Bhopal (; ) is the
capital city of the
Indian state
India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions.
History
Pre-indepen ...
of
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
and the administrative headquarters of both
Bhopal district
Bhopal District (Hindi: भोपाल ज़िला) is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The city of Bhopal serves as its administrative headquarters. The district is part of Bhopal Division.
History
Bhopal district ...
and
Bhopal division.
It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It is also one of the greenest cities in India. It is the
16th largest city in India and 131st
in the world. After the formation of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal was part of the Sehore district. It was bifurcated in 1972 and a new district, Bhopal, was formed. Flourishing around 1707, the city was the capital of the former
Bhopal State
Bhopal State (pronounced ) was an Islamic principality founded in the beginning of 18th-century India by the Afghan Mughal noble Dost Muhammad Khan. It was a tributary state during 18th century, a princely salute state with 19-gun salute ...
, a
princely state of the British ruled by the
Nawabs of Bhopal
The Nawabs of Bhopal were the Muslim rulers of Bhopal, now part of Madhya Pradesh, India. The nawabs first ruled under the Mughal Empire from 1707 to 1737, under the Maratha Empire from 1737 to 1818, then under British rule from 1818 to 1947, an ...
. Numerous heritage structures from this period include the
Taj-ul-Masajid
The Taj-ul-Masajid ( ar, , Tāj-ul-Masājid, lit=Crown of Mosques) or Tāj-ul-Masjid (), is a mosque situated in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the largest mosque in India and one of the largest mosques in the world.
History
The constr ...
and
Taj Mahal palace. In 1984, the city was struck by the
Bhopal disaster
The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a chemical accident on the night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Considered the world's ...
, one of the worst industrial disasters in history.
Bhopal has a strong economic base with numerous large and medium industries operating in and around the city. Bhopal is considered as one of the important financial and economic destinations in Madhya Pradesh's two strong wealth pillars, the other being
Indore
Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...
. Bhopal's GDP(nominal) was estimated at
INR 30,467 crores (2016–17) by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Madhya Pradesh.
A
Y-class city, Bhopal houses various educational and research institutions and installations of national importance, including
ISRO's
Master Control Facility
The Master Control Facility (MCF) is a facility set up by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in the city of Hassan in the Indian state of Karnataka. Established in 1982, this facility is responsible for monitoring and controlling ge ...
,
BHEL
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is an Indian central public sector undertaking. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India. It is based in New Delhi, India. Established in 1956, BHEL is India ...
and
AMPRI. Bhopal is home to a large number of
institutes of National Importance
Institute of National Importance (INI) is a status that may be conferred on a premier public higher education institution in India by an act of Parliament of India, an institution which "serves as a pivotal player in developing highly skilled per ...
in India, namely,
IISER
Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) are a group of premier public research institutions in India. The institutes were established by the Government of India through the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHR ...
,
MANIT
Manit may refer to:
People
* Manit Joura, Indian actor
* Manit Noywech (born 1980), Thai football player
* Manit Rastogi, co-founder of Morphogenesis (architecture firm)
* Manit Sriwanichpoom Manit Sriwanichpoom ( th, มานิต ศรีว ...
,
SPA,
AIIMS
The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a group of autonomous government public medical universities of higher education under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare , Government of India. These institutes h ...
,
NLIU,
IIFM,
NIDMP and
IIIT (currently functioning from a temporary campus inside
MANIT
Manit may refer to:
People
* Manit Joura, Indian actor
* Manit Noywech (born 1980), Thai football player
* Manit Rastogi, co-founder of Morphogenesis (architecture firm)
* Manit Sriwanichpoom Manit Sriwanichpoom ( th, มานิต ศรีว ...
). Bhopal city is also the divisional headquarter of Bhopal division of west central railways (WCR), whose office is located at
Habibganj
Rani Kamalapati is a suburb in Bhopal, India, in the BHEL township in the city of Bhopal. It is notable for the Rani Kamalapati Railway Station, the second busiest station in the city after the Bhopal Junction. This railway station was "rec ...
.
Bhopal city also has
Regional Science Centre, Bhopal
The Regional Science Centre, Bhopal (RSCB) is located in the Shyamla Hills area of Bhopal, India. It is aimed at popularizing science and technology among the people, particularly the students. It is one of the constituent units of the National ...
, one of the constituent units of the
National Council of Science Museums
National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) is an autonomous organisation under Indian Ministry of Culture. It is the largest chain of science centers or museums under a single administrative umbrella in the world. There are 24 own science cen ...
(NCSM).
The city attracted international attention in December 1984 after the
Bhopal disaster
The Bhopal disaster, also referred to as the Bhopal gas tragedy, was a chemical accident on the night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Considered the world's ...
, when a
Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is an American chemical corporation wholly owned subsidiary (since February 6, 2001) by Dow Chemical Company. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers befo ...
pesticide manufacturing plant (now owned by
Dow Chemical Company) leaked a mixture of deadly gases composed mainly of
methyl isocyanate
Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is an organic compound with the molecular formula CH3NCO. Synonyms are isocyanatomethane and methyl carbylamine. Methyl isocyanate is an intermediate chemical in the production of carbamate pesticides (such as carbaryl, ...
, leading to one of the worst industrial disasters in the world's history.
The Bhopal disaster continues to be a part of the socio-political debate and a logistical challenge for the people of Bhopal.
[Government braces for disposal of Carbide waste at Pithampur](_blank)
The Times of India, 21 May 2014
Bhopal was selected as one of the first twenty Indian cities (the first phase) to be developed as a
smart city
A smart city is a technologically modern urban area that uses different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect specific data. Information gained from that data is used to manage assets, resources and services efficiently; in retur ...
under
PM Narendra Modi's flagship
Smart Cities Mission
National Smart Cities Mission is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India with the mission to develop smart cities across the country, making them citizen friendly and sustainable. The Union Ministry of Urban Devel ...
. Bhopal was also rated as the cleanest state capital city in India for three consecutive years, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
History
Early history
![Statue of Raja Bhoja 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Statue_of_Raja_Bhoja_01.jpg)
According to folklore, Bhopal was founded in the 11th century by the
Paramara
The Paramara dynasty ( IAST: Paramāra) was an Indian dynasty that ruled Malwa and surrounding areas in west-central India between 9th and 14th centuries. They belonged to the Parmara clan of the Rajputs.
