Bhopal

Bhopal भोपाल بھوپال
Metropolis
Clockwise from top: VIP Road, Airport Entrance, Aishbagh Stadium, DB City Mall, Taj-ul-Masajid, Raja Bhoj Airport, Platinum Plaza Clockwise from top: VIP Road, Airport Entrance, Aishbagh Stadium, DB City Mall, Taj-ul-Masajid, Raja Bhoj Airport, Platinum Plaza
Nickname(s): City of Lakes
File:Madhya Pradesh districts location map big.svg Bhopal Location of Bhopal in the Central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	Madhya Pradesh
District	Bhopal
Government
• Body	Bhopal Municipal Corporation
• Mayor	Alok Sharma (BJP)
• Municipal Commissioner	Tejaswi S. Naik
• Collector	Nishant Warwade
Area
• Metropolis	285.88 km2 (110.38 sq mi)
Elevation	527 m (1,729 ft)
Population (2011)
• Metropolis	1,798,218
• Rank	17th
• Density	6,288/km2 (16,290/sq mi)
• Metro	1,886,100
Demonym(s)	Bhopali
Language
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Pincode	462001 to 462xxx
Telephone	0755
Vehicle registration	MP-04
Website	www.bhopalmunicipal.com

Bhopal (/boʊˈpɑːl/; Hindustani pronunciation: [bʱoːpaːl]) is the capital of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Bhopal district and Bhopal division. The city was the capital of the former Bhopal State. Bhopal is known as the City of Lakes for its various natural as well as artificial lakes and is also one of the greenest cities in India. It is the 17th largest city in the country and 131st in the world. It is located 190 km east of the financial capital and the largest city of the state, Indore.

A Y-class city, Bhopal houses various institutions and installations of national importance, including ISRO's Master Control Facility and BHEL. Bhopal is home to several Institutes of National Importance in India, namely IISER, MANIT, SPA and AIIMS; as well as NLIU.

The city attracted international attention in December 1984 after the Bhopal disaster, when a Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide manufacturing plant (now owned by Dow Chemical Company) leaked a mixture of deadly gases composed mainly of methyl isocyanate, leading to one of the worst industrial disasters in the world's history. The Bhopal disaster continues to be a part of the socio-political debate and a logistical challenge for the people of Bhopal.

History

According to folklore, Bhopal is said to have been founded by the king Bhoja of the Paramara dynasty (AD 1000–1055), who ruled from his capital at Dhar. This theory states that Bhopal was originally known as Bhojpal after a dam ("pal") constructed by the king's minister. No available archaeological evidence, inscriptions or historical texts support the claim about an earlier settlement founded by Bhoja at the same place, although a temple complex constructed by him exists at Bhojpur, which is located 28 km from Bhopal. An alternative theory says that the name of the city was coined from the name of another king called Bhupala (or Bhupal).

In the early 18th century, Bhopal was a small village in the local Gond kingdom. The modern Bhopal city was established by Dost Mohammad Khan (1672–1728), an Afghan soldier in the Mughal army. After the death of the emperor Aurangzeb, Khan started providing mercenary services to several local chieftains in the politically unstable Malwa region. In 1709, he took on the lease of Berasia estate, and later annexed several territories in the region to establish the Bhopal State. Khan received the territory of Bhopal from the Gond queen Kamlapati in lieu of payment for mercenary services, and usurped her kingdom after her death. In the 1720s, he built the Fatehgarh fort in the village, which developed into the city of Bhopal over the next few decades.

In 1818, Bhopal became a British princely state. Between 1819 and 1926, it was ruled by four women, Begums, – unique in the royalty of those days - under British suzerainty, Qudsia Begum was the first woman ruler, who was succeeded by her only daughter Sikandar Begum, who in turn was succeeded by her only daughter, Shahjehan Begum. Sultan Jahan Begum was the last woman ruler, who after 25 years of rule, abdicated in favour of her son, Hamidullah Khan. The rule of Begums gave the city its waterworks, railways, a postal system and a municipality constituted in 1907.

