The Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan Begum (1868 – 1901) the daughter of Nawab Jehangir Mohammad Khan and Sikandar Jahan Begum. Shah Jehan Begum wanted the same glory for herself as Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. So, she named this palace the ‘Taj Mahal’. Its construction was started in 1871 and was completed in thirteen years in 1874 for a cost of Three million Rupees. Interestingly, in 1949, this palace served as a shelter to thousands of riot victims and migrants of India Pakistan partition from Sindh and Punjab for many years.

The palace has 120 rooms and eight large halls. The large entrance of this six storied building, and the main lobby are huge and spacious in order to accommodated horse driven carriages inside the palace. The ‘Sawan Bhado’ pavilion in the main courtyard of the palace is an attempted remake of a similar pavilion in the Shalimar Bagh in Kashmir. Here, artificial nozzles with underground water supply were mounted inside walls for spraying cold water in hot summer afternoons.

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Raja Bhoj

Raja Bhoj (1010-1053)

The son of the great conqueror King Sindhuraj, was a legendary King in India from the. He spend his life institutionalizing culture, creating knowledge banks, and developing centers for art and spirituality. These centers offered opportunities for learning, improvising and demonstrating the various expressions of human creativity for generations to come.


Every effort made by Raja Bhoj, was aimed at securing the development of the great Indian civilization, culture, and thought. This included implementing his vision on environmental conservation an watershed management. As early as eleventh century, Raja Bhoj created the first ever and the largest man made reservoir that spread over an area of 648 square kilometers. Bhoj Raj’ as he was popularly known, the great Bhoj was a master of many subjects including architecture, phonetics, astrology, yoga, Policy making, navigation, medicinal science, music, religion, philosophy and poetry.


He documented his knowledge and the local knowledge in 84 Encyclopedias on the above subjects. These include the famous on Architecture and town and country planning, on Sanskrit poetic and rhetoric Compositions, on chemistry of extraction of metals from ores and drug preparation, On Yoga, on Astrology, philosophy and on the beauty of human life.

                   The Great Bhoj Temple near Bhopal is a marvel of architecture and art.


Raja Bhoj brought a social and cultural revolution in India with the concept of ‘Bhojshala’. These were Institutions dedicated to Goddess Saraswati (the Mother of all arts and Creativity) . These complexes expanded several acres and had in house temples, Arenas, class rooms, libraries and residential quarters. Priests, Scholars, dancers, sculptors and the common man, all assembled in one Place. Exchange of views, debates, performances, seminars and regular courses in various subjects of arts and science were regular activities in a Bhojshala. There are evidences of many such complexes constructed and funded by Raja Bhoj, all over the country. Of them only the Bhojshala in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh survives till date. Incidentally, the Qutawal Islam Mosque adjacent to the Qutub Minar is an exact architectural copy of the Bhojshala in Dhar. An interesting narration from his times that reflects the levels of Indian traditional knowledge system says that King Bhoj suffered from a brain tumor in his early age. In the 10th century, he was operated upon by two brothers from Ujjaini who send him into controlled coma using a medicine called Sammohini. They then opened his skull and removed the tumour. Raja Bhoj survived this surgery and lived a healthy life.


Apart from contributing to culture and civilization, King Bhoj fought great wars protecting them and his people from foreign invaders. He reconstructed the Somnath temple destroyed by Mahmud Ghazni in 1024 and set after him. Scared by the great army of Bhoj, Ghazni fled India (Turkish author Gardizi).


Raja Bhoj also repulsed back Ghazni’s son Ghazini Masud who led a massive army to loot Indian cities. Raja Bhoj then formed an alliance with all Indian rulers against Islamic invaders and routed and killed Salar Masud in the battle of Behraich. With his allies, he then went on to liberate Hansi, Thaneshwar and Nagarkot (now in Pakistan) from the invaders.


Raja Bhoja is remembered much more than any of his contemporaries and is often compared with the illustrious VikramAditya of the golden Gupta era. His name is a household among the tribals. This is so because the Indians have always remembered philosophers, poets and scholars much more than kings merely decorated with military success. A King who did good to the people was much more embedded in the collective memory of Indians than a king who conquered vast territories. Raja Bhoja definitely stood out in this regard as one of historical India's most remarkable intellectuals with an astonishing variety of interests and oceanic knowledge. (Wikipedia) His efforts worked, and even the humble weavers in his kingdom composed great Sanskrit poetries. Such was the love for him in the masses that a poetry from his lifetime reads:


“Adya Dhara, Sada Dhara, Sada Lamba Saraswati, Panditah Manditah Sarve Bhoj Raje Bhuvamgate!”
(The immortal flow of knowledge and the Mother Godess Saraswati are all exalted, all scholars are honoured as the great King Bhoj is on earth). After his death, the same poets said:


“Adya Dhara, Nira Dhara, Nira Lamba Saraswati, Panditah Khanditah Sarve Bhoj Raje Divangate!”
(The immortal flow of knowledge has dried and the Mother Goddess Saraswati is not proped, all scholars are stranded as the great King Bhoj has preceded to heaven).



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Buildings

                           The Central Library, a major landmark of Bhopal - Food for the mind

                                 Main gate of Baab-e-Aali ground (Baab-e-Aali=Big Gate)

The grounds could 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. The colony opposite to the gate is still called “Pari Bazar”, it can be related to the market for ladies.

Benazir Palace was constructed in year 1877 as a summer rest-house for Bhopal's ruler, Shahjahan Begum.

Located at Motia Lake the palace is a perfect blend of European and Mughal architecture. Beautiful fountains reflect the feel of Moughal art. Nets were installed at window panes to allow the breeze to enter. The fine construction and art itself make it unique. Mahatma Gandhi issued his call to join the freedom movement from the very ground of the palace in year 1929, He also halted for a night at the palace.
An exquisite Hamam (bath) was built in the basement of palace and still looks glorious with leaves and flowers carved into the walls of the Hamam.

The Shaukat Mahal (a mixture of Indo-Islamic and European styles of architecture) and Sadar Manzil are two architectural curiosities of Bhopal.
 
Situated right at the entrance of the Chowk area, the Mahal is a blend of both oriental and occidental styles of architecture. The Mahal is supposed to have been designed by a decadent Frenchman who claimed to be a descendant of the Bourbon Dynasty of France.
The building is very different from the rest of the Islamic architecture in the vicinity.

In the Shaukat Mahal, Gothic and post-Renaissance styles have been freely combined to produce a quaint but charming effect. The Shaukat Mahal is a beautiful alabaster-white building that has a series of intricate triangular-shaped arches on its roof-the unique feature of the palace. The exterior of the palace is also carved with exquisite floral patterns that give the Mahal a very eco-friendly appearance.

The Shaukat Mahal is flanked by the Sadar Manzil which served as a Hall of Public Audience during the princely period.

                              Sultania Infantry Gate at Regument Road, Shahjehanabad.

Spread across about 60 acres in the heart of the cantonment area this is the Services Selection Centre Central, one among the three selection centres.

  

NAWAB SULTAN JAHAN (9th Jul 1858 - 12th May 1930) - The only surviving daughter of Shah Jahan Begum, Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan Begum was born on 9th July 1858 at Moti Mahal.

MINTO HALL - She constructed the Minto Hall as her durbar hall, since she felt the Sadar Manzil was too congested. When Madhya Pradesh was formed later, it served as the Vidhan Sabha from 01st November 1956 upto 2nd August 1996.


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