The dynasty was established in either t ...
king
Bhoja
Bhoja (reigned c. 1010–1055 CE) was an Indian king from the Paramara dynasty. His kingdom was centered around the Malwa region in central India, where his capital Dhara-nagara (modern Dhar) was located. Bhoja fought wars with nearly all ...
, who ruled from his capital at
Dhar
Dhar is a city located in Dhar district of the Malwa region in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of the Dhar district. Before Indian independence from Great Britain, it was the capital of the Dh ...
. This theory states that Bhopal was originally known as Bhojpal after a dam (''pal'') constructed by the king's minister.
[ An alternative theory says that the city is named after another king called Bhupala (or Bhupal). According to yet another version, Raja Bhoj suffered from leprosy. His physician advised him to build a lake with water from 365 rivers and take daily bath in it. When such a lake was built, it was called ''Bhoj Tal'' r Bhoj’s lake Gradually people started calling the city ''Bhojpal'', and finally Bhopal.]
In the early 17th century, Bhopal was a small village in the Gond kingdom. The modern Bhopal city was established by Dost Mohammad Khan
Dost Mohammad Khan Barakzai (Pashto/Persian: ; 23 December 17929 June 1863), nicknamed the Amir-i Kabir, Also titled Amir al-Mu'minin, was a member of the Barakzai dynasty and one of the prominent rulers of the Emirate of Afghanistan. His 37-year ...
(1660-1726) died at the age of 66, a Pashtun
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
soldier in the Mughal army. After the death of the emperor Aurangzeb, Khan started providing mercenary services to local chieftains in the politically unstable Malwa
Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...
region. In 1709, he took on the lease of Berasia
Berasia is a town and a nagar palika (municipality) in Bhopal district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.
History
In the early 18th century, Berasia was a small ''mustajiri'' (rented estate) under the authority of the Delhi-based Mugh ...
estate and later annexed several territories in the region to establish the Bhopal State
Bhopal State (pronounced ) was an Islamic principality founded in the beginning of 18th-century India by the Afghan Mughal noble Dost Muhammad Khan. It was a tributary state during 18th century, a princely salute state with 19-gun salute ...
. Khan received the territory of Bhopal from the Gond queen Kamlapati in lieu of payment for mercenary services and usurped her kingdom after her death. In the 1720s, he built the Fatehgarh fort in the village, which developed into the city of Bhopal over the next few decades.
Begum rule
Bhopal became a princely state after signing a treaty (During the reign of Nazar Mohammed Khan 1816–1819) with the British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
in 1818. Between 1819 and 1926, the state was ruled by four women, Begums – unique in the royalty of those days – under British suzerainty. Qudsia Begum
Qudsia Begum, born Udham Bai ( 1768) was a wife of Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah and mother of emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur. She was an administrator and served as de facto regent of India from 1748 to 1754.
Early years
A Hindu by origin, Udham Bai ...
was the first woman ruler (between 1819 and 1837), who was succeeded by her granddaughter, Shah Jehan
Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...
. Between the years 1844–1860, when Shah Jehan was a child, her mother Sikandar (only daughter of Qudsia) ruled as regent. Curiously during the 1857 revolt
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...
, Sikandar supported the British, for which she was rewarded by proclaiming her as king in 1858. To give her further honor, she was given a 19-gun salute and the Grand Cross of the Star of India. The latter made her equivalent to a British person, who had been granted a knighthood. Thus she became, at that time, the only female knight in the entire British Empire besides Queen Victoria. Among the relatively minor rewards, a territory was restored to her, that she had earlier lost to a neighbouring prince.
Sikandar ruled until 1868, when Shah Jehan succeeded her and was Begum until 1901. In 1901, Shah Jehan's daughter Kaikhusrau Jahan became Begum, ruled until 1926, and was the last of the female line of succession. In 1926, she abdicated in favour of her son, Hamidullah Khan, who ruled until 1947, and was the last of the sovereign Nawab
Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب;
bn, নবাব/নওয়াব;
hi, नवाब;
Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ;
Persian,
Punjabi ,
Sindhi,
Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...
s. The rule of Begums gave the city its waterworks, railways, a postal system, and a municipality constituted in 1907.
Post independence
Bhopal State
Bhopal State (pronounced ) was an Islamic principality founded in the beginning of 18th-century India by the Afghan Mughal noble Dost Muhammad Khan. It was a tributary state during 18th century, a princely salute state with 19-gun salute ...
was the second-largest Muslim-ruled princely state: the first being Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
. After the independence of India in 1947, the last Nawab expressed his wish to retain Bhopal as a separate unit. Agitations against the Nawab broke out in December 1948, leading to the arrest of prominent leaders including Shankar Dayal Sharma
Shankar Dayal Sharma (; 19 August 1918 – 26 December 1999) was an Indian lawyer and politician from the state of Madhya Pradesh who served as the ninth President of India, from 1992 to 1997.
Born in Bhopal, Sharma studied at Agra, Allahaba ...
. Later, the political detainees were released, and the Nawab signed the agreement for Bhopal's merger with the Union of India on 30 April 1949. The Bhopal state
Bhopal State (pronounced ) was an Islamic principality founded in the beginning of 18th-century India by the Afghan Mughal noble Dost Muhammad Khan. It was a tributary state during 18th century, a princely salute state with 19-gun salute ...
was taken over by the Union Government of India on 1 June 1949.
Bhopal gas tragedy
In early December 1984, a Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is an American chemical corporation wholly owned subsidiary (since February 6, 2001) by Dow Chemical Company. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers befo ...
pesticide plant in Bhopal leaked around 32 tons of toxic gases, including methyl isocyanate
Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is an organic compound with the molecular formula CH3NCO. Synonyms are isocyanatomethane and methyl carbylamine. Methyl isocyanate is an intermediate chemical in the production of carbamate pesticides (such as carbaryl, ...
(MIC) gas which led to the worst industrial disaster in the world to date.