Bhopal State was the second-largest Muslim-ruled princely state, the first being Hyderabad. After the independence of India in 1947, the last Nawab expressed his wish to retain Bhopal as a separate unit. Agitations against the Nawab broke out in December 1948, leading to the arrest of prominent leaders including Shankar Dayal Sharma. Later, the political detainees were released, and the Nawab signed the agreement for Bhopal's merger with the Union of India on 30 April 1949. The Bhopal state was taken over by the Union Government of India on 1 June 1949. Hindu Sindhi refugees from Pakistan were accommodated in Bairagarh, a western suburb of Bhopal (now renamed to Sant Hirdaram Nagar). According to the States Reorganization Act of 1956, the Bhopal state was integrated into the state of Madhya Pradesh, and Bhopal was declared as its capital. The population of the city rose rapidly thereafter.

Bhopal disaster

Main article: Bhopal disaster

On 3 December 1984, a Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal leaked around 32 tons of toxic gases, including methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas which led to the worst industrial disaster to date. The official death toll was initially recorded around 4,000. A Madhya Pradesh government report stated 3,787 deaths, while other estimates state the fatalities were significantly higher (16,000) from the accident and the medical complications caused by the accident in the weeks and years that followed. The higher estimates have been challenged. The impact of the disaster continues to this day in terms of psychological and neurological disabilities, blindness, skin, vision, breathing, and birth disorders. The soil and ground water near the factory site have been contaminated by the toxic wastes. The Bhopal disaster continues to be the part of the socio-political debate; the cleanup of environmental contamination and rehabilitation of those affected continues to challenge the people of Bhopal. December 3 is annually observed as the official day of mourning, and every year, all government offices in Bhopal remain closed on this day. For a detailed report by Dr. Varadarajan and CSIR scientists on Bhopal disaster, see also

Geography

A view of upper lake, part of the city and the hilly Vindhya terrain.

Bhopal has an average elevation of 500m metres (1401 ft). Bhopal is located in the central part of India, and is just north of the upper limit of the Vindhya mountain ranges. Located on the Malwa plateau, it is higher than the north Indian plains and the land rises towards the Vindhya Range to the south. The city has uneven elevation and has small hills within its boundaries. The prominent hills in Bhopal are Idgah hills and Shyamala hills in the northern region, Katara hills in southern region. City's geography has in it two lakes namely upper lake and lower lake.

Bhopal
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     13     24 9     7.8     28 11     7.2     34 17     4.5     38 22     8     41 26     114     37 25     356     31 23     388     29 22     196     31 21     26     32 18     14     29 12     12     25 10 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     0.5     76 49     0.3     83 53     0.3     92 63     0.2     101 71     0.3     105 78     4.5     99 78     14     87 74     15     84 72     7.7     87 71     1     90 65     0.5     84 54     0.5     78 50 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

It has two big lakes, collectively known as the Bhoj Wetland. These lakes are the Upper Lake (now renamed to Bhojtal) and the Lower Lake. Locally these are known as the Bada Talab (literally, big lake) and Chota Talab (literally, small lake) respectively. The Upper Lake drains into the Kolar River. The Van Vihar National Park is a national park situated besides the Upper Lake.

Climate

Bhopal has a humid subtropical climate, with cool, dry winters, a hot summer and a humid monsoon season. Summers start in late March and go on till mid-June, the average temperature being around 30 °C (86 °F), with the peak of summer in May, when the highs regularly exceed 40 °C (104 °F). The monsoon starts in late June and ends in late September. These months see about 40 inches (1020 mm) of precipitation, frequent thunderstorms and flooding. The average temperature is around 25 °C (77 °F) and the humidity is quite high. Temperatures rise again up to late October when winter starts, which lasts up to early March. Winters in Bhopal are cool, sunny and comfortable, with average daily temperatures around 16 °C (61 °F) and little or no rain. The winter peaks in January when temperatures may drop close to freezing on some nights. Lowest temperature ever recorded was 0.3C. Total annual rainfall is about 1146 mm (46 inches).

