Madhya Pradesh is called the Heart of India because of its location in the centre of the country. It has been home to the cultural heritage of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism etc. Innumerable monuments, but exquisitely carved temples, stupas, forts & palaces are dotted all over the state. Madhya Pradesh was awarded the Best Tourism State Award in 2012.

World heritage sites .
Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi

Located 50 km of Bhopal

Sanchi, variously known as Kakanaya, Kakanava, Kakanadabota and Bota-Sriparvata in ancient times, has a singular distinction of having remarkable specimen of Buddhist art and architecture right from the early Mauryan period (c. third century BC to twelfth century AD). Sanchi is famous in the world for stupas, monolithic Asokan pillar, temples, monasteries and sculptural wealth.

It was Emperor Asoka who laid the foundations of a religious centre at Sanchi fascinated probably by the location of the hill or because of his Queen Devi, who was the daughter of a merchant of Vidisha. He erected the Great Stupa (Stupa 1) here after redistribution of mortal remains of Lord Buddha for erecting several stupas all over the country in order to spread Buddhism. This stupa was originally a low structure of brick, half the diameter of the present edifice hemispherical in shape with raised terraces at the base. It was enclosed by a wooden railing and a stone umbrella at the top. This Great Stupa served as a nucleus to the large Buddhist establishment during the later period.

Khajuraho Group of Monuments

Although the modern state of Madhya Pradesh came into being in 1956, its cultural heritage is ancient and chequered. Innumerable monuments, exquisitely carved temples, stupas, forts and palaces on hilltops, raise in the visitors mind visions of empires and kingdoms, of the great warriors and builders, poets and musicians, saints and philosophers; of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam. The famous Sanskrit poet-dramatist Kalidasa and the great musician of the Mughal court, Tansen, were from Madhya Pradesh. They are known all over the world.

               

Bhimbetka rock shelters

The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site of the Paleolithic, exhibiting the earliest traces of human life on the Indian Subcontinent, and thus the beginning of the Indian Stone Age. It is located in the Raisen District in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, near Abdullaganj town and inside the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary. At least some of the shelters were inhabited by Homo erectus over 100,000 years ago. Some of the Stone Age rock paintings found among the Bhimbetka rock shelters are some 30,000 years old.^[4] The caves also deliver early evidence of dance. They were declared a World Heritage Site in 2003.

Hill station
 1.pachmari
 2. Amarkantak
3. Shivpuri

National park
1.bandhavgrah national park
2. Kanha national park
3.satpura national park
4.sajay national park
5.madhav national park
6.panna national park
7. Mandla plant fossil park
8. Van vihar national park Bhopal
9.white tigar Safari Satna .

Other significant site
1 orccha
2gadh kudhar
3. Gwalior
4. Ujjain
5.mandu
6.bhopal
7.datiya
8.jabalpur
9.maheshwar
10 Chanderi
11muktagiri
12 Omkareshwar
13 raisen fort
14morena
15. Sonagiri
17.ajaygrah Panna

Link:- http://www.mptourism.com