3/21/2015

City with a past an account of the built heritage of Bhopal | Architexturez South Asia

City with a past

an

account of the built heritage

of Bhopal

Dass, Meera. "City with a past an account of the built heritage of Bhopal ." In Bhopal 2 011: Landscapes of
Memory, edited by Amritha Ballal and Jan af Geijerstam,
Norwegian University of Science and Technology

80-84. New

Delhi , India : SpaceMatters with

(NTNU ), 2011.

Today, when the gas leak of 1984 marks any association with Bhopal, it becomes important to trace
the citys rich past to get a true sense of the loss that Bhopal suffered due to the tragedy. Besides the
terrible human cost of the tragedy, the event also marked a profound deviation from the sustainable
urban practices that are intrinsic to the citys history and built legacy. In that sense, Bhopal also lost
its cultural identity. There are many lessons to be drawn from the sustainable building practices
that have marked the relationship between the city and its various kingdoms. It is this continuity of
pioneering engineering and sensitive use of the natural resources that needs to mark our present
association with Bhopal, as well as inform the planning of its future growth.
BHOPAL

CITY OF LAKES

Sprawled across the Vindhya and Singarcholi mountains is the beautiful city of lakes Bhopal.
Spanning 20-25 km across, Bhopal is a well planned, fast developing city. Wide roads, lush
greenery, luxuriant urban spaces and modern buildings in a continuous, undulating terrain make
up its beautiful cityscape. Adding romance to this environment are the lakes of Bhopal. The largest
and the oldest of these lakes, supplies the city with water the Upper lake, commonly known as
Bara Talab (Hindi for Big Lake), constitutes the thousand year old heritage of the city. Holding
this lake is the equally ancient dam King Bhojas Dam, a reminder that Bhopals origins lay in a
far-sighted environmental management that has stood the test of time. In the heart of the city
today, lie many such silent documents of the history of Bhopal many of them in a ruined,
unattended and uncared-for state.

TRACING BHOPAL S HISTORY

Prehistoric man wandered the slope of Dharampuri and Lalghati abutting the Bara Talab. Cave
paintings and rock shelters in these areas attest to the presence of human habitation here.
However, not much else is known about the city of Bhopal before 1000 CE.
During King Bhojas time (1010-1053 CE), Bhopal was probably an important guardian city to the
water body Bara Talab. The fortified grid iron city of Bhojapala was located towards the east of the
lake. About 35 km. towards south-east of Bhojapala was its sister city called Bhojpur. This city in
King Bhojas kingdom, perhaps its capital, was a bustling centre of trade and commerce. Bhojpur
http://architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-122795

1/8

3/21/2015

City with a past an account of the built heritage of Bhopal | Architexturez South Asia

was also located towards the east of an enormous lake, the Bhima Kund or Sagar Taul (both kund
and taul in Hindi mean lake). Whereas the Bara Talab was 13.8 sq. km. in area, the Sagar Taul was
650 sq. km., almost forty seven times the former. It is amazing to discover that both these lakes
were man-made, created by cleverly exploiting the terrain. By constructing only three dams, these
two vast lakes were created, probably during King Bhojas time or even earlier. The Sagar Taul was
located such that only two relatively small gaps in the natural wall formed by the hills had to be
dammed to enclose an enormous area. The smaller of the two gaps was closed by a dam 90 m.
long, 14 m. high and 90 m. wide flat top. Both of these were earthen dams made with huge
sandstone blocks, some of these being 120 x 90 x 75 cm. in size. The scale of these two reservoirs is
a testimony to the bold vision of the planners and the skills of artisans of that period.
The Sagar Taul was destroyed when Hoshang Shah cut the 90 m. long dam in around 1334 CE.
Gond (the indigenous inhabitants of the region) legend has it that it took an army three months to
cut through the dam. For three years, water gushed out of the broken dam before it was empty. For
the next thirty years, the lake bed was not habitable. Many settlements down the Betwa River were
destroyed because of the flooding. Others including Bhojpur were abandoned due to flooding. The
removal of this vast sheet of water also altered the climate of the Malwa region, and what is today
the western portion of the state of Madhya Pradesh, considerably. The huge stone blocks of the
broken dam can be seen strewn across the valley. These are probably the only remainders of the
once prosperous city of Bhojpur.
Today, Bara Talab continues to grace the city of Bhopal as Bhojas dam still stands strong. The city
of Bhopal, which began as a settlement in the 11th century CE, has been through numerous phases
of destruction yet the core has survived, its built heritage representative of successive layers of
history. Ravaged in the 13th century CE, it had become an overgrown decayed village by the end of
the 17th century CE. By 1722, Dost Mohammad Khan had conquered and annexed Bhopal Taul
from the Gond queen Kalmapati. Near the older decayed settlement of Bhopal Taul, Dost
Mohammed laid the foundation of the city ramparts. The citadel of Fatehgarh was established on
the highest plateau towards the north of Bara Talab. The fortified Bhopal city, also called Sher-eKhas, enclosed an area of 1.5 sq. km. with a city wall that was 10m. high, 2-3 m. thick and 1.2 km.
in total length. Quite a lot of civic construction took place during this period, resulting in a varied
and sophisticated urban fabric. It is likely that people paid taxes for these constructions such as the
fort wall, hammams, hathi khannas, serais and mosques. The Hammam was a public bathing
area with many windowless chambers. The Serais were structures where the visiting merchants
were given shelter during their business visits to the city. The hathi khanna was an enclosure
similar in form to the serai. It was meant for housing the elephants and their mahaots. (Hindi
for elephant keeper). The streets were narrow, the maximum width being 4m. The buildings on the
street sides rose to three to four floors giving a strong sense of enclosure to the streets. The pattias
(Hindi for platform in the front of a house used as a sit-out) of various buildings matched each
http://architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-122795

