AIIMS BHOPAL

As per the official website

"AIIMS Bhopal is one of the SIX AIIMS like apex healthcare institutes being established by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna(PMSSY). With the aim of correcting regional imbalances in quality tertiary level healthcare in the country, and attaining self sufficiency in graduate and postgraduate medical education and training the PMSSY planned to set up 6 new AIIMS like institutions in under served areas of the country.

These institutions are being established by an Act of Parliament on the lines of the original All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi which imparts both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in all its branches and related fields, along with nursing and paramedical training. to bring together in one place educational facilities of the highest order for the training of personnel in all branches of health care activity."

Bringing true the worst fears of the above "sarkari" declaration, AIIMS Bhopal is the proverbial government "work in progress" since Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government announced on 15th August 2003 establishment of new hospitals on the lines of New Delhi's AIIMS. The foundation stone was laid on 20th January 2004. Soon after UPA-I government was formed, which luckily decided to go ahead with these institutes.

Dr Harshvardan - the Central Health Minister - visited AIIMS Bhopal on 16th June 2014. The work seems to have picked up after this visit.

The Unlaked Lake Of Bhopal

The temple of Bhojpur is situated at about 21 KMs from Bhopal. This temple has many myths associated with it, claiming that the temple was constructed by Pandavas during their exile, or here Kunti left Karna near the banks of Betwa (Betrawati) River. The present temple was most probably started by Raja Bhoj , the Paramara ruler who ruled from 1010-1055 AD. The temple, known as the 'Somnath of the North', was conceived on a grand scale. Standing on an immense platform, 32 meters long, 24 meters across and 5 meters high, its great entrance doorway, of richly carved stone, is 10 m high and 5 m wide. A huge Shiva linga is placed on a massive stepped stone pedestal. It appears that a much bigger complex than currently exists was planned. Building and layout plans etched on rocks and stone slabs close to the temple suggest that many more temples were proposed to be built. However, the plans could not be carried out, and was abandoned midway. Had the plans been executed, Bhojpur would have been one of the biggest temple complexes in the country. The temple is unique in being well preserved despite having been abandoned in the course of construction. Moldings and stone-blocks lie in adjacent quarries and an earthen ramp for raising stones survives. Numerous line drawings of architectural parts are engraved on the quarry’s rock surfaces. A roof made of fiber glass, has been recently added to the temple by the Archeological Society Of India (ASI) along with a missing column. The temple walls have been cleaned of dirt accumulated over the centuries. After a nationwide hunt, the ASI managed to locate similar stone in an area near Agra and master masons and sculptors were commissioned to carve them  in a style matching the original. A 12-tonne pillar, carved out of a single stone, was put in place a few months ago. "It took us more than six months to devise the intricate system of pulleys and levers required to put the pillar in its slot because a crane with a boom long enough to put the pillar in its proper place was simply not available in the country," said K.K. Muhammad, superintending archaeologist of the MP circle of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) . The temple boasts of two other pillars weighing 33 tons each, carved out of a single block of stone. "How fascinating it would be to know how ancient builders erected those pillars when, with all the technology and resources we have at our command nowadays, it took us six months to install a pillar of almost one-third the weight," marvels Muhammad.

No account of Bhojpur can be completed without a description of Bhoja's lake and dams. The Bhopal lake, known as the Upper Lake or “Bada taal” is ascribed to Raja Bhoj, the Paramara ruler who ruled from 1010-1055 AD. The lake created must indeed have been vast. The upper lake, itself considered to be one of the biggest, is a diminished form of the water body created by the king. The history of lake is very interesting. Historian and archaeologist William Kincaid, who surveyed the lake and published a paper in the year 1888, quotes the legend that Bhoja was stricken with a severe illness which the court physicians failed to cure. A holy recluse prophesied that the king would die of the disease, unless he was able to construct a lake so great as to be the largest in India, and fed by 365 streams. Skilled engineers were then sent along the valleys of the Vindhya range to explore the region and report upon the feasibility of such a lake being constructed. A valley was ultimately discovered and subsequently enclosed, which included the headwaters of the river Betwa. The engineers found, much to their disappointment, that only 356 springs and streams fed the waters flowing through the valley. The difficulty was eventually overcome by Kalia, a Gond chief, who pointed out a missing river which, with its tributaries, made up the requisite number and was accordingly named Kaliasot or Kalia’s river, a name it carries to this day.

According to Kincaid, this legend preserves two important facts: That the drainage area of the sources of Betwa was insufficient to fill the lake; and that the lake thus formed was of an unusual size. A study of the local topography and the remains of the civil works, in Kincaid’s analysis, clearly prove that the engineers of those days skillfully turned the waters of another river, which rises 32 km to the west, into the Betwa valley. This was accomplished by creating a magnificent, cyclopean dam in Bhopal. This is what remains today, known in Bhopal as the Bada Taalab or the upper lake. The Chota Talab or the lower lake was created much later by Chotte Khan from the overflowing water of Upper Lake.

