Indian Century - Madhya Pradesh

MADHYA PRADESH: PLACES TO VISIT

Madhya Pradesh is famous for the exotic temples of Khajuraho, whose walls are covered by exquisite sculptures, many of which are of an erotic nature. This state is also famous as the location of the Great Stupa of Sanchi.

MADHYA PRADESH STATS:

TOTAL AREA : 308,252 Sq. Km (119,017 Sq. Mi)	Rank: 2nd
POPULATION (2011): 72,597,565	Rank: 6th
CAPITAL CITY: Bhopal
LARGEST CITY: Indore
LITERACY RATE: 70.60%
HDI: 0.488	Rank: 26th
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Hindi
Official Website: www.mp.gov.in

map

NORTH: GWALIOR

Gwalior Fort

Omkareshwar Temple

CENTRAL: BHOPAL (State Capital)

Tal-Ul-Masjid

SANCHI:


GREAT STUPA AT SANCHI

NORTHEAST: KHAJURAHO

Sculptures on Temple walls

FESTIVALS

Lokrang Festival:

(January 26) The five-day spectacular show of folk dance and music, the Lokrang festival is one of the most famous that is celebrated in Bhopal. ‘Lok’ meaning people and ‘Rang’, color, this is a colorful melange of arts, commencing on the Republic Day of India, January 26, every year. This is an extravagant exhibition of vibrant culture, ancient art forms, and melodious music from every part of the country and the globe, making it a must-do in Madhya Pradesh. India being a country with many culturally diverse states, the organizing committee of this festival decides to showcase the diversity of a particular part of a theme of the country each year. It could be the ‘Ramayni’ dedicated to theatrical presentations of the Gond tribe, or of the heritage of Indian culture ‘Dharodar’ with music and dance, or the artists from outside India showing their talents in ‘Deshantar’, or the display of handicrafts in the ‘Aakar’ show, a show of the toddlers, ‘Ullas’, or one of delicacies and cuisines, ‘Swad’ or a book fair, ‘Lokwarta’.

The profound idea of the festival is to revive and revitalize the Indian culture with all its splendor and re-energize its people to appreciate its proud legacy that has been destroyed by 200 years of British domination and dissipation of our heritage.

Khajuraho Dance Festival:

(February 20-26)

Organized by the Madhya Pradesh Kala Parishad, this is a one-week festival of classical dances held annually beside the Khajuraho temples in central India. The festival is conducted in February from the 20th to the 26th. This festival highlights the richness of the Indian classical dance styles such as Kathak, Bharathanatyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, and Kathakali with performances of some of the best exponents in each field. Modern Indian dance has been added recently. The dances are performed in an open-air auditorium, usually in front of the Chitragupta Temple dedicated to Surya (the Sun God) and the Vishvanatha Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, belonging to the western group.

STATE SYMBOLS: (COURTESY WIKIPEDIA)

State animal	Barasingha (Rucervus duvaucelii)
State bird	Paradise flycatcher
State fish	Mahseer
State flower	Lily
State fruit	Mango
State tree	Banyan
State Seal