Climate data for Bhopal
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	33.0 (91.4)	37.6 (99.7)	40.7 (105.3)	44.4 (111.9)	46.0 (114.8)	45.6 (114.1)	41.2 (106.2)	35.6 (96.1)	37.4 (99.3)	39.6 (103.3)	35.3 (95.5)	32.8 (91)	46 (114.8)
Average high °C (°F)	25.3 (77.5)	28.3 (82.9)	33.5 (92.3)	38.3 (100.9)	40.7 (105.3)	37.2 (99)	30.7 (87.3)	28.9 (84)	30.5 (86.9)	32.0 (89.6)	28.9 (84)	26.0 (78.8)	31.7 (89.1)
Average low °C (°F)	10.5 (50.9)	12.4 (54.3)	17.1 (62.8)	21.8 (71.2)	25.7 (78.3)	25.4 (77.7)	23.2 (73.8)	22.5 (72.5)	21.6 (70.9)	18.5 (65.3)	14.2 (57.6)	10.9 (51.6)	18.6 (65.5)
Record low °C (°F)	0.6 (33.1)	1.7 (35.1)	6.1 (43)	12.2 (54)	16.7 (62.1)	19.5 (67.1)	19.0 (66.2)	16.8 (62.2)	13.8 (56.8)	11.7 (53.1)	6.1 (43)	1.0 (33.8)	0.6 (33.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	13.2 (0.52)	8.7 (0.343)	8.4 (0.331)	4.3 (0.169)	11.7 (0.461)	120.2 (4.732)	354.1 (13.941)	363.3 (14.303)	185.1 (7.287)	31.0 (1.22)	12.1 (0.476)	11.0 (0.433)	1,123.1 (44.216)
Source:

Economy

The Govindpura industrial area has 1044 small- and medium-scale industries involved in various kinds of production activities.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, the largest engineering and manufacturing enterprise in India, has a unit in Bhopal. It occupies a large area in the Eastern Part of the city and maintains a suburb named after it. A majority of the residents of the BHEL Suburb are employed by the unit.

The major industries in the old city are electrical goods, medicinal, cotton, chemicals and jewelry. Other industries include cotton and flour milling, cloth weaving and painting, as well as making matches, sealing wax, and sporting equipment. The residents of Bhopal also engage in large retail businesses. Handicrafts, like zardozi and batua (a small string purse, usually used with Indian traditional dresses) are some of the products of the Old City. In addition, there are also a large number of garages in the Old City which specialise in automobile conversion. These garages produce custom-modified and tuned cars, SUVs and motorbikes.

Bhopal is also home to the DB Corp, informally called the Bhaskar Group (after its major publication Dainik Bhaskar), a Rs. 1700 crore (Rs. 17 billion) business conglomerate with strong presence in media. Its head office is located in Maharana Pratap Nagar. Manjul Publishing House, located in the old city, is a major publishing house made famous by the translation of the Harry Potter series of novels into Hindi.

Mandideep is an industrial suburb of Bhopal. It is located to the south of the city on the NH 12. Mandideep's total exports are worth some 2,300 crore rupees ($500m; £300m) per year, making it the largest industrial area in Madhya Pradesh. The town is home to Hindustan Electo Graphite (HEG), owning the largest graphite electrode plant in the world and is the largest industrial company in the entire state. Hindustan Electro Graphite (HEG) and Lupin Laboratories ltd. are the dominant companies in the suburb, each exports worth around 900 crore rupees. Apart from that, Mandideep also houses the manufacturing plant of Makson group of company, Eicher Tractors for the oldest tractor manufacturers in India.

Education

See also: List of educational institutions in Bhopal

National Law Institute University

IIFM arc

Bhopal has more than 550 state government-sponsored schools, which are affiliated to the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE). In addition, there are five Kendriya Vidyalayas in the city, affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). The city is also served by numerous other private schools affiliated to either CBSE or MPBSE.

Some schools are also affiliated to National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and ICSE Board, Institution Of Secondary Distance Education (ISDE) or Private Non-Governmental Board of School Education.

The universities headquartered in the city include Barkatullah University, Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (Rajiv Gandhi Technical University), Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University (for distance education), National Law Institute University and the Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication.

Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), established in 1960, is the oldest institute for technology education in the city. University Institute of Technology (formerly Government Engineering College), established in 1986, is the second oldest engineering college in the city. There are several other public and private engineering schools (numbering almost 200) located in and around the city.

Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, established in 1955, is among the oldest medical college in Madhya Pradesh and was established in 1955. Autonomous body(since 1997), Controlled by Gandhi Medical College Society, Department of Medical Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh. Hospitals affiliated to it are Hamidia Hospital, Kamla Nehru Hospital, Sultania Zanana Hospital.

All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) was established in 2012 by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.

The Indian Institute of Forest Management founded in 1982 is an autonomous institution, established by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India with financial assistance from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and course assistance from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. It is considered as one of top sectorial MBA college in India.

