Bhopāl
bhopal is the capital of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the
administrative headquarter of Bhopal District and Bhopal Division.
Bhopal is known as the Lake city (or City of Lakes as its landscape is
dotted with a number of natural lakes. Bhopal is also one of the
greenest cities of India.
History
Bhopal is said to have been founded by the Parmara King Bhoj
(1000–1055), who had his capital at Dhar. The city was originally known
as Bhojpal named after Bhoj and the dam ('pal') that he is said to have
constructed to form the lakes surrounding Bhopal. The fortunes of Bhopal
rose and fell with that of its reigning dynasty. As the Parmaras
declined in power, the city was ransacked several times and finally
faded away into obscurity.
An Afghan soldier of the Orakzai tribe called Dost Mohammad Khan (not to
be confused with the later Afghan King carrying the same name) laid out
the present city at the same site following the death of the Mughal
Emperor Aurangzeb in 1707. He brought with himself the Islamic influence
on the culture and architecture of Bhopal, the ruins of which can be
found at Islam Nagar. Bhopal, the second largest Muslim state in
pre-independence India[8] was ruled by four Begums from 1819 to 1926.
Qudisa Begum was the first female ruler of Bhopal City, who was
succeeded by her only daughter Sikandari, who in turn was succeeded by
her only daughter, Shahjehan. Kaikhusrau Jahan Begum was the last female
ruler, and stepped down to her son. The succession of the ‘Begums’ gave
the city such innovations as waterworks, railways and a postal system.
Several monuments still stand in the city as reminders of this glorious
period in its history. A municipality was constituted in 1907.
It was one of the last princely states to sign the 'Instrument of
Accession' 1947. Though India achieved Independence in August 1947, the
ruler of Bhopal acceded to India only on 1 May 1949. Sindhi refugees
from Pakistan were accommodated in West Bhopal Cities, Bairagarh
Sub-Area(Sant Hirdaram nagar), a western suburb of Bhopal. According to
the States Reorganization Act of 1956, Bhopal state was integrated into
the state of Madhya Pradesh, and Bhopal was declared as its capital. The
population of the city rose rapidly thereafter