Bhojpur appears to have been used as a summer residence rather than as a regular urban settlement like Dhar, built on a grid of crossroads, intersected by the king's highway. The Gond tales of Bhoj's boathouse, identified with two upright and one horizontal stone, from which he would sail out daily to Bhimbetka caves (mentioned by Kincaid as Bhimbet hills and Buddhist caves visited by Raja Bhoj everyday and return to capital for his midday meals) , of the mighty fort of Gonar, lake cities and spirits of the deep that interfered with the temple construction suggest a similar presumption. The remains of three cyclopean dams, built successively on river Betwa near the Bhojpur temple, on Kaliasot near village Mendua, and in Bhopal below Kamla Park,  can still be seen. The present day town of Mandideep was at that time an island or Dvipa, surrounded by this vast lake. The Siva temple stood on the bank of this man-made lake which existed for four hundred years. The breached dams can still be seen at various places. The 98 feet high dam over Betwa lies immediately to the north of the temple; its thickness is over 300 feet at the base, gradually reducing to a thickness of about 164 feet at the top. The core of this immense dam was of earth, faced on either side with stone slabs to an average thickness of 30 feet. The semi-dressed stone is from the same local quarries as the temple itself, and the measurements of the slabs are about the same as those of the ramp.

From the storage lake, a river flowed at a right angle to its former course around the hills and into the Betwa valley; it became a valuable feeder. The Kaliasot river carried its surplus waters into the larger lake for three full months after the rainy season had ended. Kincaid ran a line of levels from the waste weir discovered by him to the Bhopal railway levels. When plotted on the Bhopal-Malwa topographical survey maps, it was found that the ancient lake covered 65,000 hectares (ha). It must have then formed the largest artificial lake in the Indian peninsula — one unbroken sheet of water with islands adding to its beauty. It was, in places, more than 30 meters (m) deep, and was surrounded by high hills on all sides.

The waste weir cuts through the solid rock of one of the lower hills. It is situated at the apex of a triangular valley, and is probably 3 km from the great dam in a direct line. Its position, so far from the dam, according to Kincaid, provides further proof of the practical ability of the engineers of the time. Any error in levels would have quickly destroyed the dam which, though stone-faced on both sides, was filled in by earth and could not have withstood heavy overflows for long.

The destruction of this lake, sometime in 1434 AD by Hoshang Shah (1405-1435 AD), is described by contemporary historian Sahib Hakim in Ma’asir-e-Mahmud Shahi. While it took the army of Hoshang Shah  three months to destroy the dam, three years elapsed before the bed was empty and thirty before it became cultivable. One can clearly see the evidence of destruction of the embankment at a place called Mendua, not very far from the Siva temple at Bhojpur. The dam across the Betwa was also destroyed by the armies of Hoshang Shah. The embankment at Bhopal is still preserved and so is the lake in it’s present constricted size. It is said, following the destruction of the embankment and drying up of the lake, the climate of Malwa underwent a change, and the town of Vidisha became more prone to floods.

After 1000 years of Raja Bhoj water riots are breaking out in the areas where this great water body once existed. Mandideep, the island, is now an industrial area which faces acute water crisis. The feeding streams to the existing part of the Bhopal lakes have been encroached resulting in the lakes drying up in the summers. The city is now pinning its hopes on the Narmada Water supply project, already behind schedule, with a new deadline of March 2010. Covering a distance of about 60 km, the Narmada Water is being brought to Bhopal from Narmada River at Shahganj, considered the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh and laying of pipeline and other works for the purpose are underway.

Picture courtesy: Outlook India, Manal Sabri, Royal Asiatic Society and others

Update: Proposed urinal for birds in the middle of the lake

Bhopal Airport and Indore Airport

As India increases her economic growth the population is taking to the air in travel and more and more are flying. Commercial Aviation traffic has increased ten fold in the last few years. India will need to set up the latest in air traffic control to handle the crowded skies. Additionally India’s private aircraft markets are increasing too along with a brand new general aviation manufacturing sector. India is the second most vibrant aviation market after China. The reason is the strong growth anticipated in the domestic Indian traffic, which they estimate to be 12.7 per cent per annum by 2014. The main drivers of traffic growth are economic upswing, concentration of population, wealth and industries leading to higher propensity to travel and increasing liberalization. And add to this there are penetrations of low-cost carriers which are offering exceptionally low airfare that can be compared with railway AC fares. India is the only country where the number of air travelers a year equals the number of rail passengers in a day. The potential is huge. So low-cost carries are not ready to waste their time and are very much into business. Many of India’s smaller airports are dirt strips and needs to be upgraded. There are 100 civil airports in India and twelve are international airports. Meanwhile India’s airline passenger traffic is expected to exceed 50 million in less than five years and that is at the current growth rates. One industry insider stated in a major Indian newspaper; ''We won't be able to handle all passenger traffic in coming years as is being envisaged now.” One consulting firm determined that it would take over 20 billion in capital investment to bring the airports into normal safety compliance of other countries in the next decade, some think much more as things progress.
Two bigger cities of the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh are Indore and Bhopal, the distance between the two is 186 kms. Both the cities are vying with each other to attract the available financial resources to expand their basic airport structures. There are flights which are operating from Mumbai and Delhi to Indore, which then proceed to Bhopal. On many occasions the flights are terminated at Indore due to lack of Bhopal passengers and the Bhopal passengers are provided with taxies from Indore airport to Bhopal, much to the chagrin of Bhopalis. The political hotheads are even heard considering reversing the flight landing sequence (from Mumbai-Indore-Bhopal to Mumbai-Bhopal-Indore)to avoid this humiliation of Bhopalis. The Bhopal airport  has a runway of 6500 feet which will be upgraded to 9000 feet. Known as the Raja Bhoj Airport, the Bhopal airport has one terminal building, three Airlines, eight flights and parking space for five aircrafts (being upgraded). On the other hand the Indore Airport, known as Devi Ahilyabai Airport , is an international airport with a runway of 7500 feet which is being upgraded to 9500 feet within one year. The Indore airport has one terminal building; another terminal building is being constructed. There are five airlines, sixteen regular flights, air cargo and parking space for five aircrafts. Flights for gulf countries are being started in June 2008. All this for two cities 186 kms apart, while the biggest airport out there measures 780 km². If only somebody had planned a big International airport somewhere in between the two cities and connected it to Bhopal and Indore with sixteen lane expressways and/or metro rails. The project would have given a boost to the logistics hub project of Madhya Pradesh. coming to think of it, how will the local politicians ask for votes if the airport goes away from Bhopal and Indore, and the farmers of the town in between loose their land? Nobody risks a Nandigram and no point in indulging in wishful thinking.
Would you like to listen to Lata Mangeshkar from Indore sing beautifully for Madan Mohan "Khud Dil Se Dil Ki Baat Kahi, Aur Ro Liye" in the film Aadalat?