The National Institute of Technical Teachers' Training and Research (NITTTR), established by Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India in 1966 as TTTI, is also located in Bhopal. It offers M. Tech., Ph.D.,MBA and Training courses. Other Central Government-run institutes in the city include Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) and School of Planning and Architecture (SPA, established 2008).

IISER, MANIT, SPA,NIFT,IISS,CIPET,IIHM,AMPRI,proposed(IIFT,NIBT,NID) and AIIMS are categorized by the Government of India as Institutes of National Importance.

Governance

File:Mp vidhansabha.jpg

Vidhan Bhawan, which houses the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha

Bhopal Municipal Corporation is the urban civic body which oversees the needs of Bhopal city. The municipal corporation is spread over an area of 285.88 km² (110.38 sq mi). The city is divided into 85 wards. Each ward elects a corporator. The winning party elects a council of members, who are responsible for various departments. The council members chose the Mayor among themselves. At present, there are ten members in the council. The Commissioner of Bhopal is the highest officer of municipal corporation, responsible for the departments of public works, revenue and tax, water supply, planning and development, fire brigade, health and sanitation, finance and accounts etc.

Bhopal Municipal Corporation was ranked 3rd out of 21 Cities for best governance & administrative practices in India in 2014. It scored 3.7 on 10 compared to the national average of 3.3. The present mayor of the city is Alok Sharma. Tejaswi S.Naik is the municipal commissioner of the city, who is from Indian Administrative Service.

Politics

It houses the State Legislative Assembly, or the Vidhan Sabha, which seats 230 members of Legislative Assembly. The thirteenth (and current) Vidhan Sabha was elected in May 2013. As of April 2012, the party in the majority in Vidhan Sabha is Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is led by Shivraj Singh Chauhan. Bhopal district elects seven seats to the Assembly.

Transport

Local transport

Bhopal has been a railroad and highway transportation hub for a long time. Bhopal has its own city bus service operated by Bhopal City Link Limited. In addition, around 600 mini-buses are run by private operators. Metro or Radio Taxi and auto-rickshaws are another major means of transport. In some parts in the old as well as new city, the new Tata Magic Vans are running successfully and have replaced the older and bigger diesel rickshaws — known as "Bhat" in year 2010.

Bhopal has India's longest Bus Rapid Transit System, which became functional from the year 2013.

A metro rail project is under implementation for the city and expected date is 2020.

Roads

Bhopal road

National Highway No.12 passes through Bhopal which connects it to Jabalpur in the East and Jaipur in the West. National Highway 86 connects Bhopal to Sagar in the East to Dewas in the West. State Highway 17 connects the city with Indore. Apart from the long distance services, there are many services to nearby places within the state. There are number of daily buses to Indore, Ujjain, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Khajuraho, Sanchi, Pachmarhi, Vidisha and Berasia in Madhya Pradesh. There are also daily buses to Ahmedabad, Jodhpur, Kota, Nagpur, Jaipur, Shirdi, Pune, Akola, Amravati, Jalgaon, Vadodara, Surat and Nashik. Recently private bus services started to Mumbai as well. An interstate bus terminus is located near the Habibganj railway station, called the Kushabhau Thakre Inter State Bus Terminal which was inaugurated in 2011.

Railways

Habibganj railway station

Bhopal lies in the West Central Railway Zone. Considering both North-South and East-West train routes, it is one of the most rail connected cities in India. It houses the Divisional Railway Managers (DRM) head office under Central railways. Some of the railway stations in Bhopal are:

• Bhopal Junction Railway Station is the largest and most important railway station in the city. Being on the main North-South line, it is connected by rail to all parts of the country except North-Eastern states. More than 150 daily trains have stoppages in Bhopal.
• Habibganj Railway Station is a major and the most developed station of Bhopal. It holds the distinction of being the first ISO 9000:2001 certified railway station in India.
• Misrod Railway Station is located in the Misrod suburb of the city.
• Mandideep Railway Station is located in the industrial town of Mandideep.
• Sukhsewanagar
• Bairagarh is located in the north-western Bairagarh suburb.

Airport

Main article: Bhopal Airport

The Raja Bhoj International Airport is located near the satellite suburb Bairagarh.

