The Begums Of Bhopal: A Tale Of Royal Women And Their City

It was a pistol shot that went wrong and had far-reaching consequences, glancing, in a way, across the centuries. Fired playfully by an 8-year-old at a royal picnic, it tore through 28-year-old Nawab Nazar Muhammad Khan, who had ruled the former princely state of Bhopal for three years. His wife, the formidable Qudsia Begum, whipped off her veil at her husband's funeral and declared herself regent. In a resounding voice, she made it clear to restless male claimants gathered there that her 15-month-old daughter would be his heir. That single act of courage foreshadowed the chutzpah of her female successors who would rule the city-state with panache for 107 years.The Legacy Of The BegumsQudsia Begum was the first sword-brandishing warrior queen who ruled the second-largest Muslim state in India. They commanded armies, hunted, played polo, and were crack shots. Indeed, the Begums wielded hunting rifles and kitchen knives with equal elan and left behind a robust cuisine that seemed to echo with the heft of their strong personalities. The granddaughter of the last Begum, Nawab Sultan Jehan Begum, was even dubbed Revolver Rani, as she settled a custody case, according to her memoir, by threatening her former husband with a revolver!Our storyteller-guide, Sikander Malik, related more tales with an air of theatricality typical of a born raconteur. Like her mother, Sikandar Begum was the first Begum and was a survivor. Her husband attempted to eliminate her when she was two months pregnant. She fled to stay with her mother for seven years, only to return to rule when her husband was felled by cirrhosis of the liver. A fierce feminist, she had male dancers at her court, played polo and was trained in the martial arts. She loved to hunt in the game-rich forests on the periphery of her kingdom but would personally visit the villages of her domain to see if her agrarian reforms were working. She founded a school to empower young women.OT Itinerary: Here's What To Do In Bhopal In Three-DaysA City Shaped By HeroinesWe trod in the footsteps of the four begums who ruled the former city-state from 1819 to 1926 and left behind a city with a frayed Arabian Nights mystique. Bhopal is studded with grand palaces, mosques with minarets that point accusing fingers to the sky, a 300-year-old Turkish hammam, and even its very own 120-room (now crumbling) Taj Mahal palace and the grand Taj-ul-Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India. The four begums were great administrators, too, and bequeathed the city with a rich network of hospitals, educational institutions, a postal system and a syncretic Hindu-Muslim culture.Unsung and oft-overlooked as a tourist destination, the lake city of Bhopal, cupped in the embrace of verdant hills, grows insidiously on the visitor. As we ambled in the historic Jehan Numa Palace corridors, owned and run by the former royals, the fleeting fragrance of the Begums still seemed to linger. Their sepia-tinted photographs and royal memorabilia artfully adorn the palace walls and are framed by marble columns. Blood-red bougainvillaea hangs lushly over its white façade, and on green lawns, graced with ancient trees, wrought-iron chairs and benches invite the weary visitor to sit and contemplate the palace's beauty. The rooms and suites come with sit-outs or balconies that frame enchanting vintage cameos like the family's thoroughbreds being exercised on red-earth tracks that snake beyond.Built in 1890 by General Obaidullah Khan, commander in chief of the Bhopal State Force and second son of the last Begum to reign, Sultan Jahan Begum, Jehan Numa Palace is now a graceful hotel. It combines British-colonial, Italian Renaissance, and classical Greek elements with touches of Art Deco. It is a legacy revived by the general's grandsons, the late Nadir and Yawar Rashid. Today, the heritage hotel is being burnished by Yawar Rashid's sons, Faiz and Aly, who essentially look after the group's four luxury hotels in central India. The rest of the family handles other verticals of the business. In the pursuit of authenticity, the former royals even share the Begums' culinary secrets, contained in hand-written recipes, in their fine dining restaurants.Bhopal's Timeless AllureIt's easy to fall in love with Bhopal and its feminist past, which is somehow embedded in the city's DNA. It all started with Rani Kamlapati, the Gond queen of the region, who, according to tribal legend, would sail down from her 18th-century lakeshore palace on moonlit nights, borne aloft on a giant lotus flower! Five hundred maidens would row boats alongside.Aside from her incandescent beauty, the queen was known to be a wrestler and archer and would fearlessly ride into battle to defend her kingdom. When her husband unknowingly consumed poisoned kheer given to him by his nephew, who was jockeying for his throne, an enraged queen requested an Afghan soldier of fortune, Mohammed Khan, to avenge her husband's death. "To this day, if you offer kheer to a Bhopali, he or she will refuse to have it," said our guide Sikander. She gifted the Afghan buccaneer, the then village of Bhojapal, as a reward for killing her treacherous nephew. After Rani's death by suicide, the dynasty of Dost Mohammad Khan followed, but it was the Begums who shone and left behind a legacy which is visible even today.Top 10 National Parks In Madhya Pradesh To Visit This Winter"Almost all the monuments you see in Bhopal today were built by the Begums," said Sikander as we stood in Iqbal Maidan in the pulsating heart of the old city, surveying the line-up of ageing palaces, resembling old aunts with broken teeth. They are today flanked by hole-in-the-wallshops enveloped in the relentless honking and swirl of traffic. We viewed Bhopal through a veil, as gossamer-thin as a butterfly's wing…The elegant contours of the Sadar Manzil in whose spectacular Durbar Hall, the Begums met dignitaries. They would be dressed in burkha-type regalia with eye slits, as one of them did when posing for a portrait with Viceroy Lord Minto and his family in 1944. Shaukat Mahal was commissioned by the redoubtable first Begum and was designed by a Frenchman who was reportedly a descendant of the Bourbon kings of France. The first Begum built the 19th-century Gohar Mahal as a wedding gift for her daughter.The ephemeral ghosts of the past seemed to stride along with us in Bhopal even as more enchanting tales surfaced—of buried treasure and a Sufi saint whose body lies in a dargah in the heart of the city and grants boons to wayfarers. The domes and minarets of mosques, like the petite Moti Masjid, weave delicate arabesques against a soft evening sky.A 300-year-old hammam, the only one functioning in the Indian subcontinent, is another remnant of a storied past. Built in the reign of Dost Mohammad Khan to provide royals and the nobility with rejuvenating rubdowns, the bathhouse is today open to the public from Diwali to Holi. Wreathed in wood smoke and mantled in peeling whitewash, the hammam is owned and run by descendants of one of the trusted masseuses of the nawabs.In Bhopal, the scented past trails the visitor and becomes a travel companion for those who seek it. The InformationHow To ReachBhopal is easily accessible by air, rail, and road. The Raja Bhoj Airport, located about 15 km from the city centre, offers domestic flights from major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Bhopal Junction serves as a significant railway hub, with frequent train services connecting it to various parts of India, including the Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express. For road travellers, the city is connected by National Highways 12 and 46, with regular bus services from nearby cities. Where To StayThe Jehan Numa Palace Hotel is the best option, while the Jehan Numa Retreat, on the outskirts of Bhopal, is a serene haven. The Taj Lakefront, Bhopal, is another option, and moderate and budget options abound.Where To EatFor a taste of royal cuisine, dine Under the Mango Tree at the Jehan Numa Palace or sample the culinary delights of the General's Table, a luxe event where you can channel the past via your taste buds. You get to dine at the Jehan Numa Retreat as the royals once did. For a more earthy experience, head to Raju Tea Stall for solid tea, black mawa jalebis and freshly fried dal pakoras.Eat Like A Local 8 Must-Try Street Foods In BhopalWhen To VisitOctober to March is the best time to visit Bhopal.