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 Bhopal,
capital of Madhya Pradesh combines scenic beauty, historicity and modern
urban planning. It is situated on the site of an 11th century city,
Bhojapal, founded by Raja Bhoja.
Bhopal today presents a
multi-faceted profile; the old city with its teeming market places and
fine old mosques and palaces still bear the aristocratic imprint of its
former rulers; among them the succession of powerful Begums who ruled
Bhopal from 1819 to 1926. Equally impressive is the new city with its
verdant, exquisitely laid out parks and gardens, broad avenues and
streamlined modern edifices.
The founder of the
existing city was Afghan soldier Dost Mohammad (1708-1740). Fleeing from
Delhi in the chaotic period that followed Aurangzeb's death, Dost
Mohammad met the Gond queen Kamlapati, who sought his aid after the
murder of her consort.
A charming legend relates
how the queen would recline in a lotus barge that, on moonlit nights,
would drift across the lake. The two lakes of Bhopal still dominate the
city, and are indeed its nucleus. Bordered along their shores stand
silent sentinels that testify to the growth of a city.
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