blogathonindia, blogathonindia1

British Council Library Bhopal

Initially I did not believe it.

 How is this possible?

This should be a rumor, some misinformation somewhere, some clerical mistake. It would be some thing else. I Googled for the news, see no results. It appears only some newspapers covered it, how could this be? There has to be an official announcement on the web, some news some where. 

May be the news paper is playing some kind of prank, playing April fool in December? The next day the paper would clarify, saying that all this was a big joke?

During the older times the Bhopali refused to believe that there could be a water body bigger then Bhopal lake. Standing in front of the Arabian Sea at Bombay the Bhopali later said “Is ke age bade talab ki kya bisat?” (What is Upper Lake in front of this?). 

Bhopal came in front of the ocean of knowledge in 1965, when he moved to Banganga area of Bhopal. He moved to a permanent residence at Guru Tej Bahadur Complex of New Market in 1975, moving closer to the heart of Bhopal and the hearts of the Bhopali. Generations grew up referring to him for knowledge on subjects to as varied as literature, management and fiction. For the professionals, he offered knowledge on Economics, Engineering, Information Technology, Law, Management, Medicine and Science and Technology. Lately his character had changed from an aloof character to the affinity of a mall, with the ever existing treasure of knowledge in books and periodicals reinforced by internet and Compact disks and DVDs. The acquaintances had changed from the self immersed intellectuals of yesteryear to the self indulgent students of today. The meetings which were auspicious and august occasions of study and research had turned into meeting places of friends for fixing up the next outing to movies. All this said he remained the most knowledgeable, the most beloved and the most recognized for most Bhopalis. There are predictably many protests on this bolt from the blue. The Bhopali is sad, very sad in anticipation of loosing a guiding light of Bhopal.

(The British Council of India has announced the closure of British Council Library (BCL) at Bhopal on 29^th February 2008)

Bairagarh near Bhopal

Bairagarh was a locality near Bhopal, which is now part of Bhopal thanks to the ever expanding boundaries of the city. The locality is mostly dominated by the Sindhi community, who were settled there after they migrated to India from Sindh in Pakistan during the India Pakistan partition. The Sindhi community is known for their business acumen and over time, Bairagarh has developed as the wholesale market for Bhopal providing the supplies of cloth, electronics and consumables to the Bhopal market. Some people even claim that after the partition, Bairagarh has become the world capital of Sindh. The 3rd Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) Centre of Indian Army was setup in Bairagarh in 1962. The Corps is responsible for providing engineering support to the army equipment ranging from light vehicles to tanks, guns, missiles, radars, computers, helicopters, communication equipment, night vision devices, simulators and so on during war and peace. Recently the suburb was renamed Sant Hirdaram Nagar, after a Saint by the same name who spent part of his life at the place and expired recently. The organization titled Jeev Sewa Sansthan established by Sant Hirdaram is involved in many philanthropic activities

A little known fact about Bairagarh is that a very big prisoner of war camp was established at Bairagarh by the British during the Second World War. The details of those days is described as follows by Abida Sultan, daughter of Hamidullah Khan, the last Nawab of Bhopal Princely state

An interesting side effect of the (Second World) War was the location of an Italian prisoner of war camp in Bairagarh, a specially built camp a few miles out of Bhopal, overlooked by Noor-us-Sabah (the residence of Abida Sultan, presently turned to a heritage hotel). Twenty thousand Italian prisoners were confined at Bairagarh barracks and in the early days we doubled our security guard at Noor-us-Sabah in case escaped prisoners made for the nearest house they could see. After a few months, it was evident that the Italian PoWs were not inclined to attempt daring escapes and were content to while their time away peacefully in their barracks. In fact, so benign and friendly were the Italians that they soon began making a remarkable impact on Bhopal’s social life. There were a number of artists among the Italian prisoners of war who began painting exquisite portraits and landscapes of Bhopal. They formed a splendid orchestra that gave concerts and served as a live dance-band for my father’s dancing soirees. One of the PoWs was a delightful Signor Rizzo who was employed to become the boxing coach for my son and his two companions. The Italians enriched Bhopal life and some were even sad to leave their confinement at the end of the war.