The official death toll was initially recorded as around 4,000. A Madhya Pradesh government report stated 3,787 deaths, while other estimates state the fatalities were significantly higher (16,000) from the accident and the medical complications caused by the accident in the weeks and years that followed. The higher estimates have been challenged by Union Carbide, however, medical staff in the city were not able to adequately record data due to the massive influx of patients. The impact of the disaster continues to this day in terms of psychological and neurological disabilities, blindness, skin, vision, breathing, and birth disorders.
The soil and ground water near the factory site have been contaminated by the toxic wastes. The Bhopal disaster continues to be the part of the socio-political debate; the clean-up of environmental contamination and rehabilitation of those affected continues to challenge the people of Bhopal.
The centre is seeking a direction to Union Carbide
Union Carbide Corporation is an American chemical corporation wholly owned subsidiary (since February 6, 2001) by Dow Chemical Company. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers befo ...
and other firms for 78.44 billion additional amount over and above the earlier settlement amount of US$470 million in 1989 for paying compensation to the gas tragedy victims.
Geography
Bhopal has an average elevation of 500 metres (1401 ft) and is located in the central part of India, just north of the upper limit of the Vindhya
The Vindhya Range (also known as Vindhyachal) () is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments in west-central India.
Technically, the Vindhyas do not form a single mountain range in the ...
mountain ranges. Located on the Malwa
Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic upland north of the Vindhya Range. Politically and administratively, it is also syn ...
plateau, it is higher than the north Indian plains and the land rises towards the Vindhya Range to the south. The city has uneven elevation and has small hills within its boundaries. The prominent hills in Bhopal are the Idgah and Shyamala hills in the northern region, together with the Katara hills in the southern region. There are two lakes namely upper lake and lower lake. The Upper Lake has a surface area of 36 km2 and catchment area of 361 km2 while the Lower Lake has a surface area of 1.29 km2 and catchment area of 9.6 km2. Recently, Bhopal Municipal Corporation came with a resolution to involve local citizens in cleaning, conserving and maintaining the lakes. Bhopal city is divided into two parts where one part which is near the VIP and lake is Old Bhopal (north) and the other, New Bhopal (south), where malls are mainly situated. List of pin codes from Bhopal is 462001 to 462050 which comes under Bhopal postal division (Bhopal Region).
Climate
Bhopal has a humid subtropical climate, with cool, dry winters, a hot summer and a humid monsoon season. Summers start in late March and go on until mid-June, the average temperature being around 30 °C (86 °F), with the peak of summer in May, when the highs regularly exceed 40 °C (104 °F) Extreme high in May was 46.7 °C on 19 May 2016 and in June it was 45.9 °C on 7 June 2019. The monsoon starts in late June and ends in late September. These months see about 40 inches (1020 mm) of precipitation, frequent thunderstorms and flooding. The average temperature is around 25 °C (77 °F) and the humidity is quite high. Temperatures rise again up to early November when winter starts, which lasts up to early March. Winters in Bhopal are cool, and not very much comfortable like summers, with average daily temperatures around 16 °C (61 °F). The winter peaks in January when temperatures may drop close to freezing on some nights. Lowest temperature ever recorded was 0.3 °C. Total annual rainfall is about 1146 mm (46 inches).
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, the population of the Bhopal city (the area under Bhopal Municipal Corporation) is 1,798,218, with 936,168 males and 862,050 females. The population of the Bhopal metropolitan area (the urban agglomeration
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...
that extends beyond Bhopal city) was 1,886,100 in 2011. The total effective literacy rate (for population aged 7+ years) was 85.24%, with male and female literacy respectively at 89.2% and 80.1%.
Government and politics
Bhopal is the name of the division, as well as the district and the capital city of the district. The division is headed by the commissioner and additional commissioner for the division. The division has five districts, of which Bhopal is one. Bhopal district administration is headed by the District Magistrate of Bhopal, who is the chief executive officer for the district.
The city is represented in the parliament by Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency, with Pragya Singh Thakur from the BJP elected in 2019. Bhopal also houses the State Legislative Assembly, or the Vidhan Sabha
The State Legislative Assembly, or Vidhan Sabha, or also Saasana Sabha, is a legislative body in the states and union territories of India. In the 28 states and 3 union territories with a unicameral state legislature, it is the sole legislati ...
, which seats 230 members of Legislative Assembly. The fourteenth (and current) Vidhan Sabha was elected in December 2018. , the party in the majority in Vidhan Sabha is Bhartiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
(BJP) with 107 seats which is led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Shivraj Singh Chouhan (born 5 March 1959), is an Indian politician and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the 17th and current Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, having been elected to the same position 3 times in the past, and a Member ...
. Bhopal district elects seven seats to the Assembly, and as per delimitation in 2008, Bhopal city is represented in 6 constituencies:
It is also part of the larger urban agglomeration of Bhopal, with a population of 1,883,381. The first municipal body that governed the municipal population of the city came into being in 1907 in erstwhile Bhopal estate, and was called Majlis-e-intezamia". The first city survey was conducted in 1916 after the enactment of Municipal act. Till 1956, the area under Bhopal Municipal limit was very small, after which surrounding villages were added to it. By 1975, the municipal limit reached 71.23 square km. Bhopal Municipal Council got the status of Municipal Corporation, with total of 56 wards in 1983.
Civic administration
Bhopal Municipal Corporation
Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) is the Municipal Corporation for the capital city of Madhya Pradesh. It is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Bhopal. BMC administers an area of 463 km2 (250.29 sq mi ...
(BMC) is the urban civic body which oversees the needs of Bhopal city. The municipal corporation follows guidelines under the Madhya Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1956, as well as the Madhya Pradesh Municipalities Act, 1961. In 2015, Kolar Municipal Corporation merged with it, after having been split from it earlier. In 2019, it was announced that the corporation would be split again and a proposal was put forth to the urban administration and housing department, which was criticised by the mayor-in-council. It also proposed for indirect election of the mayor.
The municipal corporation is spread over an area of and has a population of 1795648. The city is divided into 14 zones and 85 wards for the purpose of administration, and each ward is represented by a councillor elected for a term of five years. The winning party elects a council of members, who are responsible for various departments. Ward committees as well as Mohalla committees have been prescribed by the corporation act. In October 2016, the Pioneer
Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land.