There are three routes or ways to reach the airport: (1) Via Bairagarh, (2) Via Panchvati, (3) Via Gandhi nagar road (N.H 12). From within the city, VIP road, a four lane road connects with the airport. Bhopal Airport is the international airport of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh and lies 15 km to the north of the city. International flights began operations in 2010 although no schedule services currently run internationally.

Domestic direct flight services operate to New Delhi and Mumbai from Jet Airways, JetKonnect and Air India.

Demographics

Religion in Bhopal
Religion			Percent
Hindus			71%
Muslims			27%
Jains			1.2%
Christians			1.1%
Buddhists			1.1%
Others†			0.6%
Population % by religion; †Includes Sikhs

According to the 2011 census, the population of the Bhopal city (the area under Bhopal Municipal Corporation) is 1,798,218, with 936,168 males and 862,050 females. The population of the Bhopal metropolitan area (the urban agglomeration that extends beyond Bhopal city) was 1,883,381 in 2011. The total effective literacy rate (for population aged 7+ years) was 85.24%, with male and female literacy respectively at 89.2% and 80.1%.

Out of Bhopal's total population, 1.25 million were Hindus (71%), 0.5 million or 500,000 were Muslims (27%), and rest were Jains, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and others.

Almost all the people of Bhopal speak Hindi. But, on the other hand, pure Hindi is not spoken always; instead, the language spoken by common people is rather mingled with massive Urdu vocabulary. Therefore, Hindustani is more common than pure Hindi. However, amongst 0.5m Muslims, bilingualism is often found, the actual native language of Muslims is solely Urdu, but they regard themselves as native Hindi-Urdu or Hindustani speakers

Most of the Christians in Bhopal are from Kerala and tribal states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha .But there are some remaining descendants of French nobility, who settled in Indian to escape wrath of commoner during the French revolution

Cityscape

Nature

File:Lower lake bhopal.jpg

Lower Lake in Bhopal - a city of lakes

Lower Lake - The lake was created in 1794 to beautify the city.

Bhojtal, previously called Upper Lake or Bada Talaab.

Bhojtal - formerly known as Upper Lake, is a large lake which lies on the western side of the city with a small island called Shah Ali Shah Island. The lake was created after the Lower Lake since the population of the city increased. It is a major source of drinking water for the residents of the city. Along with the nearby Chhota Talaab, meaning small lake in Hindi, Bhojtal constitutes the so-called Bhoj Wetland. The lake was created by constructing an earthen dam across the Kolans River. An eleven gate dam called the Bhadbhada dam was constructed at Bhadbhada in 1965 at the southeast corner of the Lake, and now controls the outflow to the river Kaliasote. The lake was called Upper Lake or Bada Talab ("Big Pond") until March 2011, and thereafter it was officially renamed as Bhojtaal. A statue of Raja Bhoj was also installed on a pillar on one corner of the lake.

About 10 kilometres from the city is Hathaikheda, a place for water and fishing sports.

Bhimbetka pre-historic rock cave painting near Bhopal include 500 sandstone caves and shelters. These are dated to range from 12,000 years ago to chalcolithic era of human history. They are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

History

Bhimbetka Caves are about 35 kilometers from Bhopal city. They have evidence of dwellings of pre-historic man during the Paleolithic era. Rock paintings in the caves are specimens of pre-historic settlements in India. There are about 600 caves, but only 12 are open for visitors. The caves are located in the midst of sal and teak forests. They were discovered by Wakankar in 1957. UNESCO declared Bhimbetka Caves as a World Heritage Site in 2003.

Monuments

Taj-ul-Masajid, which literally means "The Crown of Mosques", is the largest mosque in Bhopal. The mosque is also used as a madrasah (Islamic school) during the day time."Taj-ul-Masajid". The mosque features Mughal architecture. The Jama Masjid of Bhopal, built in 1837, has an inner sanctum built out of marble. The Moti Masjid or the Mosque of Pearls is situated in the center of Bhopal. The Moti Masjid was built in 1860 by Sikandar Begum, and became an important landmark of Bhopal. Sikandar Begum's practice of dressing like a man and public appearances without a veil, led Bhopal to be known for its relatively liberated, progressive women.

File:Taj ul masjid.jpg

Taj-ul-Masajid

Shaukat Mahal And Sadar Manzil is in the walled city. Designed by a Frenchman, it reflects a fusion of post-Renaissance and Gothic styles to Islamic architecture. Gohar Mahal, is situated behind Shaukat Mahal on the banks of the Upper Lake. It was built in 1820. The Mahal is an expression of the fusion of Hindu and Mughal architecture.