An amusing post-script to the Italian connection with Bhopal occurred in 1950 when I was driving my station wagon across Europe to Pakistan. Stopping at a petrol station on the Italian Riviera, I was flagged down by an animated motorcyclist who had noticed the Bhopal number plates on my car. The stranger had been a prisoner of war in Bhopal and wanted to establish contact with someone from Bhopal. He reminisced with great affection about Bhopal and insisted that we be his guests in his Italian village house. I was moved by this encounter which demonstrated how the Italians had warmed to their enforced stay in Bhopal.

This attachment continues, aided by the modern technology. According to an old saying of Bhopal, who drinks the water of Bhopal lakes is bonded to Bhopal for life. In this case, however, the attachment continues even in the next generation.

Kalibari at BHEL Bhopal

Soon after the independence, India embarked on its course of planned development as per the prevailing Nehru vision of the era. One of the first heavy power equipment factory Bharat Heavy Electricals (Private) Limited was set up in 1956 at Bhopal. People from all over India were selected on merit basis to develop and run this unique establishment. The planning for first unit of BHEL started and batches of graduate engineers were sent for training in AEI factory, Manchester, UK . They returned in 1960 to be assigned engineering, production, supervisory and management duties. At the same time artisans holding Industrial Training Institute (ITI) diplomas were inducted for specialization training in fabrication, assembling and testing of rotating and static electric machines. Out of around 10,000 employees of the BHEL plant in Bhopal, there were 800 artisans and 200 supervisory staff who were Bengalis.

As is inevitable with the presence of Bengalis, a Bangiya Sanskritik Parishad (BSP) was formed in April 1960, with a library and reading room facilities at BHEL Bhopal. The Kali Puja, Durga Puja and Saraswati Puja started to be organized annually. Around 1963, the government approved allocation of land under the non-trading societies act for religious purposes. A piece of land was allotted in writing under the scheme, near Piplani, to the Bangiya Sanskritik Parishad by the BHEL Management. In 1967 a Kalibari samiti (association) was formed. 

The first president, Mr S. N. Ghosh, died in an accident in Calcutta (Kolkata now) which was followed by some more deaths in the Bengali community, raising doubts whether the goddess wanted the temple at all. After one year of non activity, funds started to be raised for construction of Kali Temple from building contractors, material suppliers and other individuals. The efforts of fund raising were no doubt supported by the high ranking officials of the Bengali community in BHEL Bhopal. The renowned Yoga teacher of Bhopal K. M. Ganguly (a government contractor at that time) and his brother D. K. Ganguly built the temple on a no-profit no-loss basis, which took three years to be completed. 

Dr Suresh Sharma (Ex-Chief Medical Officer at BHEL) contacted his father-in-law, an MLA in Jaipur Rajasthan, for a suitable sculptor for the idol of goddess Kali. Sri Mahendra Das , a well know sculptor, was contacted for the job who immediately refused. After much convincing Sri Das eventually visited Bhopal and agreed to make the idol of goddess. The entire idol of goddess Kali and God Shiva at her feet was sculpted out of one ‘Makrana’ black marble stone. When sculpting, some gold was found in the stone at the exact location of third eye of the goddess. The idol has the gold as her third eye till date. In 1971 the idol was consecrated with full religious formalities, after being brought to Bhopal from Jaipur on truck loaded with sand. The Diwali night is when the Bengalis celebrate the Kali Puja.

However the Durga Puja at BHEL Kalibari is very popular in Bhopal. The “Bhog” organized on the seventh, eighth and ninth day of the festival (Saptami, Astami and Navami) attracts hoards of local populace. The puja location becomes a meeting place for all the old BHEL Bhopal employees, mostly retired now, and their families. The cultural festivals that are religiously organized by the working committee of the Bangiya Sanskritik Parishad (BSP) go unnoticed as the long separated friends get on to the famous Bengali adda (gossip sessions). The chat sessions are temporarily stopped in the wee hours of morning only to be taken up on the next night. The Kalibari Durga Puja might not have the spunk and glamour of Kolkata pujas, but the socialization makes the event a much looked forward to. Mostly old retired ex-employees of BHEL Bhopal still man the organization. Even the younger Bengali generation that remains in Bhopal has abandoned the traditional “Dhunuchi Naach” of Bengal, going for the more glamorous Dandiya dances organized in recent years in Bhopal.

Still the charm remains, if only in the nostalgic hearts of the 'not-so-young-now' generation.

Minto Hall Bhopal

Nawab Sultanjahan Begum constructed the Minto Hall of Bhopal in the year 1909, keeping in mind the requirement of a guesthouse near the Raj Bhawan (then called the Lal kothi). The main architect was A. C. Rovan, the main contractors were Armstrong, R. A. Dhondi and Sayyed Ali. A fund of rupees three lakhs was spent over a period of 24 years on this construction. 

