Bhopal – popularly known as the city of lakes for its innumerable natural and man made lakes also happens to be the Begum’s Bhopal, known for being ruled by begums for over a hundred years in total.
Bhopal is a beautiful city. As the capital of Madhya Pradesh, it is not lacking in any aspect of tourism – various tour packages and a range of couple friendly hotels are some of the few easily accessible qualities that make it attractive as a tourist destination.
Bhopal also happens to be a very green city, even after being the 16th largest city across the country, so much so that it has been ranked as the cleanest capital city for three consecutive years. It has top notch educational institutes and hospitals to offer. The hospitality of the people of Bhopal itself is worthy of applause.
Bhopal’s extensive list of places to be explored paired with the many romantic sites makes it a more than obvious pick for honeymoons – who would not want to celebrate their honeymoon in a city which offers secluded natural spots and bustling markets and historical forts and the most beautiful of lakes?
So if you are not already convinced, in this article we will be enlisting the various reasons on why we think Bhopal is a rather underrated city for celebrating honeymoons – and why it should not be.
1. Lakes – man made and natural
Very evidently our top reason for visiting this city should be the feature it has been named after – for its extensive number of lakes. Primarily, there are two important and splendid lakes in the city.
One of the main lakes of Bhopal is the Bhojtal – also called the upper lake or bada talaab, which is an important source of water for the city. It is a man made lake built in the 11th century and is a beautiful sight to behold.
It is surrounded by Van Vihar National Park and agricultural plots.
The other important and pretty lake in the city is its counterpart – the lower lake, also known as the Chota talaab or ‘little lake’. The lower lake is separated from the Upper Lake by an over bridge called Pul Pukhta or Lower Lake Bridge. Together they form the bhoj wetland, ramsar site under ramsar convention
Other prominent lakes of Bhopal are lendiya talab, Nawab Siddique Hasan Khan Talab, manit lake, Jawahar Baal Udhyaan Lake, Mullah sarovar, Kaliasot dam, shahpura lake, motia talab, and many more such lakes.
2. Places of interest
These form the major part of the reason – the vast number of sites that can be explored here with a significant other. Some of these are:
· Lakshmi Narayan temple – also known as birla temple, it is a temple located on top of the arera hills. It is dedicated to the goddess Lakshmi and god Narayan.
· Sair sapata – it is an amusement complex located near the banks of the upper lake. It is a place offering various sorts of activities, including but not limited to bike racing, car dashing, boating, forest hiking, and more.
· Gauhar Mahal – it is a historical palaces with twisting pathways, beautiful courtyards and exquisite interiors.
· Moti masjid – the name literally means “pearl” masjid, this site offers an insight into the rich cultural heritage of Bhopal.
· Sadar Manzil – it is also known as the hall of public, built by the begums of Bhopal for administrative purposes of the time.
· Taj ul masjid – it happens to be the largest mosque across all of asia and the name translates to the ‘crown of all masjids’.
3. Natural beauty
Bhopal also has extensive natural beauty. From the man made to the natural lakes, every location has something special to offer.
One of them is the Van Vihar National Park, which is a prominent national park located near the upper lake. It has a myriad of unique species of flora and fauna and serves as the ‘lungs of the city’. It is a vital part of the city of Bhopal itself and is under strict protection.
Another historical marvel is the Udayagiri caves. These were sculpted in the early 5th century Common Era, and are a marvellous feat of architecture.
A must visit site is the sanchi stupa, which everyone has probably heard of. It was built in the reign of the great Mauryan empire, by King Ashoka during the 3rd century BCE.
Bhimbetka caves are yet another natural marvel that is a must visit for every tourist. It has been declared a UNESCO world heritage site and dates to over thirty thousand years ago!
And that concludes our umbrella reasons for considering Bhopal a perfect place for honeymoons. With its combination of beautiful lakes, myriad of activities and sites to visit, and natural wonders that leave you breath less, Bhopal couldn’t be any more romantic! It also offers a range of couple friendly rooms in hotels, so make sure to check that out on our website!