The Bhojeshwar Temple stands in the village of Bhojpur, about 17 miles (28 kilometers) from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. Construction is believed to have started in the eleventh century under the Paramara king Bhoja, though no dedicatory inscription survives. Work stopped abruptly for reasons unknown, and the roof was missing until restoration.
The lingam is 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) high and carved from three limestone blocks. It stands on a platform measuring 115 by 82 by 13 feet. Four octagonal pillars each rise nearly 40 feet (12.18 meters), and a ramp 300 feet long once led up to the wall. More than 1,300 mason marks survive.
The Archaeological Survey of India took charge in 1951 and restored the temple in 2006 and 2007. A museum 200 meters away has free entry, and thousands visit on Maha Shivaratri.
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