Tourism in Vidisha district provides a lot of options including various temples, caves and other beautiful tourist attractions. The district of Vidisha is very famous for the presence of its old temples and caves which narrate the tale of the rich and glorious past. A railway station by the name of Vidisha is on the Delhi-Chennai, Delhi-Mumbai main line of the Central Railway, at a distance of about fifty six kilometers from Bhopal, the capital state of the state of Madhya Pradesh. Sanchi on the Jhansi-Itarsi section of the Central Railway, and Vidisha, ten kilometers from Sanchi, are more convenient.
Pilgrimage tourism in Vidisha district
The temples in the Vidisha district are the major tourist attractions and people from various parts of the state as well as from different parts of India visit throughout the year. One of the most prominent temples in this district is the Bijamandal or Vijayamandira Temple. The temple was constructed in the eleventh century A.D. and was demolished in A.D. 1682 during the reign of Mughal King Aurangzeb and the mosque was erected on its site using the material of the temple. The mosque was known as Alamgiri Masjid. From an inscription carved on one of the pillars of the original temple it is evident that the temple was sacred to goddess Charchika. This inscription also records the name of King Naravarman. Vijaya was probably another name of this goddess after whom the temple is called Vijayamandira.
Maladevi temple is quite picturesquely located on the slope of a hill overlooking the valley. Situated on a huge platform cut out of the hillside and strengthened by a massive retaining wall, Maladevi temple is in fact imposing and stupendous building. The Hindola Torana is one of the `Toranas` or ornamental entrance arches leading to a large temple dedicated either to Lord Vishnu or to Lord Trimurti. Hindola means a swing, and this tarana with its two upright pillars and cross-beam has a truly connotative name. All the four sides of the two lofty pillars are carved into panels with insets of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
Another famous center of pilgrimage is the Bajramath temple. It is a fine example of a very rare class of temples with three shrines or cells placed abreast. All these shrines are now occupied by Jain idols belonging to the Digambara sect. But it is clear from the sculptures placed on the door frames and niches on the basement that originally these shrines sheltered the Hindu Trinity. The Udayeshwara Temple is situated in Udaipur village of the Basoda tehsil and is also one of the reputed temples in the district. The Gadarmal temple is located in Badoh - Pathari of the Kuwai tehsil of Vidisha district. In medieval times, Badoh was a town of considerable importance as is testified by numerous remains of temples. Gadarmal temple is one of temples, which being of enormous height is visible from a long distance. Dashavtar temple is located to the northern side of the local lake, where exist ruins of a group of small Vaishnava shrines popularly called Sadhavatara temple and a large open pillared hall, both dedicated to one or other of the ten incarnations of Vishnu.
Sola-Kambi temple is situated in the Badoh town of Kurwai tehsil. It is a flat roofed, open and sixteen pillared building locally known as Sola-Khambi. Another temple in the district of Vidisha is the Girdhari temple. This temple is assigned to the eleventh century A.D., known for its fine carvings and sculptures. The temples of Jatashankar and Mahamaya are said to be old and sacred. The former is located at a distance of about three kilometers to the South-West of Sironj in forest area. It is said that Tatya Tope of the 1857-fame has halted here for some time. The Mahamaya temple is situated five kilometers to the South-West of Sironj. This temple is placed on a hill and an annual fair is also held at this place which attracts people in large numbers.
Another major attraction is the idol of Chandranath. It is the oldest known monument, the eighth Jain Tirthankar found at Dharampur near Sironj. The inscription on this huge image is dated in Vikrama Samvat Era 1112, corresponding to A. D. 155.
Leisure tourism in Vidisha district
Udaigiri Caves are famous places of tourist interest in the district of Vidisha. Cut into the sandstone hill, six kilometers from Vidisha and three kilometers from Sanchi are a group of rock-cut cave sanctuaries. This site of archaeological importance is between the Beas River and the Betwa River. The site is known for its ancient rock-cut temples excavated in an isolated sandstone hill and the numerous Buddhist remains in its neighbourhood. This isolated hill extends from North-West to South-East and is about one kilometer long, rising to a height of about one hundred and then meters above the plain. Traces of some ancient buildings were also found here. These temples are known as Udaigiri. Some of these contain inscriptions, dated and undated, of great importance. The caves are of generally small chambers, enshrining idols or images of various dynasties carved into the rock of the hill. The caves and the other remains found at the site show that the site has passed through the influence of Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism in those days.
Holiodorous Pillar is one of the foremost tourist attractions in the district of Vidisha in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. As per the Puranas, `Bhagabhadra` was a King of Sunga dynasty. During his reign, the Greek King Antialcidas of Taxila sent Dion`s son Heliodorous, as his personal Ambassador to the Sunga court at Vidisha and a part of this information is inscribed on a lofty Garuda Pillar (Eagle Mounted Tower) locally named as Kham-Baba a favourite deity of Bhois or Dhimars. The inscription engraved on the pillar records the name of the pillar as Garuda-dhvaja, the column surmounted by Garuda which was erected by Heliodorous honouring God Vasudeva in front of the temple of Vasudeva.
Shalbhanjika is another attraction in this district. It is a rare sculpture which has been found at Gyaraspur. It is an exquisite stone figure of a Vrishaka (wood nymph) which belonged to a period between the eighth and the ninth century A.D. and kept in the archaeological museum, Gwalior. It has been brought there from Gyaraspur. This matchless oriental beauty represents a Shalbhanjika. The sculptured figure stands in a tribhanga posture formed by bending her beautiful body in triple torsion and triple flexion while her face is alive with an intense expression. Sironj town is the headquarters of a tehsil of the same name and is located to the North-West of Vidisha, with which it is connected by roads on which buses ply regularly. The place is well-known for the Calicos and Muslin.