In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...
reported the meeting of one ward committee in the city. Madhya Pradesh is one of the few states in India, which uses the Mayor-in-Council (MIC) system and hence the elected representatives of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation are also organised as MIC. There are multiple municipal departments in BMC such as Health and Environment; Education, Social JusticeFood and Culture; Planning and Rehabilitation; Public Relations and Library; Fire Brigade and Transport; Power; Engineering; Revenue and Project; Accounting; JnNURM; M.P.U.S.P and General Administration.
Elections held for 85 wards of Bhopal Municipal Corporation on 06th July 2022 As of September 2020, the reservation of wards has been decided. The present mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of the city is Malti Rai. In 2019, the state government changed the rules that had applied since 1988, allowing the mayor to be indirectly elected, by elected councillors. V.S.Choudhary Kolsani is the municipal commissioner of the city. Additional municipal commissioner is Shashwant Singh Meena.
The municipality receives income from tax collection, assigned revenue, rental income, fees and user charges, revenue grants, income from investment funds. The budget for the year 2020-21 has been approved as Rs 2495 crore.
Civic utilities
Bhopal Development Authority is the apex body for planning and co-ordination of development activities in the Mandhya Pradesh, which consists of Bhopal and its influence area, and was set up in 1976 under the Bhopal Development Authority Act, 1974.
Electricity in Bhopal is distributed by the Madhya Pradesh Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company Limited, the central discom of the state. It is regulated by the state electricity board, the Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board (MPSEB), which is located in Bhopal. Fire services are provided by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation.
Bhopal Municipal Corporation
Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) is the Municipal Corporation for the capital city of Madhya Pradesh. It is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Bhopal. BMC administers an area of 463 km2 (250.29 sq mi ...
is responsible for planning, constructing and maintaining the water supply system within the city. Natural sources of water are surface water (upper lake, kolar reservoir, narmada river), with a significant portion of the population depending on ground water (tubewells, handpumps) as well as privately owned and unaccounted for dugwells and borewells. According to a study done in 2014, piped water supply in the city covers about 6% of the population; however, irregular and bad quality of water supply is a common complaint in the city.
The system of solid waste disposal in urban areas is governed by the municipality under the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules 2000. These rules have been framed under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. The city of Bhopal generates 900 tonnes of solid waste. As of 2018, only 1.5% of this waste is segregated. While the municipality website states that door-to-door collection was started by BMC at each zone and ward level from 15 August 2013, Free Press Journal
''The Free Press Journal'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper that was established in 1928 by Swaminathan Sadanand, who also acted as its first editor. First produced to complement a news agency, the Free Press of India, it was a s ...
has reported in 2020 that the civic body has failed in the same. Bhopal has 8 transfer stations, where the garbage collected zone wise is dumped, and without any segregation, the waste is transferred to the Adampur Chhawni landfill site
A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the wast ...
. In 2018, after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the BMC to clean dump at Bhanpur
Bhanpur is a village in the Bhopal district of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located in the Huzur tehsil and the Phanda block.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census of India
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was con ...
, which activists claim is 80 feet high and has polluted ground water up to 500 metres below, the trenching ground was shifted to Adampur. In 2019, it was announced that India's first e-waste clinic was being set up in Bhopal. BMC along with Central Pollution Control Board
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India is a statutory organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (Mo.E.F.C.C.). It was established in 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of pollution) Act, 1 ...
came together to establish this clinic which will enable segregation, processing and disposal of waste, both residential and commercial. In January 2020, the clinic was inaugurated for operations. It started initially as a three-month pilot and if the pilot is successful, the clinics will be opened in other places as well.
As of 2017, the city of Bhopal produces 310 MLD of sewage per day, of which only 50 MLD is treated in the 7 Sewage treatment plants that have a capacity of 80 MLD. Most of the sewage reaches water bodies, the Upper and Lower Lake, Motia Lake, Siddique Hasan Lake, Munshi Hussain Khan Lake. There are about 800 large drains in Bhopal. About 80% sewerage water mixes with storm water drains main drains include Patra, Mandi and Hataikheda, Jatkhedi.
After a gap of 25 years, the state capital's masterplan 2031 was finally released in March 2020 by the Directorate of Town and Country Planning, Madhya Pradesh. The previous masterplan of 1995 was valid until 2005; and Bhopal had no masterplan between 2005 and 2020. Bhopal Municipal Corporation was ranked 3rd out of 21 Cities for best governance and administrative practices in India in 2014. It scored 3.7 on 10 compared to the national average of 3.3.
Culture
Diwali and Eid are major festivals in Bhopal. Gifts and sweets are exchanged and donation are made to the poor. Diwali is celebrated by worshiping the wealth goddess ''Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
''. Eid is special to the city as all the Hindus take time out to visit their Muslim friends and greet them and get treated with delicacies, the speciality of the day being sweet ''sewaiya''. Bhopali culture is such that both Hindus and Muslims visit each other on their respective festivals to greet and exchange sweets. During Ganesh
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...
puja and Durga Puja
Durga Puja ( bn, দুর্গা পূজা), also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated ...
(Navratras), idols of Ganesh and Durga are established in ''jhankis'' throughout the city. People throng to offer prayers to their deities. At the end of Navratras, on the day of Vijayadashami
Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hind ...
(or ''Dussehra''), huge effigies of Ravan
Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana'' and its adaptations.
In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He ab ...
are burnt in different parts of the city. Apart from jhankis, several Bengali associations like TT Nagar Bengali association, BHEL Kalibari, Arera Colony Bangiya parishad, Sundervan Bairagarh, Purbachal club, Habibganj Kalibari, Kolar Kalibari celebrates the annual Durga puja in a huge way where large idols of mother goddess and pandals are installed and bhog is served. TT nagar Bengali association had its 65th year Durgotsav in the year 2021. Also, these associations conduct several cultural programmes and other pujas like Kalipuja, Saraswati puja etc. One of the famous kali puja in new bhopal region is Trilanga Kali puja committee which conducts kalipuja from the last 25 years.
