Bhopal and Sanchi

Arrived in Bhopal early in the morning and set about trying to find the mosques that are about the only famous things in the town. I found lots of delapodated old buildings before eventually stumbling onto the Taj-ul-Masajid - Which describes itself as the biggest mosque in India, and one of the 3 biggest in Asia. Which is certainly possible, as it is HUGE! although mainly all court-yard space, in the classic Arabian style. I didn't have much luck finding the things I wanted in the city, either due to a faulty Rough Guides map, or my lack of sleep. When I said it lacked famous monuments, it is probably from infamy that Bhopal is known to us these days, as it was here that the Union Carbide gas leak happened in 1984, killing and maiming an unknown number of people. Apart from one hospital dedicated to the victims, I didn't see any mention of this though.

The main reason I was in Bhopal though, was to leave it! And get to Sanchi, for what I hoped for a few days relaxation amid countryside and Buddhist Stupas. The first half of the plan worked, namely, getting to Sanchi, but as for staying and relaxing, I was out of luck. Between a big local wedding, and 100 visiting Sri Lankans, there was no accommodation in town, so I only stayed for a few hours. The stupas were great though, and the view from the top was fantastic, overlooking wheat fields that wouldn't have looked out of place in the English countryside