2/8

3/21/2015

City with a past an account of the built heritage of Bhopal | Architexturez South Asia

other in an ordered manner. People spread out on to these pattias in the evening and these
become centres of daily social intercourse and gossip. Another meeting point for the residents of
Bhopal was the akhara. An Indian version of the gymnasium, the akharas had mud pits and other
facilities for physical training and fitness.
A major extension to Bhopal became imminent when Pul Pukhta was constructed in 1794 CE. Pul
Pukhta was a stone masonry dam 275m. long and 21m. wide. Spanning the Ban Ganga and the
Patra valleys, it collected water in the form of a small lake one-tenth the size of Bara Talab, and was
named Chhota Talab (Hindi for small lake).
No major construction took place due to repeated attacks on the city till about 1819 CE when an
alliance with the British East India Company finally materialized. This treaty with the British
safeguarded the city against invasions. Consequently, economic prosperity returned. The
administrative nucleus of the city till this time had been the Fatehgarh citadel.
The Jami Mosque was erected during 1833-56 CE during Qudsia Begums reign, with its golden
minarets visible from all points of the city. The large plateau north of the Gohar Mahal became
prominent with the construction of the Moti Mahal. Built by Sikandar Jehan Begum in 1847 CE,
this palace became the administrative cum residential nucleus.
The building of this complex was the beginning of the creation of an new urban centre. The
individual buildings were a part of the overall image, the assertion of a statement displaying power
and authority. Although the Khirniwala Maidan complex was constructed over a period of fifty
years, a sense of oneness was achieved by controlling elements such as parapet design, uniform
building height, the level of the plinth etc. Some of these bear an obvious French influence. In 1848
an English engineer, David Cook was commissioned by Sikandar Jehan Begum to develop the lake
fronts and plan the waterworks system.
The baoli (Hindi for step well) at Bara Bagh is a beautiful example of stepwell architecture.
Constructed in red sandstone, the baoli has a two storied space above the water level. The steps
leading into the water are flanked with stone carved walls and the columned chambers above the
water level are aesthetically pleasing. Jehagirabad also has the remains of an aqua-duct which can
be seen on the southeast bank of Chhota Talab. Water was pulled up to a height of about 15m. by
chawars into the water channels on top of a gradually sloping arched wall. Chawars were leather
bags used to lift water from wells with the help of animal power such as bull power. This water
travelled a distance of 1.75 km. and flowed into a pond. This pond serviced Noor Bagh and also met
the water needs of the Afghan troops quartered in the area.
The ambitious development of Shahjehanabad was started under Shahjehan Begum in 1870.
Shahjehanabad was a suburb towards the north of Bhopal. It was complete with bazaars (Hindi for
markets), galla mandies (Hindi for grain markets), store houses, serais, residential quarters and
http://architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-122795