Other places of worship and cultural activities for the Bengali Speaking Hindu diaspora includes Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama and Bharat Sevashram Sangha. Bhopal Ijtema is an annual Muslim world preachers congregation, is held at EIntkhedi 11 km from Bhopal. The annual congregation near Bhopal attracts between 500,000 and 1,000,000 Muslims globally.
Architecture
The Nawabs of Bhopal
The Nawabs of Bhopal were the Muslim rulers of Bhopal, now part of Madhya Pradesh, India. The nawabs first ruled under the Mughal Empire from 1707 to 1737, under the Maratha Empire from 1737 to 1818, then under British rule from 1818 to 1947, an ...
built several structures including the Taj-ul-Masajid
The Taj-ul-Masajid ( ar, , Tāj-ul-Masājid, lit=Crown of Mosques) or Tāj-ul-Masjid (), is a mosque situated in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the largest mosque in India and one of the largest mosques in the world.
History
The constr ...
and Taj Mahal palace in Indo-Islamic and European styles.
Bharat Bhavan is the main cultural centre of the city, and hosts many theatre and film festivals every year. It has an art gallery, an open-air amphitheatre facing the Upper Lake, two other theatres and a tribal museum. The Bharat Bhavan as well as the MP Legislative Assembly were designed by Charles Correa.
Economy
The economy of Bhopal is heavily industrial based with pharmaceutical, automobile, textile, and production of electrical goods mostly being prevalent. Nominal GDP of Bhopal District was Rs. 30,467 crores for the year 2016–17 with a per-capita GDP of INR 1,04,829 as per the Directorate of Economics and Statistics (Madhya Pradesh). The major industries in the old city are electrical goods, medicinal, cotton, chemicals and jewellery. Other industries include cotton and flour milling, cloth weaving and painting, as well as making matches, sealing wax, and sporting equipment. The residents of Bhopal also engage in large retail businesses. Handicrafts, like zardozi
Zardozi or zar-douzi or zarduzi (from Classical Persian زَردوزی ''zardōzī'', literally "gold embroidery"; fa, label= Modern Persian, زَردوزی, translit=zarduzi; hi, ज़रदोज़ी, tg, зардӯзӣ, ur, زردوز ...
and ''batua'' (a small string purse, usually used with Indian traditional dresses) are some of the products of the Old City.
Bhopal is also home to the DB Corp, informally called the Bhaskar Group (named after its major publication ''Dainik Bhaskar
''Dainik Bhaskar ''is India's largest Hindi-language daily newspaper owned by the Dainik Bhaskar Group. According to Audit Bureau of Circulations, it is ranked 3rd in the world by circulation and is the largest newspaper in India by circula ...
''), a ₹17 billion business conglomerate with a strong presence in media. Its head office is located in Maharana Pratap Nagar. While an IT Park, near Bhopal Airport, houses various software development companies and the city is expected to further enlarge its IT presence in near future with giants like WIPRO
Wipro Limited (formerly, Western India Palm Refined Oils Limited) is an Indian multinational corporation that provides information technology, consulting and business process services. Thierry Delaporte is serving as CEO and managing directo ...
intending to establish software development centre in the city. Other Software and IT companies established in the city include Sutherland Global Services, ISoft InfoTech, Soluzione IT Services, Netlink Software Pvt Ltd., Caresoft Inc India, Osmo IT Solution Pvt Ltd., and many more.
Manjul Publishing House, located in the old city, is a major publishing house made famous by the translation of the Harry Potter series of novels into Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
.
Industries
*Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is an Indian central public sector undertaking. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India. It is based in New Delhi, India. Established in 1956, BHEL is India' ...
, the largest engineering and manufacturing enterprise in India, has a unit in Bhopal. It occupies a large area in the Eastern Part of the city and maintains a suburb named after it. A majority of the residents of the BHEL Suburb are employed by the unit. Govindpura Industrial Area is a huge industrial zone situated in northern limits of the city.
* Mandideep is an industrial suburb
An industrial suburb is a community, near a large city, with an industrial economy. These communities may be established as tax havens or as places where zoning promotes industry, or they may be industrial towns that become suburbs by urban spr ...
of Bhopal. It is located to the south of the city on the NH 12. Manufacturing units in Mandideep include HEG Limited, Procter & Gamble, Lupin Limited, Eicher Tractors, Insulators and Electricals Limited, Tafe Motors And Tractors Limited, B. S. Engineering Works, etc.
*Rapidly transforming industrial zones near Bhopal also include Bagroda AKVN, Tamot Plastic Park and Acharpura Industrial Area. With the state government providing conducive environment for setting up of manufacturing units, the industrial zones have seen exponential demand from the investors to purchase the land which are provided at heavily subsidized prices.
*Bhopal also has in its vicinity Badiyakhedi Industrial Area ( Sehore), Pilukhedi Industrial Area ( Rajgarh), Budhni Industrial Area ( Sehore), Jamuniya Khejda ( Raisen) and Mohasa Babai Industrial Area (Narmadapuram
Hoshangabad, officially known as Narmadapuram is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Hoshangabad district and Narmadapuram division. It is located in central India, on the south ...
). The industrial areas have attracted huge investments with companies like Welspun Corp. Ltd, Vardhaman Industries, Trident Group, Lapp India, and Inox Air Products Pvt. Ltd. already operating manufacturing plants in various industrial belts.
Upcoming Projects
*Bhopal also has many other mega projects lined up in its vicinity. In March 2022, Madhya Pradesh government announced the development of Bagroda Industrial Area Phase-2 after observing the immense interest of investors to set up manufacturing units near Bhopal. The government has also decided to develop Berasia
Berasia is a town and a nagar palika (municipality) in Bhopal district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.
History
In the early 18th century, Berasia was a small ''mustajiri'' (rented estate) under the authority of the Delhi-based Mugh ...
Industrial Area in Bhopal district, a site close to Jaipur-Bhopal Highway and Delhi-Gwalior-Bhopal Highway.