However soon the Minto hall was converted to an army cantonment, which was followed by a period of the hall being used as a convention center. Later a Hotel Lake View was established in the vicinity of Minto Hall during the era of Nawab Hamidullah Khan. For some time offices of the Inspector General Of Police, Defense services and Civil services were also established in Minto Hall. Abida Sultan, the heir apparent, discovered and refined the new game of roller skates hockey on the floors of Minto hall. In the year 1946 Minto Hall was converted to a college called the Hamidia College, which later moved to its own building. After independence of India the Vidhan Sabha of Madhya Pradesh was established at Minto Hall. The Vidhan Sabha has been since moved to a new building in the year 1996. Since then Minto hall has been lying mainly unused, occasionally being the venue of some exhibition.

During the year 2005, the central government decided to establish a International Convention Centre hub in view of attracting investment to Bhopal. Bhopal has many plus points which we must leverage -natural beauty, nearness to a major historical site like Sanchi and a hill-station like Pachmarhi. If 'heritage value' can be combined with a 'scenic location', a Convention Centre becomes unbeatable. 

Minto Hall, the old Vidhan Sabha building on the lakeshore, was chosen for the purpose. The Indian trade promotion organization (ITPO) visited Bhopal for an on-the-spot assessment of Minto Hall for this Convention Centre. Linked with this Convention Centre, we also propose to develop exhibition pavilions, so that major Trade Fairs can take place in Bhopal. A competition was organized for the architecture by EPCO for Government of Madhya Pradesh. The Small Scale Industry of Madhya Pradesh has been appointed the nodal agency for the construction of this convention center. A Five star hotel is also to be constructed, for which two sites has been proposed to Indian trade promotion organization (ITPO) - one in the vicinity of the Minto Hall and another at the Hotel Ashoka Lake View.

The ITPO will visit both the locations soon and a venue would be decided upon. A fund of one crore and thirty-four lakhs has been released by the central government for this project as the first installment of the project.

Taj Mahal Of Bhopal

Believe it or not, apart from a Shahjehan, Bhopal also has a Taj mahal. Taj Mahal palace stretches across the entire northern side of Motia talab with its central courtyards including the grounds of Bab-e-ali. The grounds could also be approached from the west through a highly ornamental three-bayed entrance that is higher in the center with cusped arched opening topped with a pediment. The entrance gate is a strange square structure of “Palladian style” mixed with Islamic elements. Semi-circular arches, circular pillars, pediments and plain façade is punctured centrally with cusped arch opening that appears strangely foreign in the flat elevation. The entire treatment finds a parallel in the basement of the Diwan-e-Aam of Taj Mahal Place. The flat flagstone roof of the gate is supported on iron girders that rest on Lakhuri bricks. The entrance leads to a ground that was used for festivals, ladies club and other occasions. Today it is a cricket stadium with huge interventions in concrete.

The most spectacular constructions of all times is the cascading waters of the three tanks, Motia Talab, Noor Mahal Talab and Hussain Baksh Ki Talaiya, built at descending heights of 15 m each. Kaiser embankment of Motia talab, was also fitted with rails that connected the Taj Mahal to Noor Mahal and on which plied the saloon of the Begum. True to their legendary nature, Bhopalis named the saloon “thela” and the road is still called “thele wali sadak” by the locals! The water tanks were part of the larger water system of Bhopal where the waters harvested went through hammams and chaddars of the palaces around it and watered the charbaghs within. The waters from the natural springs of Jharnewala bagh were transported by canals to Motia talab and after cascading into the Patra nala some distance away joining the larger water system of Betwa and Yamuna near Lalitpur.

Covering the entire north side of Motia Talab, the Taj Mahal Palace was the political center during Nawab Shajehan Begum who stayed here amidst beautiful water bodies and green char-baghs. Inward looking, the interiors consist of residential quarters around large courtyards approachable through five highly embellished double storied gateways that punctuate the external high blank wall. One of them is rectangular, the rest are octagonal. The main entrance way is however towards the east. This seven-storied structure is the grandest entrance to any structure of Bhopal. The forty-five feet clear span done acted as a porch for the alighting of Shahjehan Begum in the purdah and could accommodate the turning of a chariot drawn by seven horses within. The rectangular plan of the palace revolved around a large central rectangular courtyard with its water bodies and charbaghs. The single storied red-sandstone square, colonnade, central piece is sculpted for falling and gushing waters that is enhanced by blue ceramic tiles probably imported from England. South side of the central courtyard opens towards the Motia talab from where the cool winds were directed inside through cooling ducts of the basement of Diwan-e-Aam. The Deewan-e-Aam itself was embellished with mirror works and exquisite stucco work and roofed with stone slabs on timber rafters all polished in black.

Lying in ruins, Taj Mahal palace is now a protected monument and conservation work by the Madhya Pradesh government is under way.

Shahjehanabad – The Benazir Palace

The most famous and prominent construction undertaken by Shahjehan Begum was the Taj-Ul-Masjid. When she came to power Bhopal stretched within the fortified limits of Fatehgarh fort towards the west, Sahar-E-Khas towards the east and Bhoja’s fort towards the south. Jehagirabad extension by her father was located across the watery span of Chhota Talab joined to the city by a dyke called Pul Pukhta. 

