Bhopal’s Rich Culture By David H. Urmann At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Bhopal is a city in India that teems with beautiful attractions. It is a fascinating city with a lot to offer, particularly on its cultural aspect.

Bhopal is a city situated in Central India. It is Madhya Pradesh’s capital. It is also Bhopal Division and Bhopal District’s administrative headquarters. It is Madhya Pradesh’s second largest city, following Indore. It is also known as the City of Lakes due to numerous natural and manmade lakes that thrive in this city.

Much of the popularity of Bhopal is linked to the disaster that happened last December 3, 1984 when the Union Carbide plant, now part of the Dow Chemical Company, leaked methyl isocyanate gas. This is a poisonous gas that killed thousands of people in Bhopal as well as its neighboring areas. Even after 2 decades, there are still people who suffer from its effects. The operator at that time is the Union Carbide India Limited, a separate Indian subsidiary. Bhopal became the center of campaigns and protests since this incident.

However, the city is truly abundant with beautiful attractions that completely overshadow the past issues. It takes pride in its unique culture, traditions and lifestyle.

Bhopal Culture
Bhopal is known for many things. The city is noted for its zarda, parda and garda aur namarda. Zarda is a type of tobacco product famous with the Bhopalis. Parda is a type of curtain used for veiling women of the house against outsiders. Garda is actually loose dirt utilized for blowing around, particularly duing the summer. Namarda, on the other hand, means eunuch. This can be found in Mangalwara, Itwara and Budhwara among others wherein they collect donations or chanda, meant for their big festivals like Eid, Holi and Diwali.

Bhopal is also noted for the Paan eating. It is a type of preparation from betel leaf with a variety of seasonings. The most common of the these are kattha, chuna and supari. The Bhopalis treat their paan preparation as a form Art and Science perfected along their streets. In fact, this tradition is passed down from generation to generation.

The main cultural center is Bharat Bhavan. It is also the most important, especially with its open-air amphitheater, art gallery and a tribal museum. Aside from this, you will also find the Shiva temple that holds religious value. For other monuments and temples, you can find this in the city of Sanchi 50 kilometers away.

There are other noteworthy celebrations too. The Diwali is celebrated with much importance like Eid. During this celebration, sweets and gifts are exchanged; plus, donations are given to the poor. They also perform the Puja of Lakshmi, the wealth goddess. Late at night, firecrackers burst in the open by the old and the young.

Eid is another special celebration in the city. This is when all Hindus visit their Muslim friends, greeting them and treating them with delicacies. The specialty is sweet sewai.

There is also the Durga Puja and Ganesh Puja. During this celebration, the Durga and Ganesh idols are established in Jhankis. The people then offer prayers for their deities.

Bhopal is truly a nice place to visit. It boasts not only of its temples and tourist attractions; it also has a various celebrations and cultural aspects. Although it experienced a major blow during the time of the gas leakage, it continuously tries to redeem itself. It has more shopping malls, boutiques and dining options now unlike before. More schools are also being put up. It has definitely progressed and gone a long way.

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