Bhopal is a city centered around lakes–the Upper Lake and Lower Lake–with part of the city located on the slopes of the Shyamla Hills. Though named after the medieval ruler, Raja Bhoj, today’s Bhopal was developed by Dost Mohammed Khan, an erstwhile general of Aurangzeb. During the 1700s, he carved out his own kingdom following the decline of the Mughul Empire. Bhopal was planned by him as a city with wide roads, gardens and monumental buildings. A succession of rulers, with the hereditary title of Nawab, ruled over Bhopal from the 1740s to the 1840s. It was in the regime of Nawab Sir Hamidullah Khan post 1947 that the city was finally acceded to the Union of India.

To most, Bhopal is synonymous with the infamous gas tragedy, one of the greatest industrial disasters in the world. This tragedy set the clock back on the city and its residents, shifting the focus from its grandeur and erstwhile status as a pricely state to a city of gas leak survivors. The Bhopal Museum details the gas tragedy complete with pictures and artefacts.

Bhopal today comprises two major city centres–the old city to the north of the lakes has bustling markets, mosques and palatial buildings, while the modern city to the south of the lake has upmarket residential neighbourhoods, shopping and business areas, hotels, restaurants and educational institutions.

For many visitors, the city is just a little more than a base to visit the World Heritage Site of Sanchi or a place to stopover before journeying further into Madhya Pradesh. However, Bhopal is worth a couple of days stay to see a range of attractions from majestic mosques to excellent museums.