Gwalior is a city with a colourful history which is a mosiac of the Rajput clans of the Pratihasas, Kachwahas and Tomars, going back to the 8th century, with each leaving their mark on the city's magnificent monuments. Divided into three parts - Gwalior housing the fort complex, Lashkar the Jai Vilas Palace and Morar on the outskirts - the entire city is an exhibition of breath-taking architecture. A walk through the city reveals old havelis with exquisitely carved doorways and windows while at every street corner stand statues of the erstwhile rulers, the Scindia family. Museums and art galleries are treasure houses and the beautifully maintained palaces give the city a regal flavour. As a modern city, Gwalior is famous for its cloth mills which produce some of the best fabrics in the country.

Orchha's grandeur has been captured in stone, frozen in time, a rich legacy to the ages. In this medieval city, the hand of time has rested lightly and the palaces and temples built by it's Bundela rulers in the 16th and 17th centuries retain much of their pristine perfection. The most notable was raja Bir Singh Ju Deo who built the exquisite Jehangir mahal, a palace crowned by graceful chhatris. Complementing the noble proportions of their exteriors are interiors which represent the finest flowering of the Bundela school of painting. In the Laxminarayan temple and Raj mahal, vibrant murals encompassing a variety of religious and secular themes is present.

Sanchi is known for the Buddhist stupas or cenotaphs, monasteries, temples and pillars, dating from the 3rd century BC to the 12th century AD, lying scattered atop a hill overlooking the ancient town of Vidisha. The most famous of these monuments, the Sanchi Stupa 1, was originally built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, the then governor of Ujjayini, whose wife Devi was the daughter of a merchant from adjacent Vidisha. A Chunar sandstone pillar fragment, shining with the proverbial Mauryan polish, lies near Stupa I and carries the famous edict of Ashoka warning against schism in the Buddhist community. The Sanchi hill goes up in shelves with Stupa 2 situated on a lower shelf, while Stupa 1, Stupa 3, the 5th century Gupta Temple No.17 and the 7th century temple No. 18 are on the intermediate shelf and a later monastery is on the crowning shelf. The balustrade surrounding Stupa 2, carved with iconic representations of the Buddha, was added in the late 2nd century BC under the rule of the Satavahanas.

Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh, is a combination of a regal past and modern urban planning. Famous for it's scenic beauty, it stands on the site of an 11th century city -- Bhojapal, founded by raja Bhoja. The founder of the existing city was, however, an Afghan soldier of fortune, Dost Mohammed. The two lakes of Bhopal are in it's nucleus. Bordered along their shores stand silent sentinels, mute witnesses to the growth of a city. Bhopal today presents a balance of the old and the new. On one hand we have the old city with it's teeming market places, beautiful old mosques and palaces that announce the glory of it's former rulers, among them a succession of powerful Begums who ruled Bhopal from 1819 to 1926. On the other is the new city with it's verdant, exquisitely laid out parks and gardens, broad avenues and streamlined modern edifices.

Pachmarhi is Madhya Pradesh's most verdant jewel. Girdled by the Satpura ranges, this lovely hill resort offers an atmosphere of tranquil beauty. The valley, ravines and maze of gorges, sculpted in red sandstone by the wind and weather, are as dramatic as the waterfalls cascading into deep azure pools, some set deep inside narrow valleys. Pachmarhi is also an archaeological treasure house. In cave shelters in the Mahadeo Hills is an astonishing richness in rock paintings. The caves within the town are also fascinating as are the temples. The wildlife sanctuary nearby harbours numerous animals, including the majestic tiger as well as quite a few varieties of birds.

One of the holiest pilgrimage centres, Ujjain is the modern name for Ujjayini. Legend has it that the God-like king Shiva of Avanti commemorated his victory over the demon ruler of Tripura on the banks of river Narmada by changing the name of his capital, Avantipura to Ujjayini. Modern Ujjain is situated on the banks of the river Shipra, regarded since time immemorial as sacred. Ujjain abound in temples, with hoary old traditions. Though most have been built upon ancient sites, none have survived in their original splendour. Desecrated and despoiled time and time again, the structures that stand today are of a more recent date, renovated or rebuilt over the years. And yet, the temples form an integral part of the city and contribute to the continuity of Ujjain's tradition of greatness.