Birla Temple at Arera Hills, Bhopal.

Lakshmi Narayan Temple is situated to the south of the Lower Lake, is a temple devoted to Vishnu and his consort Laxmi. It is also called Birla Mandir. Bud Wale Mahadev or Bad Wale Mahadev is a historic temple located in the center of the city. It is located in Old Kabadkhana adjacent to Peergate. In this temple the shivling is emerged on a 'Bud Tree' (Banyan Tree) that is why it is called Bud Wale Mahadev. Every year on the occasion of Mahashivratri a huge procession is arranged in which is called as 'Shiv Baarat'. In this procession Lord Shiva is remarried to Maa Parvati at Peergate. Gufa Mandir is a temple is located near Lalghati. A Sanskrit college is also located in the campus. Khatlapura Mandir is a Shri Ram temple is situated near lower lake. It was built in the 19th century. It features many Hindu deities and a fare is held every year on Dol-Gyaras.

Stupa at Sanchi, another UNESCO world heritage site near Bhopal

Sanchi Stupa Bhopal is about 50 kilometers from city center and it displays Bhopal's place in history from the times of Emperor Ashoka. The place is one of the oldest stone structures of India and it edifies Buddhism in India over 2000 years. Other attractions such as Islamnagar, Kerwa, Raisen are points of interest are also located within 50 kilometer drive from Bhopal.

Activity centers

A leopard in Van Vihar, Bhopal

Regional Science Center is a science museum located on the picturesque Shyamala Hills. This centre houses about 300 science exhibits in ‘Invention’ and ‘Fun Science’ galleries. ‘Taramandal’ and Planetarium at the centre helps the students and enthusiasts study the astral and mysterious world of stars, galaxies and the universe. Stargazing sessions are organized at the planetarium for those who want to have a real close view of these luminous bodies.

Fish Aquarium is situated near Raj-Bhavan and old assembly hall. Covering one hectare area, the fish house is built in fish like structure. Van Vihar is the city's zoo, and is located on a hill near to upper lake in natural surroundings. Spread over an area of 445 hectares, it features birds and wildlife.

The Museum of Mankind in Bhopal exhibits tribal and folk houses from all corners of India.

Culture

Bhopali dishes and food in Bhopal are comparatively mild, less spicy and unique in taste. Local and individual variations of various popular snacks and foods can be found selling around the city . Bhopali food has a large variety of non-vegetarian dishes, including Bhopali Murgh Rezala, Paneer Rezala, Bhopali Gosht Korma, Murgh Hara Masala Rice and Murgh Nizami.

Diwali and Eid are major festivals in Bhopal. Gifts and sweets are exchanged and donation are made to the poor. Diwali is celebrated by worshiping the wealth goddess Lakshmi. Eid is special to the city as all the Hindus take time out to visit their Muslim friends and greet them and get treated with delicacies, the specialty of the day being sweet sewaiya. Bhopali culture is such that both Hindus and Muslims visit each other on their respective festivals to greet and exchange sweets. During Ganesh puja and Durga Puja (Navratras), idols of Ganesh and Durga are established in jhankis throughout the city. People throng to offer prayers to their deities. At the end of Navratras, on the day of Vijayadashami (or Dussehra), huge effigies of Ravan are burnt in different parts of the city. Some of them are organized by the local administration and stand as tall as 60 feet (18 m).

Bhopal Ijtema is an annual Muslim world preachers congregation, is held at Ghasipura 11 km from Bhopal. The congregation is said to be one of the largest Islamic gathering other than Hajj at Mecca in Saudi Arabia and "Bishwa Ijtima" at Tongi in Bangladesh. The annual congregation near Bhopal draws between 500,000 to 1,000,000 Muslims from all over the globe.

Bharat Bhavan is the main cultural centre of the city. It has an art gallery, an open-air amphitheatre facing the Upper Lake, two other theatres and a tribal museum.

Bharat Bhavan Bhopal

Rabari house is one of the cultural displays at IGRMS under Indian government's Ministry of Culture.

