Bhanpura

Native name	Bhanpura
Type	city
State name	Madhya Pradesh
District	Mandsaur
Leader title	MLA
Leader name	Subhash Kumar Sajotiya
Altitude	384
Population as of	2001
Population total	16493
Area magnitude	sq. km

Bhanpura () is a town and a nagar panchayat in Mandsaur district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.

Bhanpura is 127 km from Mandsaur in north-east direction. The Bhanpura town is south of other historically important places Hinglajgarh and Navali in Mandsaur district. It has a museum depicting the popular arts of Mandsaur. Illustrated oil paintings are also found around Bhanpura. At the museum, art from the Gupta era (4th-5th century) to the time of Pratiharas and Parmaras is depicted, and well-sculpted portraits of Uma-Maheshwar, Kartikeya, Vishnu, Gavoi and Nandi are displayed.

Origin of name

Bhanpura () gets its name from king named Bhaman ().Bhaman () is gotra of Jats found in Punjab.

History

Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar was a strong nationalist and decided to fight with the British single-handedly to drive them out of India. He decided to stay in Bhanpura, to gather a large army, and to manufacture cannons to defeat the British. He was successful to keep the British out of his state but he wanted them out of India. He knew that was impossible without sufficient cannons. He built a factory to manufacture cannons in Bhanpura. He worked day and night and manufactured 200 cannons. He gathered an army of 1 lakh soldiers to attack Culcutta. The stress of the work and the deaths of his nephew Khanderao Holkar (II) on 3 February 1806 at Shahapura and Kashirao Holkar in 1808 at Bijagad lead to a brain stroke due to which he suddenly died at Bhanpura (Mandsaur, M.P.) on 28 October 1811 (Kartiki Ekadashi) at a young age of 35 years.

A chhatri was constructed on the site of death of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar in Bhanpura. The work on Chatri began in 1814 and was completed in 1841. This chhatri houses a marble statue of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar. The traces and ruins of factory to manufacture cannons can still be seen in villages Navali and Indragarh near Bhanpura.

Bhanpura Museum

The Chhatri of Maharaja Yashwantrao Holkar has in it a museum depicting the popular arts of Mandsaur. At the museum, art from the Gupta era (4th-5th century) to the time of Pratiharas and Parmaras is depicted, and well-sculpted portraits of Uma-Maheshwar, Kartikeya, Vishnu, Gavoi and Nandi are displayed.

Geography

Bhanpura is located at . It has an average elevation of 384 metres (1259 feet). B.K.

Demographics

India census, Bhanpura had a population of 16,493. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Bhanpura has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 80% and female literacy of 61%. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Rock art

In January 2007, the Rock Arts Society of India (RASI) stated that the "longest chain of rock arts in the world" was situated at a site 35 km from Bhanpura. The earliest carvings in the chain are mostly of animals.

The 12-km-long site, with most of its petroglyphs or pre-historic rock carvings intact, has been discovered in Mandsaur district of Malwa region, which is also home to Bhimbetka, the UNESCO world heritage site, 45 km south of Bhopal.

The Rock Arts Society of India (RASI), which knew about the existence of the site for sometime, has now gone official saying the site in the Vindhyan tableland, a plateau lying north of the central part of the Vindhya range, is indeed the "longest chain of rock arts in the world".

"Nowhere in the world has anybody come across such an extensive chain of rock arts with little interruption. What's exciting is most petroglyphs are intact," internationally acclaimed paleontologist and former RASI secretary G L Badam told TOI.

The site is situated inside dense forests, 35 km from Bhanpura town, about 350 km from Bhopal. Earliest carvings in the chain are mostly of animals like rhino, nilgai , bear, panther, elephant, monkey, turtle and crocodile. But there are also pictures of cow, bull, buffalo, pig and horse.

Experts have called the discovery of the Bhanpura rock arts as "an important milestone in the history of anthropology". "The presence of a variety of rituals, processions and fighting scenes goes to prove the continuity of the art and early man's culmination into community living," said Badam.

RASI officials have already pitched for National Park status to the Vindhyan rock-shelters.

Chaturbhujnath Nala Rock Art Shelters

Chaturbhujnath Nala Rock Art Shelters is the Longest Rock Art Gallery situated in Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary near Bhanpura in mandsaur district in Madhya Pradesh. From the Forest Rest House at Gandhi Sagar Dam as we move about 15 kilometres on metalled roads and some 30 km from Bhanpura the nearest city, a faded sign tells the traveller the rock shelters are 6.5 kilometres to the left.