To this she added Shahjehanabad which, unlike most other towns elsewhere in the country during the nineteenth century, was planned and developed by her as a large fortified addition to the existing town. Sultanjehan Begum writes: “Her Highness’s love for erecting large buildings and palaces was in no way less than that of her great namesake, the Emperor Shajehan of Delhi.” She had three palaces constructed in the mughal style for her personal use. 

The names of these palaces were Ali Manzil, Benazir palace and Taj Mahal Palace.

Benazir was the equivalent of the pleasure pavilion in the garden and was essentially built as her summer palace and a place to accommodate state dignitaries. Lord and Lady Minto stayed here during their visit in 1909. Benazir overlooked the expanding landscape to its east and from it the arrangement of the three water bodies could be seen – the Motia Talab which was the uppermost, the intermediate Noor Mahal Talab and the lowermost the Munshi Hussain Talab.

 The H shaped building enclosed green stepped terraces and gurgling fountains; and a series of steps and plinths descended down to the water. The grounds attached to the palaces were used for ceremonial processions, parades and were also congregation grounds for the subjects. Steps on two sides of the ground provided sitting space for the people during sports. The luxurious ambience and the lacy treatment of the palace is almost akin to the zardozi veil of the burkha that Shajehan Begum so vehemently advocated.

Shan-E-Bhopal - The Bhopal Express

The Bhopal Express is a train plying between New Delhi and Bhopal. This train – also known as Shan-E-Bhopal, is the first ISO 9001 certified train of India. It has a Pizza Hut outlet in one of the bogies. The coupes are usually spic and span. The higher class compartments have indicating light to display the status of toilet - whether occupied or not, like in all aircraft. There are sockets for cell-phone charging. Drinking water vending machines, charging Rs. 1/- litre, has also been installed. All these facilities are provided and withdrawn from time to time, may be the train is being used by “powers that be” as test case. The berth numbers on the train are in Braille and the toilets have been designed to suit the physically challenged. Sometime back, there was news that the train would provide WiFi connectivity!

The starting station of this train, Habibganj, is also ISO 9000 certified. Habibganj, serves as the railway station for new Bhopal. The forms of city gates inspire this long, narrow, three-storey building. Designed by Uttam C. Jain, the station is a series of open vaulted concrete structures built at each of the three levels through which platforms and ramps pass. The building contains ticket offices, a waiting hall, a restaurant, and arrival and departure platforms.

Another feature of this station are the ramps that connect the platforms with the overbridge and there is special parking for the physically challenged. In fact, the station does not have a single staircase. Even the water taps have been redesigned to suit the differently enabled people. There is a railway timetable at main entrance in Braille.

The train Bhopal Express has been so popular that even the State tourism corporation wants a share in it's fame. In a bid to pro

mote tourism in the State, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) is constructing a unique restaurant. They have acquired an unused rake of a railway train into a special food joint. To be located at Hotel Ashoka Lakeview in the state capital Bhopal, the officials claim, “a complete atmosphere of a railway compartment as well as railway platform will be created to woo the food lovers.” The authorities claim that it will be the world's first-ever stationary restaurant of a broad gauge rake, and is being named, what else – Bhopal Express.

The timings of this train is such that a person can work the entire day at Bhopal and then leave for Delhi at night and vice-versa. Timings also have a share in making Bhopal Express such a huge success, which are as follows:

From Habibganj (Bhopal) to Delhi (Nizamuddin)

SNo Stn Name Arrival Time Dep. Time Distance

1 HABIBGANJ Source 21:05 0

2 BHOPAL JN 21:17 21:22 7

3 VIDISHA 22:03 22:05 60

4 GANJ BASODA 22:33 22:35 99

5 BINA JN 23:30 23:35 145

6 JHANSI JN 01:35 01:45 297

7 GWALIOR 03:03 03:05 395

8 MORENA 03:32 03:34 433

9 AGRA CANTT 04:38 04:40 513

10 H NIZAMUDDIN 08:05 00:00 700

From Nizamuddin (Delhi) to Habibganj (Bhopal)

SNo Stn Name Arrival Time Dep. Time Distance

1 H NIZAMUDDIN Source 21:00 0

2 AGRA CANTT 23:37 23:40 188

3 MORENA 00:35 00:37 266

4 GWALIOR 01:06 01:11 306

5 JHANSI JN 02:30 02:40 403

6 BINA JN 04:35 04:37 556

7 GANJ BASODA 05:08 05:10 601

8 VIDISHA 05:38 05:40 641

9 BHOPAL JN 06:42 06:45 694

10 HABIBGANJ 07:05 00:00 700

Bhopal Wanderers

Indian Hockey is on a downfall from bad, worse to worst. The year 2006 saw several high-profile events, and India failed to register its presence on the world scene in every one of them. Beginning with India’s disastrous performance in the Commonwealth Games in March, where the Indian men finished sixth, to the fifth-place finish at the Asiad in Doha, Indian hockey has gone from bad to worse. World Cup outing in September was also a disaster. It is a poor reflection on the planning aspect that, despite so many major tournaments lined up through the year, India did not play more competitive hockey. In fact, now that qualification for the 2008 Beijing Olympics is possible only by winning one of the three qualifying tournaments (from February 2008). It would be fitting to recall the legendary "Bhopal Wanderers", for whom Dhyanchand said "Give me Bhopal Wanderers, and I can beat any team in the world".