The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), an autonomous organization of Govt. of India, Ministry of Culture is dedicated to the depiction of story of mankind in time and space. The Sangrahalaya is involved in generating a new museum movement in India, with open, freewheeling, flexible plan, to demonstrate the simultaneous validity of human cultures and the plurality of alternatives for human articulation. The innovative aspects of the Organisation are its open air and indoor exhibitions, built with active involvement of traditional artisans and experts drawn from different community groups, and the Education, Outreach and Salvage activities for revitalisatin of vanishing but valuable cultural traditions. The headquarters of the IGRMS is located in Bhopal (M.P.) while a regional centre is functioning from Heritage building Wellington House, Mysore (Karnataka). It showcases the tribal culture of various regions and various examples of tribal art and architecture. Every year in January/February, it hosts potters' workshops, folk music and dance events and open-air plays. Tribals also demonstrate their skills in painting, weaving, and the fashioning of bell metal into works of art.

Many notable and eminent personalities from Bhopal include Javed Akthar, Jaya Pradha,Jaya Bacchhan, Saif Ali khan and Soha Ali Khan

The main protagonist of online novel series Kurnehims, Yohan is also from Bhopal

Media

Electronic

DOORDARSHAN KENDRA, BHOPAL (TECHNICAL BRIEF)Latitude Co-ordinates23 14’25” ( North )Longitude Co-ordinates77 23’20” ( East)Main Sea Level550 Mtrs.Antenna Hight 110 Mtrs.Effective height of the antenna above sea level660 Mtrs.Peak power (Both DD-I & DD-II)10 KW eachBlack power06 KW eachAntenna gainArt Direction12.3 Dbwide band,Jampro Antenna.

Bhopal has its own Radio and Television stations (All India Radio and Doordarshan respectively). It has 5 Private Radio stations in apart from Vividh Bharti viz. BIG FM 92.7, My FM, Radio Mirchi 98.3, Red FM 93.5 and 90.4 MHz Radio Popcorn. Government-run FM channels are AIR Vividh Bharati, Gyan Vani. Local Television and internet media networks include Digi Networks, ITDC India and BTV (Bhaskar TV). Besides, three regional satellite channels operate from Bhopal, namely ETV Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Sahara Madhya Pradesh and Sadhana News.

Print

Various Hindi and English newspapers are published from Bhopal. The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Pioneer (Indian newspaper), Youth Engine, The Hitavada, etc. are the main English dailies and weekly published from the city while Patrika, Dainik Bhaskar, Raj Express, nazare hind, Nava Bharat, Nai Dunia, Dainik Jagran,BPN Times, Peoples Samachar, rastra ka hawhan, sandhya prakash etc. are the main Hindi dailies published from here.

Sports

Bhopal has got very significant value in the field of sports and personality development of youth through various sports games. Apart from cricket, hockey and football are significantly in the city.

Directorate Sports and Youth Welfare is established by state government of Madhya Pradesh entitled for the development in the field of sports and youth welfare located in Bhopal.

Teams

Bhopal Badshahs is hockey team based in Bhopal that plays in World Series Hockey. The team is captained by Indian hockey player Sameer Dad and coached by Vasudevan Bhaskaran who was the captain of India's Olympic victory in 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Badshahs defeated Chandigarh Comets in the inaugural match of 2012 World Series Hockey 4-3. Aishbagh Stadium in Bhopal is the home ground of Bhopal Badshahs. Dainik Bhaskar is the global partner for Bhopal Badshahs.

Stadiums

• Aishbagh Stadium is a field hockey stadium in Bhopal. It has a seating capacity of more than 10,000 people. In 2009, a newly laid poly grass and flood light system was unveiled at the stadium. It is the home venue for the World Series Hockey team, Bhopal Badshahs. The Obaidullah Gold Cup hockey tournament is the major International tournament organize every year.
• Barkatullah University Stadium is a projected cricket stadium for the city. In March 2013, Director, physical education of the Barkatullah University, Akhilesh Sharma declared that Bhopal will get a state-of-the art international cricket stadium.[1] The stadium will be located in 35 to 40 acre of land with 440 meter of pavilion, 75 meter boundary with ten wickets and parking space of 50,000 vehicles in the ground.
• TT Nagar Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium is Bhopal. The stadium is the base of Madhya Pradesh State Men's Hockey Academy, Madhya Pradesh State Equestrian Academy, Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy, Madhya Pradesh State Water Sports Academy and DSYW Academy.

See also

• Bhopal (Lok Sabha constituency)

External links

• Bhopal Municipal Corporation Website