The Chatrubhujnath Nala forms a pool of water walled in on either side by two long lines of rock shelters. A few trees stand on the edge of the Nala. When we reach the Chatrubhujnath Nala Rock Shelters, we find that the entire Bhanpura region is rich in rock art sites, most of them rock painting sites.

The rock shelters of Chaturbhujnath Nala are quite different from the rock caves of Bhimbaithka. Here one can barely stand straight before the paintings. One has to bend low, crawl on all fours and at times even lie on one’s stomach to get a proper view of the drawings.

The surface of the paintings is uneven in colour and texture. The colour of the paintings, which is mostly red comes in varying shades: some bright, others a faded maroon. The subjects of paintings are human beings and plenty of animals. One can identify the wild elephants, bisons, tigers, leopards, monkeys, snakes, different species of birds, rhinos, beer, water animals, foxes, cows, bullocks as well as the camels. The familiar sight of a camel caravan in the deserts of Rajasthan are right their on the walls of Chaturbhujnath Nala rock shelters. The people, usually men, are sometimes stick figures, at others two triangles linked by straight lines, with clothes and without. There are only outlines of human beings as well as solid figures. These paintings made thousands and thousands of years before the Christian era are speedy, tell stories and have drama in them. There are events from their daily lives together with exotic geometric patterns. Most of the paintings are in shades of red, although one does see the occasional yellow and white.

Daraki-Chattan Cave survey Bhanpura

Archeological Survey of India took up Daraki-Chattan region as a case for the study of early petroglyphs in India. Daraki-Chattanâ “a rock shelter within the Vindhyan mountains overviewing River Rewaâ” is situated near Bhanpura in district Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh. Daraki-Chattan reveals the hoary past of the extensive rock art in this cave beyond doubt. Excavation at Daraki-Chattan was carried out by Dr Giriraj Kumar (Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Agra) with technical support from the Archaeological Survey of India (Bhopal Circle). The excavation at Daraki-Chattan revealed immense information on the cultural occupation of the site. The collection of stone artifact assemblage from the excavation undoubtedly reveals that the shelter was occupied by the Acheulian man. Interestingly enough, Bhanpura town, close to the Daraki-Chattan site, and its adjoining area have been continuously under occupation by man of different cultural periods since the Acheulian times. Daraki-Chattan is a local name of a hill near village Bhanpura in the Vindhyans that has a series of rock shelters.

Tourism

In Tourist Place it is Beautiful Town with two sides Hill and Pilgirm Place called BadaMahadev, ChotaMahadev is very beautiful place located on hill, around 2 km from Bhanpura, At a Distance of 20 km from here Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary it is biggest dam in Madhya Pradesh Museum at the Bhanpua you can see the Palace of King,and many antique Sculture, and hidden caves in the Well

Hinglajgarh Fort

Hinglajgarh (हिंगलाजगढ़) or Hinglaj Fort is an ancient fort situated near village Navali in Bhanpura tehsil of Mandsaur district in Madhya Pradesh. Its coordinates are Latitude 25°30' N and Longitude 65°31' E. It is situated at a distance of 165 km from Mandsaur town and 26 km from Bhanpura town in Madhya Pradesh. This fort has been at its peak of grandeur during Parmara rule. There are many artistic sculptures of various periods in this fort. The Nandi and Uma-Maheshwar sculptures were sent from here to France and Washington for display in India festivals and left a mark at International levels.

Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary

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Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary is wildlife sanctuary situated on the northern boundary of Mandsaur and Nimach districts in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is spread over an area of 368.62 km squire adjoining Rajasthan state in India. It was notified in 1974 and more area was added in 1983. The Chambal River passes through the sanctuary and divides into two parts. The western part is in Nimach district and eastern part is in Mandsaur district.

Education

In the Field of Education Bhanpura is Doing a lot of Great Job,like SkSGM(Shri Mati Kamla Saklecha Gyan Mandir School) 3 km from bhanpura one of the Best in the neared area Bhanpura Public School(BPS), Aisect-Ignou Learning center is providing quality computer education.Shri Sarasvati vidhya Mandir,Subhas Higher Secondary School,In the Field of Pharmacy, ITI, BSC and Law you can get colleges for studying.

Places of Religious Importance

Kethuli Jain Temple

Kethuli Jain temple is 21 km from Bhanpura on the Neemthur road. It is a famous 'Atishay Shetra' attracting many Jain pilgrimists.

References

Category:Cities and towns in Mandsaur district Category:Mandsaur