Top five sights in Madhya Pradesh, India

Madhya Pradesh is a vast landlocked state in central India that is often overlooked in favour of Rajasthan, the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur) and Mumbai as a travel destination. However, it has much to offer to the tourist, from cultural to wildlife highlights such as India's most prolific tiger park and one of the most immaculately preserved Buddhist complexes on the Subcontinent.

Bandhavgarh National Park
Since it is one of the smaller parks in India - it covers an area of 625 square km or 241 square miles - the chances of seeing a tiger in Bandhavgarh are greater, particularly in May and June when it is so hot the big cats are forced to seek out the dwindling waterholes. The park is also home to deer, leopard, jungle cats and dhole or wild dogs. Kanha National Park
Although at 940 square km in size Kanha is much larger than Bandhavgarh, making your chances of seeing a tiger smaller, It is justifiably renowned as India's most famous park owing to its association with British writer Rudyard Kipling, who based his Jungle Book on the wildlife and scenery from this area. Khajuraho
Few landmarks in India steal the imagination like Khajuraho, a complex of Hindu temples built by the Chandella dynasty between the 11th and 16th centuries. The complex is made up of two groups - eastern and western - but it's the surprisingly explicit erotic carvings on some of the temples in the western group that make this sight a must-see highlight. Orchha
Scenically located on the banks of the Betwa River, Orchha is peppered with cenotaphs, temples and palaces built by the Bundella dynasty, which ruled the area before they were chased out by the all-powerful Mughals. It offers an authentic glimpse of rural India interspersed with ancient buildings. Sanchi
You don't have to travel to Nepal or Tibet to see an extraordinary stupa; built in the 2nd century BC, the extensive Great Stupa at Sanchi is India's most celebrated Buddhist monument as well as being a World Heritage Site. In addition, it is said to be one of the earliest religious structures on the Subcontinent, making it an essential stop on any tour of Madhya Pradesh.