Hockey started in Bhopal with inter state forces hockey tournament in 1909, which was organised in the "Kali Parade Ground" and eight teams participated in it. After the tournament, it was observed that the Bhopali youngsters, who found the hockey sticks worth Rs 2/- beyond their reach, had taken to the game using mango tree branches with a bent end known locally as "Khapota". The payjamas used to be lifted and converted to shorts, and the sherwanis remained as it is. The games used to be played in narrow lanes of Bhopal, with open drains and mud on both sides of the road. The stick work was such, that the ball never touched either the drains or mud. There were many yongsters from Bhopal who had gone to study at Aligarh University during 1931. The hockey players of Aligarh University wanted to participate in Mathura Gold Cup, which was disallowed by the university as examinations were due. The players decided to participate anyway, but by the name of "Bhopal Wanderers", as eight players in the team were from Bhopal. In the first four years, Bhopal Wanderers had won ten tournaments, including the initial Mathura Gold Cup. The 1936 Berlin Olympics was played under the captinship of Dhyanchand and the team included two famous bhopali players Ahsan Mohammad Khan and Ahmed Sher Khan. The year 1938 was the pinnacle year of Bhopal Wanderers, who won all the tournaments played in India. The olympics of 1940 were postponed, which would have seen atleast six players from Bhopal representing India. By the time this olympic was played in 1948 at London, three players from Bhopal, Akhtar Hussain, Latif-ur-Rahman and Major Shakur were part of the team. However they wre not played. In 1952 Helsinki Olympics saw four players from Bhopal Akhtar Hussain, Habib-Ur-Rahman, Latif-Ur-Rahman and Anwar Ahmad Khan play for Pakistan team.

Something changed drastically after that, as no player from Bhopal found a place in the Indian hockey team. Even when the great Inam-ur-Rehman, generally accepted as the best inside-left ever produced by the country, was playing at his peak for Calcutta's famous club Mohun Bagan in the early 60s, he could not find a place in the Indian team for the 1964 Olympics.Bhopal's hockey magic found expression again in 1968 when Indian Airlines, in the Jawaharlal Nehru Hockey Tournament in 1968 in Delhi, captained by Inam-Ur-Rahman with 7 other boys from Bhopal, mesmerised team after team with their ball control, short passing, dodging and stickwork. Indian Airlines lifted the trophy on debut, shocking spectators and sports writers alike, that such talent, though available in the country, was being neglected. The shock gave way to questions from the press, and in 1968, Inam-ur-Rehman became the first Bhopal player to represent independent India in the Olympics, twenty years after another Rehman from Bhopal had been selected for the London Olympics.

As in every other stream of Indian life, unsolicited interference of political interests and one up manship has ruined the legacy of Bhopal hockey

Photograph: Team of 1936 Berlin Olympics

Boat Club Bhopal

The Bhopal Lake or upper lake had a yacht club initiated by Ubedullah Khan, son of Sultanjahan Begum. 

Many visiting English officials of the British India suggested that this beautiful city be given to British Municipality officials. To avoid this, the yacht club was initiated by Ubedullah Khan, which was continued by his sons Saiduzaffar Khan and Rashiduzaffar Khan after his death. The club was made of wood, which used to stand in the middle of the lake. The English political agent was made the yacht club secretary who used to reside in “Lal kothi”, the present day Raj Bhawan. Many races used to be organized in this yacht club, with teams from Nanital and Pune participating. The races used to start from 8 in the morning. Nawab Hamidullah Khan had two rowing boats by the name of “Nagina” and “Noushaba”, which used to participate in the races.

There used to be parties and at-homes thrown in the evenings in this building of Yacht club. Due to some difference of opinion between the English political agent and the nawab, the nawab is said to have withdrawn from the boats from yacht club and stopped visiting the yacht club. Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma hosted many important parties, during the initial days of Bhopal being made the capital of the state of Madhya Pradesh. The announcement to join Bhopal with the All India Radio network was made by Dr Keskar from this building. However, this being a private property of the Nawabs, the inheritors dismantled the building. One can see only some wooden pillars when one visits the modern boat club of today, standing at the point where this old yacht club of Bhopal stood.

The present day boat club at upper lake provides facilities for exciting trips by sail, paddle, motorboats and now even a hugely popular cruise boat. The vast majority of yachting activity is concentrated along the coast, and landlocked Bhopal is therefore breaking ground by bringing this sport virtually into the heart of India. India’s first National Sailing School (NSS) opened its doors here on 8th August 2006 at this historic Upper Lake in Bhopal, with much fanfare and enthusiasm exhibited particularly by the youth. Madhya Pradesh Sports and Youth Welfare Department, Indian Navy and Yachting Association of India (YAI) jointly established the sailing school. 

