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.
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