Bhawan
Shaukat Mahal and Sadar Manzil
Taj-ul-Masjid
The upper lake and The Lower Lake
Van Vihar
Bharat Bhawan:
This is a unique multi art complex set up in February 1982 in state capital has been built and designed by the well known architect Charles Correa. The complex, set in a number of low buildings brilliantly woven around the bank of the lake, houses a museum of the arts, an art gallery, a workshop for fine arts, a repertory theater, indoor and outdoor auditoria, rehearsal room, and libraries of Indian poetry, classical and folk music.
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Apart from being a center of pursuit of classics and traditions, Bharat Bhawan is a switchboard of innovative creativity and new cultural upsurge. It is also a center for the performing and visual arts. The countrywide renowned multi art complex has an art gallery displaying a permanent exhibition of the works of a number of contemporary Indian artists and sculptors apart from a tribal museum displaying the rich cultural heritage of Madhya Pradesh. Many distinguished artistes have performed here and among its directors are many of leading artistes of the country.
Merging in beautiful harmony with the landscape, the contours of the complex create a visual impact of spacious and national elegance. Bharat Bhawan is situated in the Shamla Hills. An independent trust founded by the Legislature of Madhya Pradesh, it consists of the following units:
Laxmi Narayan Temple or Birla Mandir
Situated on Arera Hills, Laxmi Narayan Temple gives bird’s eye view of Bhopal. The temple is named also as Birla Mandir, for one of the leading industrial families of the country, Birla, have built it. The temple has a museum attached to it that houses an assortment of sculptures from Raisen, Sehore, Mandsour and Shahdol districts of the state.
The temple is built in honour of the Hindu Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi, and her divine consort, Vishnu, the Preserver of the Universe, who is also known as Narayana. Besides, the temple as well has a resplendent idol of a reclining Shiva with his wife, Parvati. The Vaishnavite temple gives views of the city from over the lakes to the old town.
The sandy-yellowish temple has an old-worldly appeal about it, having a huge turret on one side of the building. One enters the temple through a magnificent archway, and the extensive lawns that encircle the complex lend it a scenic charm.
The Birla Museum contains a small but very discerning collection of local sculptures, dating mainly from the Paramana period. The stone sculptures are in main of Vishnu, Siva and their respective consorts and incarnations. The museum also houses a small selection of terracotta exhibits from Kausambi and a reconstruction of the Zoo Rock Shelter from Bhimbetka.vf
