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.
At the Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum, models of village houses are adorned with traditional wall art. Gohar Mahal palace was built by Bhopal’s first female leader in 1820, with a mix of Hindu and Mughal architecture. It now houses a handicraft market. Local crafts and fabrics are sold in the narrow lanes of the traditional Chowk bazaar. Bharat Bhavan is a center for performing and visual arts. The Remember Bhopal Museum has displays related to the chemical leak that occurred in 1984, curated by survivors of the disaster. Northeast of the city, the ancient site of Sanchi has a collection of ancient Buddhist monuments.