*In the sphere of IT development, a mega skill park with a total investment of more than INR 1,500 crores is being built in the eastern portion of the city. The Global Skills Park, Bhopal is a highly touted project of the Central and the state government which is being funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Park is expected to be fully commissioned at the end of 2023. While the IT Park near Bhopal Airport is eying investments of software companies including TCS and Wipro. IT startups of the city are already functioning in this area.
Transport
By air
The Raja Bhoj International Airport
Raja Bhoj Airport is the primary airport serving Bhopal, capital of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Named after the 10th century Paramara king Raja Bhoj, it is the second busiest airport in Madhya Pradesh after Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airp ...
is located near the suburb of Sant Hirdaram Nagar (formerly known as Bairagarh) and is the primary airport serving the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.
There are three routes or ways to reach the airport: (1) Via Bairagad, (2) Via Panchvati, (3) Via Gandhi Nagar road (N.H 12). From within the city, VIP Road, a four lane road takes one to the airport, which lies 15 km to the north of the city. International flights began operations in 2010.
Domestic direct flight services are operated by Air India, Spice Jet and Indigo. As of January 2020, Bhopal has non-stop flights to New Delhi, Mumbai, , Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Raipur.
There are no international flight from Bhopal.
Rail
Bhopal lies in the West Central Railway Zone. Considering both north–south and east–west train routes, it is one of the most rail connected cities in India which halts more than 200 daily trains, with a total of more than 380 trains within a week. The main stations of Bhopal are the Bhopal Junction
Bhopal Junction railway station (station code: BPL) is a major railway junction of India and main railway station of Bhopal, the capital of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. This station also serves as a connecting point for various ...
station and Rani Kamlapati Railway station along with Sant Hirdaram Nagar railway station. The main stations are equipped with WiFi, have enough: waiting halls, refreshment centers, passenger ticket counters and ticket vending machines, vehicle parking, communication facilities, sanitary facilities and dedicated government railway police force to ensure security. Altogether the city has six railway stations within its city limits.
The Divisional Railway Manager's (DRM) office of Bhopal Division is situated close to the Railway station, at Habibganj, the southern location in Bhopal City. The division falls under West Central railways.
Roads
National Highway 46 forms a ring-road around Bhopal which connects it to Jabalpur
Jabalpur is a city situated on the banks of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. According to the 2011 census, it is the third-largest urban agglomeration in Madhya Pradesh and the country's 38th-largest urban agglomeration. J ...
in the East (via NH 45) and Jaipur to the North west. NH 146, a branch of NH 46, connects the city to Kanpur in the North . State Highway 18 connects the city with Indore
Indore () is the largest and most populous city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is the only city to ...
(with Sehore and Dewas
Dewas is a city in the Malwa region of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The municipality was formerly the seat of two 15-Gun Salute state princely states during the British Raj, Dewas Junior state and Dewas Senior state, ruled by the Pua ...
on the way). State Highway 23 connects the city to Guna and Berasia
Berasia is a town and a nagar palika (municipality) in Bhopal district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India.
History
In the early 18th century, Berasia was a small ''mustajiri'' (rented estate) under the authority of the Delhi-based Mugh ...
in the north.
An interstate bus terminus inaugurated in 2011, the Kushabhau Thakre Inter State Bus Terminal
The Kushabhau Thakre Inter-state bus terminus also known as ''Bhopal ISBT'' or '' ISBT'', located in Bhopal is the newest Inter State Bus Terminals
In India, an Inter State Bus Terminal or Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) is a bus terminus that ...
is located near the Rani Kamlapati railway station,
Urban transport
Bhopal BRTS
The Bus Rapid Transit System, which opened in 2013, is run by Bhopal City Link Limited (BCLL). The company has identified 4 trunk and 8 standard routes in the city on which 225 buses would be operated daily (365 a day in a year), from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. 82 bus stops are built along the 24 km long corridor.
Metro Rail
The Bhoj Metro project is under construction for the city.
Education
Basic education
Bhopal has more than 550 state-sponsored schools, most of which are affiliated to the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education
Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education ( hi, मध्य प्रदेश माध्यमिक शिक्षा मंडल ) (abbreviated MPBSE) is a board of school education in Madhya Pradesh State of India.
The MPBSE is a M ...
(MPBSE). In addition, there are three Kendriya Vidyalaya
The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan () is a system of central government schools in India that are instituted under the aegis of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. , it has a total of 1,248 schools in India, and three abroad in Moscow ...
s in the city. The city is also served by numerous other private schools affiliated to either CBSE, ICSE, MPBSE, NIOS and CIE (Cambridge).
Schools include Delhi Public School, Bhopal (CBSE), The Sanskaar Valley School (ICSE & Cambridge International Examinations
Cambridge Assessment International Education (informally known as Cambridge International or simply Cambridge and formerly known as CIE, Cambridge International Examinations) is a provider of international qualifications, offering examinations ...
), Campion School (CBSE)
Shree Bhavan's Bharti Public School
(CBSE) and St. Joseph's Convent (CBSE).
Higher education
The institutes and universities headquartered in the city include:
Research Institutes
Bhopal offer a number of Research institutes. Some are under central and some under state government, including CSIR AMPRI and IISER
Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) are a group of premier public research institutions in India. The institutes were established by the Government of India through the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHR ...
.
Sports
Teams
Bhopal Badshahs
Bhopal Badshahs (BB) was hockey team from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh that competes in the World Series Hockey championship. The captain of the team is Sameer Dad, part of the Indian National Hockey Team. Bhopal Badshahs was coached by Vasudevan Bha ...
is a hockey
Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...
team based in Bhopal that plays in World Series Hockey. The team is captained by Indian hockey player Sameer Dad
Mohammad Sameer Dad (born 25 November 1978 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh) is a former field hockey forward who played for India.
International appearances
Dad made his international senior debut for the Indian Men's National Team in January 1998, ...
and coached by Vasudevan Bhaskaran who was the captain of India's Olympic victory in 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
. Badshahs defeated Chandigarh Comets
Chandigarh Comets (CCO) is hockey team based in Chandigarh, which is one of the eight teams that plays in World Series Hockey. Pakistani striker Rehan Butt is the captain of the team and Harendra Singh is the coach. Sector 42 Stadium is the home ...
in the inaugural match of 2012 World Series Hockey
2012 World Series Hockey better known as Bridgestone World Series Hockey, abbreviated as Bridgestone WSH, was the first season of the hockey tournament World Series Hockey, a professional league for field hockey in India. The tournament was to t ...
