Places of Tourist Attraction in Bhojpur

This huge temple was established in year 1100 AD. The miraculous idol of principal deity Bhagwan Shantinath in standing posture (22½ feet in height) is installed in the huge sanctum of this temple. On the both sides of this idol, 2 standing beautiful idols of Bhagwan Parshvanath & Suparshvanath (7th Teerthankar) 8 feet in height each are installed. Near the feet of Bhagwan Shantinath, artistic whisk bearers are carved on both sides.

TOURIST PLACES

The town of Bhojpur is rich with immense historical and religious importance. Located at a distance of 28km. from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, it was founded by the legendry Parmara king, Dhar Raja Bhoj. Bhojpur is renowned for the remains of its magnificent Shiva Temple and Cyclopean dam. Tourist Attractions of Bhojpur

Bhojeshwar Temple

Bhojeshwar Temple is renowned as the Somnath of the East. The richly engraved dome has a brilliant rising and is supported by four pillars. The intricately carved doorway exudes magnificence with the two finely sculpted figures that stand on either side. The lingam rises to a soaring 7.5 feet with a circumference of 17.8 feet. Set upon a massive platform and composed of three overlying limestone blocks, the architectural splendor of the lingam and the platform creates a unique impression. The temple was never completed and the earthen ramp which used to raise it to dome-level, still remains.

Jain Temple

The Jain shrine stands close to the Bhojeshwar temple. This temple also, with a similar stone-raising ramp, stands incomplete. There are three figures of the Trthankaras - one, a colossal statue of Mahavira 20 feet high and the other two are of Parswanath. This temple probably belongs to the same period as the Bhojeshwar temple.

Cyclopean Dam

Once there was a vast lake to the West of Bhojpur. Now, the magnificent old dam has been reduced to the ruins. A natural wall of hills enclosed the whole area except for two gaps of 100 yards and 500 yards in width. These were closed by mammoth earthen dams, faced on both sides with enormous blocks of sandstone. The smaller dam is 44 feet high and 300 feet thick at the base, the larger dam 24 feet high with a flat top 100 feet broad. These embankments held up an area of water of about 250 square miles. This creation is attributed to Raja Bhoj, but, other possibilities assign it to an earlier date.