INDEX

Source : Raj Bhavan Madhya Pardesh : http://governor.mp.gov.in 1.2 The Golden Gate- The gate of the Taj Maha

HISTORY OF BHOPAL

The city of Bhopal lies atop the eleventh-century city Bhojapal, founded by Raja Bhoj. Legend has it that Raja Bhoj suffered from an incurable disease, and a sage advised him to bathe daily in a lake fed by 365 springs. Thus, Raja Bhoj’s engineers built two large dams, creating the Upper Lake of Bhopal (Fortun, 2001, 159). Later, the smaller, Lower Lake, was built, giving Bhopal the name the “City of Lakes.” The modern city of Bhopal was established in 1709 by the Afghan chief Dost Mohammed Khan, carving out a Muslim kingdom that would continue until Independence (Ibid., 160). The kingdom’s strong rulers contributed to its survival, but in 1818 it gained additional protection when the ruler of Bhopal signed a treaty of alliance with the British Governor-General, Lord Hastings (Sultaan, 1980, 32).

Most notable about Bhopal is its more than one hundred years history of women rulers. The “Century of Women’s Rule” began in 1819 by Qudisa Begum. After the assassination of her husband, Nazar, she declared her daughter, Sikandar, Nazar’s rightful successor, successfully persuading her and her husband’s family to sign allegiance to her daughter (Ibid.). The “Century of Women’s Rule” lasted until 1926 when Sultan Jahan abdicated in favor of her son. During the century, the begums improved Bhopal’s infrastructure, created an efficient administration, set up a judicial system, and supported women’s education (Ibid., 34-35). India gained Independence in 1947, and Bhopal was one of the last princely states to join the Union Government, signing the agreement in 1949 (Census of India, 2011, 13). After Independence, Bhopal became a center for migration, welcoming Hindu refugees from Pakistan and later Muslims from across India, who migrated to Bhopal in large numbers seeking security in the largest Muslim state after Hyderabad. As a result, in 1961, half of the residents of Bhopal were immigrants (Fortun, 2001, 160).

Despite a rich history, today Bhopal is most well known for the Union Carbide Gas Tragedy. On December 3, 1984, the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal released 40 tons of toxic gas. The death toll in the first few days after the disaster ranges from two to 15 thousand. Best estimates place the death toll at ten thousand (Ibid, xiii). Union Carbide is a multinational chemical company based in the United States. They originally came to India as part of the Green Revolution, the U.S.’s attempt to eradicate hunger through technological advances and the “westernization” of agriculture around the world. Union Carbide built a plant in Bhopal since the Government of India identified the area as “backward” and targeted it for industrial development. Bhopal was also centrally located and well connected by roads, rail, and air to other parts of India (Ibid., xiv). At first, the plant provided much needed jobs and improved agricultural output, but soon the plant began to suffer from mismanagement and neglected safety regulations. At the time of the disaster, the plant was only operating at a quarter of its capacity, but they had hugh stocks of chemicals stored in tanks ready for direct sale (Ibid.).