Bhopal is the capital city of Madhya Pradesh. Surrounded by the districts of Sehore, Raisen, Vidisha, Guna and Rajgarh, Bhopal is situated amidst two lakes in a picturesque setting.
The city founded by Raja Bhojpal was named after him which eventually came to be known as Bhopal. A unique blend of old with new, Bhopal is often termed as the city of lakes due to the two beautiful lakes situated right in the centre of the city. The large lake on the banks of which Bhopal is situated provides this earlier small sleepy town a most picturesque environment in the plains.
Bhopal was founded by king Bhojpal in the 11th century but the new city was developed by Dost Mohammed in the 18th century. The legacy of this man came into prominence only when his son's wife started ruling on behalf of her son from behind the curtains. This began the rule of Begums in Bhopal. The last of them, begum Sultan Jehan proved to be the most strong, and the one who helped promoting education amongst the females of Bhopal. Till date the city bears the impression left by various dynasties with fine mosques and palaces while the new city boasts of broad avenues, laid out parks and gardens and a coming up urban town. It is one of the greenest urban towns of India. The forts, the palaces and the mosques provide a wonderful glimpse of the glorious past that was. Many dynasties and their kings ruled this place only to enhance and enrich the character of the city. The people of this city were famous for their leisurely life style of playing chess or going on a hunting expedition.
Bhopal suddenly came in picture when world's disastrous industrial tragedy struck the city on the cold December night of 1984. Nearly 20 years ago toxic gas, the deadly Methyl Isocyanate leaked from the US based Union Carbide factory and killed over 10,000 people and injured more than 50,000. This tragedy, the worst to happen ever in the industrial history of the world shook the people all over the world. Today Bhopal and many people live with the aftermath of that tragedy.
