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History of Bhopal

With glorious past and bright future Bhopal is one of the most fascinating city of India. The city ruled effectively by the women for more than a century presents a beautiful amalgam of Indo-Islamic culture. The greenest city of India Bhopal has witnessed different stages of Indian history be it ancient, medieval and modern.The imprints of its rich historical past can be felt across different nook and corners of the city.

Interesting History of Bhopal

Rulers in BhopalEven though there is lack of historical evidences but still it is stated that Raja Bhoj of Paramara dynasty established the old city of Bhopal, few km away from present Bhopal in around the time 1000-1055 AD. 

He named his state as Bhojpal. Also there is another saying that the city got its name from another king called Bhupala (or Bhupal). Whatever be the truth there is no denying that the city came into limelight during medieval period of Indian history.

The development that took place during period of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb paved the way for the establishment of a new city in central part of India. Dost Mohammed Khan was a fierce warrior and Afgan commander under Aurangzed. After the demise of Emperor he disassociated himself from the Mughal dynasty and set up the present day Bhopal. 

He first conquered the city of Jagdishpur from the Rajputs and renamed it IslamNagar and then built a fort near Upper lake and named it Fathegarh or the symbol of victory to announce his remarkable victory and start a new regime under his leadership. He became the first Nawab of Bhopal and ruled the princely state of Bhopal as a subservient to the Mughal Empire. 

During his tenure from 1923 to 1928 he reconstructed the city of Islamnagar. He was known for his love towards nature. Later his successors ascended his thrown and took Bhopal to a new glory. Bhopal never got defeated even after fierce threat from the neighboring Marathas. Later Bhopal agreed to be befriended with East India Company and signed the treaty that continued till India's independence.

The Era of the Queens in Bhopal

Bhopal history The history of Bhopal saw a great cultural and structural change in admin istration in early 19th century. In 1819 Qudasiya Begum , wife of the then Nawab of Bhopal took the responsibility of the thrown after the assassination of her.

The first queen of Bhopal was a unique and special to Indian history in many ways and was a great endeavor of women power. She rejected the idea Purdah system where women were not allowed to come outside veil and emerged the solo ruler of her kingdom. She ruled the state with utmost efficiency and built plenty of monuments. Bhopal Jama Masjid, Gauhar Mahal are there to name a few. 

She was a intelligent administrator . She transferred her thrown to her daughter Begum Sikander Jahan in 1837. Begum Sikander was even better than her mother, a trained in martial arts and an intelligent ruler, she was a great admirer of culture and arts. In her time the cultural importance of Bhopal went to the utmost glory. 

Her daughter Begum Shahjahan continued her good work from 1868 as a queen of Bhopal and ruled the state till 1901. All the queens of Bhopal were very opened and constructive minded. They helped to beautify the city of Bhopal and maintained a great communal harmony. Begum Shahjahan contributed a lot to educate the people especially the women and was appointed as the first chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. The dynasty continued to administrate Bhopal successfully till 1949 as a princely state and then decided to associate itself with the United of India. Bhopal was consider as a state and then later was integrated to the Madhya Pradesh state and selected as the capital.

History of Bhopal Gas Tragedy

The history of Bhopal will remain incomplete without the mention of Bhopal gas disaster of 1984. The industrial devastation that happened on the midnight of 2-3rd of December 1984 at Union Carbide India Limited Pesticide Plant in Bhopal was the most awful industrial catastrophe in the world. On the night tonnes of toxic Methyl Isocynaite (MIC) gas from tank no. 610 of United Carbide India Limited Plant got leaked and spread over the city.

The fatal gas released in the environment which contained plenty toxic gases caused havoc pain and death in the beautiful city of Bhopal. Nearly 10 hours after the release, the calm, green and beautiful Bhopal turned into a graveyard. Thousands of people started suffocating and then died ,many of them were children and below the age of 15. 

According to the official data 3,787 people were declared dead, but if witnesses are to be believed then near about 20000 people chocked to death .The MIC made a huge impact on the city, not only the loss of lives but also the environment was badly polluted. The soil with full of toxic waste was contaminated. The gas tragedy made the 'City of Lakes' to 'City of Death' overnight.

Today Bhopal with its mulch-faceted profile is an interesting place to visit.Known as the City of Lakes, it is a pleasing blend of tranquility and harmony. Located on a gradient, the metropolitan has a coliseum like eminence, with a fair dash of serene gardens and lakes. Bhopal has a widespread, well urbanized transportation network, which makes it reachable from diverse parts of the country.The mesmerizing and enriched history of Bhopal has a great contribution towards the cultural and art development of India.

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