Children ranging in age from 8 to 21 years will be trained in three major classes namely Optimist, 420 and Laser. NSS will offer three levels of courses certified by YAI & Madhya Pradesh State Sports Department of 12 days, 50 days and one year duration. The South Asian Yachting Regatta 2006 is scheduled at Bhopal during 26 – 30 Dec 2006. The event is to be conducted in the “YAI – National Sailing School”, Bhopal and is supported by the Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, the Indian Navy and the Indian Army. In all 20 competitors and officials are expected each from Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Taj-Ul-Masjid Bhopal

Shahjehan Begum became the ruler of Bhopal in 1868 and initiated the building of a great mosque "Taj-Ul-Masjid" along the patterns of the Juma masjid in Delhi erected by the great mughal emperor Shahjehan. The Taj-Ul-Masjid is the biggest covered area mosque of Asia. The other big mosques of Asia are Sahi Masjid of Lahore, Jama Masjid Delhi, Mecca Masjid Hyderabad and Masjid Tipu sultan Deccan, which are all bigger then Taj-Ul-Masjid of Bhopal only if open area is included. 

The Taj-Ul-Masjid of Bhopal covers an area of 23,312 sq. ft. the height of the minarets touching 206 ft. It was a project of breathtaking proportions with the expenditure touching sixteen lakh rupees during life time of the begum. Crystal slabs, designed for the floor were prepared in England at a cost of seven lakh rupees. Ironically, as their polished surfaces would have reflected the forms of the worshippers, their use in the mosque was forbidden. The mosque could not be completed during her lifetime due to the costs involved. Work on completion of this great mosque started in 1971, through the efforts of donors like Maulana Mohammad Imran Khan. The 4 feet thick roof of the mosque, and other incomplete constructions were completed by donations amounting to about 75 lakh rupees.

Elevated well above ground level the mosque is visible from a considerable distance as also from the palaces that surround the three lakes around which the development of Shahjehanabad was planned. Monumental flight of stairs ascends to the high pistaq octagonal eastern entrance from Kaiser embankment, inspired by the Buland Darwaza. The external eastern facade ends in pavilions at the two ends that are set high on octagonal towers. Like the Delhi Juma masjid, smaller square entrances from the south and north open into the central courtyard for the general public. The large prayer chamber composed mainly of 12 carved sandstone pillars is surmounted by three domes covered with broken tiles and constructed much later. 

Seven entrance arches pierce the eastern chamber's eastern facade, the central one within a high pistaq of red sandstone with marble inlay around the arch. The three arches are framed on either side by smaller arched opening with an entrenched jharokha above. A band of white marble arches with sandstone jail railing crowns the three arches and is finished by sandstone crenellations. Two octagonal minars on either side of the eastern facade go several floors high to provide a vantage point from where the upper lake (several meters away) can be viewed. The domes of the prayer hall are crowned with crystal finials that glitter in the morning sun

Bhopal has a working Hammam

The hammam (Arabic:حمام) is a Turkish-Muslim tradition of bathing, ritual cleansing and respect of water. The Turkish hammam has an improved style and functionality that emerged as annex buildings of mosques and quickly evolved into institutions and eventually into monumental structural complexes, the finest example being the Çemberlitaş Hammam in Istanbul, built in 1584. A typical hammam consists of three interconnected basic rooms similar to its Roman ancestors: the sıcaklık (or hararet -caldarium), which is the hot room, the warm room (tepidarium) which is the intermediate room and the soğukluk which is the cool room. The sıcaklık usually has a large dome decorated with small glass windows that create a half-light; it also contains a large marble stone at the center that the customers lie on, and niches with fountains in the corners. This room is for soaking up steam and getting scrub massages. The warm room is used for washing up with soap and water and the soğukluk is to relax, dress up, have a refreshing drink, sometimes tea, and where available, nap in private cubicles after the massage. Usually there is a five-step progression through the hammam. First is the seasoning of the body with heat; second is the vigorous massage; third is the peeling off of the outer layer of skin, fourth, the soaping, and fifth, relaxation.

Hammam-e-Kadami as the name suggests is an old hammam of Bhopal. Built by Dost Mohammad Khan (1722-28), Hammam-e-Kadami is the only hammam that is functioning today, the nearest perhaps being in Turkey. It is a three chambered structure joined by a corridor. The entrance chamber has a vaulted roof with taqchas on all sides. The other two have domed roofing. It is however the steam chamber that is of significance. A large copper vessel is used to heat water that is stored in a tank above it. The heat is generated with the help of wooden logs inserted in arched basement. The steam is taken through copper pipes embedded in the floor and walls of the chamber. From the rooftop one can see five openings called the (naak) nose and (kaan) ears that maintain the ventilation inside. The hammam opens every year the day night of Dipawali and closes the night before Holi. The bath is open from 8 PM till 8 AM for gents and for ladies in the morning.

A masseur is assigned depending on the clients build. The client lies down on a slab that rises about one meter above the floor. The hot steam makes the limbs become soft and rubbery, and ready for a massage. The masseur start pulling, twisting, kneading and pummeling the client like lumps of dough. After this massage the body is scrubbed using some kind of body brush down the back with long sweeps from shoulders to waist. Days' accumulation of dead skin and dirt curled into the hairs of the brush. Entire body is then soaped and rinsed by pouring water over head. That is that, and it is time to relax.

Get In touch with the present owner of the Hammam, Sajid Chacha at +91(0)9302336853