4–3. Aishbagh Stadium
Aishbagh Stadium is a field hockey stadium in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. It has a seating capacity of more than 15,000 people.
In 2009, a newly laid poly grass and flood light system was unveiled at the stadium. It is the home venue for th ...
in Bhopal is the home ground of Bhopal Badshahs
Bhopal Badshahs (BB) was hockey team from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh that competes in the World Series Hockey championship. The captain of the team is Sameer Dad, part of the Indian National Hockey Team. Bhopal Badshahs was coached by Vasudevan Bha ...
.
Stadiums
* Aishbagh Stadium
Aishbagh Stadium is a field hockey stadium in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. It has a seating capacity of more than 15,000 people.
In 2009, a newly laid poly grass and flood light system was unveiled at the stadium. It is the home venue for th ...
is a field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...
stadium in Bhopal.
* TT Nagar Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium is Bhopal.
Places of interest
Nature
Bhimbetka Caves are about 35 kilometres from Bhopal city. They have evidence of dwellings of pre-historic man during the Paleolithic era. Rock paintings in the caves are specimens of pre-historic settlements in India. There are about 600 caves, but only 12 are open for visitors. The caves are located in the midst of sal and teak
Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters ( pan ...
forests and includes a short trail around the caves. They were discovered by Wakankar in 1957. UNESCO declared Bhimbetka Caves as a World Heritage Site in 2003.
Van Vihar National Park
Van Vihar National Park is a national park in Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Declared a national park in 1979, it covers an area of about 4.45 km2. It has the status of a national park, but is developed and ma ...
is a national park in central India. It is located in Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh. Declared a national park in 1979, it covers an area of about 4.45 km2. Although it has the status of a national park, Van Vihar is developed and managed as a modern zoological park, following the guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority. The animals are kept in their near natural habitat. Most of the animals are either orphaned brought from various parts of the state or those, which are exchanged from other zoos. No animal is deliberately captured from the forest. Van Vihar is unique because it allows easy access to the visitors through a road passing through the park, security of animals assured from poachers by building trenches and walls, chain-link fence and by providing natural habitat to the animals.
Apart from Lakes, Bhopal also has many water reservoirs(Dams) in and around the city. The Dams are Bhadbhada Dam, Kerwa Dam
Kerwa Dam is located in Mendora village of Bhopal district in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, ...
, Kaliyasot Dam, Halali Dam and Kolar Dam. People of Bhopal mostly visit these places during weekends. The weather is pleasant during and post monsoon. These places are surrounded by greenery throughout the year.
Activity centres
The Museum of Man in Bhopal exhibits tribal and folk houses from all corners of India.
Shopping
The New Market is a commercial area in Bhopal. It is characterised by offices, new businesses and trade establishments. Notable malls include DB City Mall in MP Nagar, and Aashima Anupama Mall. Apart from New Market, people can go for shopping at Chowk Bazar and Sarafa in Old City Area of Bhopal.
Tourist attractions
This is a list of tourist attractions in or near Bhopal:
* Upper Lake (Bhopal)
*Van Vihar National Park
Van Vihar National Park is a national park in Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Declared a national park in 1979, it covers an area of about 4.45 km2. It has the status of a national park, but is developed and ma ...
*Bhimbetka rock shelters
The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site in central India that spans the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods, as well as the historic period. It exhibits the earliest traces of human life in India and evidence of Stone Age star ...
* Raisen
*Sanchi
Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometres from Raisen town, district headquarter and north-east of Bh ...
* Shaurya Smarak
* Taj-ul-Masjid
*Bhojeshwar Temple
The Bhojeshwar Temple (IAST: Bhojeśvara) is an incomplete Hindu temple in Bhojpur village of Madhya Pradesh, India. Dedicated to Shiva, it houses a high lingam in its sanctum.
The temple's construction is believed to have started in the 11th c ...
* Lower Lake (Bhopal)
* Taj Mahal (palace)
* Bharat Bhavan
*Regional Museum of Natural History, Bhopal
The Regional Museum of Natural History, Bhopal is a branch of the National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi, located in the Environment Complex on Shahpura Lake in Bhopal. The museum was inaugurated on 29 September 1997, by the then Ministe ...
* Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya
* Kamlapati Palace
File:Upper Lake & VIP Road, Bhopal.JPG, A view of the Bhojtal
File:Taj Mahal Bhopal.jpg , Taj Mahal main entrance back side
File:Lower Lake Bhopal.jpg, Lower Lake
File:Taj Ul Masajid, Bhopal.JPG, Taj-ul-Masajid gate
Notable people
Politics, civil service, science
*Anees Ahmed
Indian lawyer. He served as the Chief of Judicial and Legal Affairs, and formerly the Head of Chambers, of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
Prior to his current appointment, Ahmed was: 1) a rapporteur for the United N ...
– Lawyer in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations and United Nations International Criminal Tribunals
* Mohamed Barakatullah Bhopali – Revolutionary
*Balthazar Napoleon IV de Bourbon
Balthazar Napoleon IV de Bourbon (born 29 July 1958) claims to be the senior descendant of the House of Bourbon and thus the pretender to the throne of the defunct Kingdom of France. His family, the " Bourbons of India", claim to be legitimate de ...
– Head of the House of Bourbon-Bhopal
*Munshi Hakimuddin
Munshi Hakimuddin (1839–1894) was Chief Secretary at Bhopal state during the period of Nawab Shah Jahan Begum.
Biography
Munshi Hakimuddin was 'Meer Munshi-e Riyasat Bhopal' (Chief Secretary of the Bhopal state) and hence popularly known as ...
- Chief Secretary at Bhopal state
Bhopal State (pronounced ) was an Islamic principality founded in the beginning of 18th-century India by the Afghan Mughal noble Dost Muhammad Khan. It was a tributary state during 18th century, a princely salute state with 19-gun salute ...