3/8

3/21/2015

City with a past an account of the built heritage of Bhopal | Architexturez South Asia

institutions. An Id-gah (Hindi for mosque) was located at the highest point in the landscape and
Shahjehanabad was enveloped by a city wall. Three terraced lakes were created in this area with
water from one cascading into the next. These formed the central area of Shahjehanabad. The
palaces and residences of the elite were located along these lakes; the uppermost of these lakes or
talabs being the Motia Talab spread across a 230 m. x 230 m. area; Noormahal Talab as the
intermediate level lake spread in a 175m. x 230m. area; and the lowest was the Munshi Hussaini
Talab with 115 m. x 230 m. spread. The three lakes were dependent on the surface run-off water
from the seasonal rains. To maintain the balance and the level of water in these lakes, an additional
reservoir was constructed to the north of Shahjehanabad. An elaborate system of brick-lined
vaulted drains exited to collect water and bring it to the lake. These channels passed through
important buildings before delivering water to the Talab. The channels were transformed into
splashing fountains, gurgling cascades, and silent chadars (sheets of water) or passed through
beautifully carved stone streams. Rose water or kewda was added to this water to cool and freshen
the air.
The Noor Mahal and the Taj Mahal were the royal residences and were connected by a rail line.
One can see a curious mix of Islamic and Hindu architectural elements in the Taj Mahal. There are
cusped arches, massive gateways, screen windows at upper levels, extensive mouldings, decorative
plasterwork and squat domes with jharokahs. (Hindi for a type of overhanging enclosed balcony).
The detailing in the inner courtyard facades seems to have a colonial influence. Towards the northwest of Taj-ul-Masajid, across the Motia Talab, was the Benazir Palace, constructed in 1875, where
the Bhopal2011 workshop took place. It is an H shaped building with enclosed terraced gardens
and gurgling fountains. A series of steps and plinths descended to the talab in the manner of a ghat.
Benazir palace was meant to be the summer palace of the Nawab. Built with steel columns and
carved louvered wooden partitions, it has extensive carvings on the walls of its hammam. The
palace is an excellent example of passive thermal control. The Benazir Palace was also used to
accommodate state dignitaries. Lord and Lady Minto stayed here during their visit to Bhopal in
1909. The gateway to the Benazir Palace was added at a later period. This is the most ornamental
and ceremonial gate of old Bhopal. It has multi-foliated arched openings with staircases in far
corners leading to chhatris (Hindi for domed kiosks). The openings have canopies with pitched
eaves.
The Colonial architecture, after 1901 CE, which until then had merely influenced vernacular
architecture, became more dominant. Additions to the public buildings in this period included the
Revenue Courts, the Court of Justice, Minto Hall, Civil Club, Hamidia Kutubh Khana (Library),
Imperial Bank and the Edward Museum. Along with these, a number of residential bungalows were
built on picturesque locations. The buildings of this period are mostly European in character with
high ceilings and raised plinths. They were devoid of decorative elements and, hence, gave little
scope to local craftsmen to exercise the skills and knowledge that had been passed down to them.
http://architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-122795

4/8

3/21/2015

City with a past an account of the built heritage of Bhopal | Architexturez South Asia

This distancing of built heritage from environment and culture has grown over the years and has
manifested in an inappropriate choice of techniques, materials, styles and resources. In the course
of development, we have been indiscriminately destroying our heritage. It is imperative that we
preserve all that is of value from our past and also create, with vision and sensitivity, a future
heritage for Bhopal.
CONCLUSION

The architecture and urban design employed through the ages in Bhopal, shows deep respect for
nature and sustainable planning practices. From ancient tribal kingdoms to Hindu kings to Muslim
dynasties, the city has been witness to changing times, destruction and resurgence, all of which
have left their imprint behind in the form of built heritage. The gas leak today seems to eclipse all
else that Bhopal stands for. Understanding and awareness of the tragedy needs to be spread such
that it is integrated into the citys heritage rather than be seen as an isolated, overpowering
narrative. Most of the citys built heritage, including that related to the disaster, is in dire need of
attention and repair. The people need to be made aware of the historic legacy of the city in order to
embrace and learn from Bhopals past failures as well as its achievements, and for their sense of
pride in their city to be restored.
Bhopal 2011: Landscapes of Memory
Introduction to Bhopal
Bhopal 2011

2011: Landscapes

of Memory

Context , Concept , Process

Charminar Promenades
City with a past

essence and reality of heritage management in India

an account of the built heritage of Bhopal

Bhopal Gas Tragedy Memorial

Raising questions

excerpts from panel discussions and debates from Bhopal 2011

Bhopal 2011 Workshop

http://architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-122795

Reinventing Heritage Conservation as a Collective Endeavor

5/8

3/21/2015

http://architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-122795

City with a past an account of the built heritage of Bhopal | Architexturez South Asia

6/8

3/21/2015

City with a past an account of the built heritage of Bhopal | Architexturez South Asia

Bhopal

2011:

Landscapes of Memory

An architecture historian and conservation architect , Meera Dass has also been the Convenor, INTACH

(Indian

National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage ) of the Bhopal Regional Chapter. