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The city undulates
on the banks of a vast lake spanning several square miles,
which dominates its landscape and gives it a magnetic, mesmerizing
quality difficult to resist. The tranquillity of the lake
is perhaps, to a large extent, responsible for an air of
almost deliberate indolence and complacency. It affects one
unawares and stubbornly clings to the old fabric of a Bhopal
that was—a small, sleepy picturesque town, a town with
lush forests and leisurely days of shikars, picnics and quiet
fishing trips. Even today, despite becoming the capital of
Madhya Pradesh and the consequent conflux of people due to
industrialization and growth, Bhopal retains about it an
almost eternal quaintness and charm.
Situated in the north-western part of Madhya Pradesh along
the slopes of a sandstone ridge, the city of Bhopal was built
by King Bhoj in the 11th century. The region remained the part
of the Mughal Empire until the death of Aurangzeb in 1707.
It was ruled by the Begums of the royal family for almost a
hundred years. In 1926 Nawab Hamidullah, son of the third Begum,
Nawab Sultan Jahan, ascended the throne. It was under him that
Bhopal acceded to India in 1947.
Bhopal is quite hot during summers. The monsoons arrive here
during the month of July-September. The winters are quite cool
and pleasant and are the best time to visit the city. |