, known for Sadr Diwani Adalat
*Najma Heptulla
Najma Akbar Ali Heptulla (born 13 April 1940) is an Indian politician. She is the Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia since 2017. She was a six time member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament, between 1980 and 2016, and ...
– Union Minister
* Kailash Chandra Joshi – Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh
* Abdul Qadeer Khan – Pakistani nuclear physicist
*Raghuram Rajan
Raghuram Govind Rajan (born 3 February 1963) is an Indian economist and the Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Quote: "I am an Indian citizen. I have always b ...
– 23rd Governor Of RBI
*Shankar Dayal Sharma
Shankar Dayal Sharma (; 19 August 1918 – 26 December 1999) was an Indian lawyer and politician from the state of Madhya Pradesh who served as the ninth President of India, from 1992 to 1997.
Born in Bhopal, Sharma studied at Agra, Allahaba ...
– 9th President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Mur ...
*Paul Shrivastava
Paul Shrivastava served as Chief Sustainability Officer and Director of the Sustainability Institute at The Pennsylvania State University, until July 1, 2022 (currently on sabbatical leave). In October 2018 he joined as a full member of the Club of ...
– Professor of Management & Chief Sustainability Officer, The Pennsylvania State University
* Amit Sood – American physician, professor and author
Literature
* Manzoor Ahtesham – writer
* Javed Akhtar – poet, screenwriter and lyricist
* Bashir Badr – poet
*Asad Bhopali
Asad Bhopali (10 July 1921 – 9 June 1990) was an Indian Hindustani poet and lyricist. The ''Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema'', compiled by Gulzar and Saibal Chatterjee, describes him as one of the "few names that stand out for their contributi ...
– poet and lyricist
* Kaif Bhopali – poet and lyricist
* Manzar Bhopali – poet
* Mohsin Bhopali – poet and travel writer
*Geet Chaturvedi
Geet Chaturvedi (born 27 November 1977) is a Hindi poet, short story author, lyricist, screenwriter and novelist. Often regarded as an avant-garde writer, he was awarded the Bharat Bhushan Agrawal Award for poetry in 2007 and Krishna Pratap A ...
– poet, novelist and lyricist
Sports
* Fatima Bano - female wrestling coach
* Sameer Dad
Mohammad Sameer Dad (born 25 November 1978 in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh) is a former field hockey forward who played for India.
International appearances
Dad made his international senior debut for the Indian Men's National Team in January 1998, ...
– National hockey player
* Bhawna Dehariya – First female of Madhya Pradesh summit Mount Everest
* Aslam Sher Khan
Aslam Sher Khan (born 15 July 1953) is an Indian hockey player and a former member of the Indian team. In the 1975 World Cup held at Kuala Lumpur, Aslam Sher Khan helped Indian Hockey Team to win the gold medal. He was also a member of ...
– National hockey player and Member of Parliament
* Shahryar Khan
Shahryar Mohammad Khan ( ur, شہریار محمد خان; born 12 March 1934) is a former career Pakistan diplomat who became Foreign Secretary of Pakistan in 1990, and remained so until his retirement from service in 1994. He later served as ...
– Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team. A member of the International Cricket Counc ...
* Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi
Nawab Mohammad Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi (also known as Mansur Ali Khan, or M. A. K. Pataudi; 5 January 1941 – 22 September 2011; nicknamed Tiger Pataudi) was an Indian cricketer and a former captain of the Indian cricket team.
Pataudi was a ...
– Former Captain of the India national cricket team
The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the International ...
* Jalaluddin Rizvi – National hockey player and Arjuna Award winner
Film, television and art
*Shawar Ali
Shahwar Ali is an Indian actor and model who appears primarily in Bollywood, Tollywood and Sandalwood films.
Early life and career
Sarwar Ali was born and raised in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. His father was a farmer in Bhopal. He shifted to Mu ...
– Actor
*Jaya Bachchan
Jaya Bachchan (''née'' Bhaduri; born 9 April 1948) is an Indian actress and politician. She is a member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party, serving four terms since 2004. Known primarily for her work in Hindi and Bengali ...
– Actress
* Stebin Ben – Singer
* Shakeela Bano Bhopali – film actress and the first women Qawwal of India
* Shoaib Ibrahim – TV actor
*Annu Kapoor
Annu Kapoor (born Anil Kapoor; 20 February 1956) is an Indian actor, singer, director, radio disc jockey, and television presenter who has appeared in over a hundred films, as well as television series. His career has spanned over 40 years as a ...
– Actor, TV presenter and National Film Award winner
* Arshi Khan – Actress, model
* Sara Khan – Actress
* Sunil Lahri – Actor
* Munnawar Masoom – Qawwali singer
*Vipul Roy
Vipul Roy is an Indian television and film actor. He is well known for his role of Bhola Pandit in SAB TV's ''F.I.R''. He acted in the Punjabi feature film ''What the Jatt!!''.
Early life and education
Roy did his schooling from Sherwood Col ...
– Actor
* Eisha Singh – Actress
* Saumya Tandon – Television actress
* Divyanka Tripathi – Actress
* Rajeev Verma – Actor
See also
*Bhopal (Lok Sabha constituency)
Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 29 Lok Sabha constituencies in Madhya Pradesh state in central India. This constituency presently covers the entire Bhopal district and part of Sehore district.
Assembly Segments
Like most other Lok ...
*Regional Museum of Natural History, Bhopal
The Regional Museum of Natural History, Bhopal is a branch of the National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi, located in the Environment Complex on Shahpura Lake in Bhopal. The museum was inaugurated on 29 September 1997, by the then Ministe ...
* Bhabha Engineering Research Institute
*Sagar Institute of Science and Technology
Sagar Institute of Science & Technology (SISTec) is a NAAC Accredited college located in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, approved by All India Council for Technical Education, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and affiliated to Rajiv Ga ...
References
Further reading
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External links
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Bhopal Tourist Places: Madhya Pradesh Tourism
Flavours of Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Tourism
{{Authority control
Metropolitan cities in India
Cities and towns in Bhopal district
Indian capital cities
Populated places established in the 1720s
1720s establishments in India
Former capital cities in India
Cities in Madhya Pradesh
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