What The Old City Keeps In Its Memory Box

 BHOPAL 

It is most unfortunate that the instant recall at the mention of Bhopal is the horrendous Industrial tragedy of 1984 .  Posters and graffiti, old and new,  throw angry reminders at you as you drive into and out of the city. Setting that aside ........

This bustling Capital City is so conveniently demarcated as Old and New sections that it was easy for this visitor on a hurried trip to breeze through only the Old City sights , without wasting time on the modern roads and traffic signals. The Old City was typically old world chaotic , with crowded alleys , push carts , stray cattle and dour looking high walls. Secured among all that were the musty curios , redolent with age and lores, like memorabilia in the old tin trunk of a dear grandmother. 

The legendary founder of the City is King Bhoja of Malwa , in the 11th Century. Historically, it was a town gifted to Dost Mohammad Khan in the 18th Century by the Gond Queen , Kamalapati, as payment for mercenary services he had offered her kingdom. After the queen's death, Khan usurped the throne. In his line came a series of able Begums , under whose administrations, Bhopal flourished in all departments- civic administration, transportation, postal, public amenities everything. 

 After Hyderabad , Bhopal  was the second largest Princely State of Colonial India ; it merged with the Union in 1949. 

 The highly efficient, powerful and industrious Begums of Bhopal ( who were addressed as "Nawab")  are justly more famous than the male nawabs of that royal line. Almost all impressive monuments and institutions that survive today are attributed to these four Begums , who held the reins from 1819 to 1926  : Qudsia Begum , her daughter Sikandar Begum, her daughter Shahjehan Begum and her daughter Kaikhusrau Begum. 

BHOPAL prides itself in being a City of Lakes . Though there are many lakes, the two most important ones are the Bhojtal or Upper Lake, aka Bada Talab and The Lower Lake aka Chhota Talab , two huge man made lakes that together form the Bhoj Wetland ( under Ramsar Convention) , with rich Biodiversity . The Citizens of Bhopal are culturally attached to Bhojtal ,created in 11th Century by Bhoja , whose statue stand on one embankment . The Bada Talab, in addition to meeting 70% of the drinking water needs of the city is also a sphere of entertainment and relaxation . Boating and other water sports are on offer. The huge expanse of lapping water , with a scattering of little islands , offers a truly awesome vista. A short boat ride takes one to a dargha on a small peaceful island, where a variety of water birds can be seen roosting and squabbling. 

Towards the southeast of Bhojtal is the Bhadbhada dam, controlling the flow of Kaliasot River.

Taj ul  Masjid : said to be the largest Mosque in India ( 23,312 Sq Ft ), it is designed to resemble  Delhi's Jama Masjid . Standing beside three lakes, this pink sandstone monument ids of monstrous proportions , with 200ft tall minarets. The domes of the prayer hall are crowned with Crystal finials. Construction was started by Shahjahan Begum and completed only towards the end of her daughter's reign.  Cost was prohibitive. Even then, parts of it were unfinished and final work was done only in the last quarter of the 20th Century with munificence from some Gulf Emir . The interior is truly overwhelming and students sitting by the alter, reading the prayers look like miniature toys ! Ornamentation is all intricate arabesque and floral designs. The balcony at the rear overlooks a lovely lake, on the other bank of which is seen The Taj Mahal Palace , another ambitious structure built by the same Begum to serve as one of her residences . It does not seem well maintained and , seen from across the water, floating amidst veils of  mist and evening fog, it casts a dreamy spell. 

The Taj ul Masjid continues to be a very important religious place , is very well kept and is the venue for a very popular annual festival. 

Iqbal Maidan : Named for the poet Iqbal ( "Sare Jahan se accha Hindustan hamara") this plaza with a large open ground , is surrounded by many buildings of heritage value. One side of it is dominated by the facade of  Sardar Manzil and Sheesh Mahal, a royal court where the Begums received officials. Commissioned by Shahjahan Begum.

 Adjescent to this  is the Shaukat Mahal , a strange blend of European Gothic and Islamic architecture , commissioned by Qudisa Begum as a residence. She had hired a French architect. 

On the other side is a small marble clad mosque,  Moti Masjid , commissioned by Sikander Begum . 

The plaza , on the whole, looks very picturesque and charming , the only sore thumb jutting out there being a memorial for Iqbal made by renowned artist J.Swaminathan . Reportedly it portrays Shaheen , the mystical bird Iqbal sang about. But the impressionist, stone and metalwire contraption looks like a stoned crow. 

Gohar Mahal is another old dilapidated haveli that can be approached through a narrow gulley off a  crowded bazar street. It was used by Qudisa and is of fine architecture with beautiful woodwork and airy verandahs. There is no Zenana - Mardana division here. The Nawab being female, such gender discrimination is naturally a no-no ! Lets hand it to the progressive lady ! Today, visitors are allowed only in a restricted area. Though the building is being used now to hold Handcraft and handloom exhibitions, it is in a shocking state of  disrepair. Sadly, almost all its tile cladding is gone, the stucco work is falling off . Hopefully, it will be restored. 

One palace, built in colonial style in the 20th Century , inside a huge well manicured garden , set atop an elevation functions as a high end Hotel now . Fittingly, some antiques, heritage objects and photographs are displayed here to interest history buffs. 

Before heading off to the Tribal Art Museum , upon the insistence of the dear driver , we swam through a narrow gulley lined by tightly packed shopfront buildings, all grey, grimy and wreathed in swirling aromas of all sorts, in search of that "most authentic-traditional Bhopali Chai" made by a fifth generation traditional-authentic chaiwallah from a traditional-authentic family that had served the Nawabs. The little, dark,  smoke filled shop was crowded, people jostling and yelling to get their orders. Unmindful of the ruckus, two cows sat by the entrance, chewing their cud placidly.  We waited in the van for our order to materialise. It did after a good 20 minutes, not in matkas as expected, but in glass tumblers. The traditional-authentic Bhopali Chai was very hot, very milky, very sweet and...salty !Salt! It was a culture shock. 

The Tribal Art Museum in Bhopal is considered the best in the country . Need anything be said again ! A great place to spend the whole day, if possible. In the space outside the building, there was a talent contest for Teens going on. Seeing a whole lot of young , excited, beaming faces together was surely uplifting .