Bhojeshwar Temple is situated on a mountain abutting Bhojpur. It is around 32 km from the capital of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal. Every year, thousands of devotees come to this temple to pray and purge their mind, body & soul.
The origin of the town of Bhojpur can be credited to Raja Bhoj, the same man who founded Bhopal in the 11th century AD. Although Bhojpur clearly didn’t grow in the same way Bhopal did, it does still have one of the most significant heritage sites in the region – the Shiva temple of BhojeshwarMahadev.
The 12th century Bhojeshwar Temple is considered to be one of the finest examples of temple architecture in the region. At its core is the abstract representation of the deity Shiva, or ‘linga’, in the temple sanctum. It’s 2.35 metres high with a circumference of nearly 6 metres. Above it is an ornately-carved ceiling with rock-carved sculptures.
What makes the Bhojeshwar Temple particularly interesting is the evidence of how it was designed and constructed. Carved on nearby rock surfaces are the architectural plans that would have been used as a reference while the temple was being built. You can also still see a ramp that large stones would have been pulled along to construct the upper levels. Another archaeological site nearby that is worth visiting is Ashapuri. This temple complex was built between the 9th and 11th centuries and consists of 24 temple bases with thousands of architectural fragments scattered around the hills. According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the Bhojpur temple has the world’s tallest and grandest Shiva Lingam. And it’s built out of a single rock. How on earth would craftsman pull off such complex acts during that era.
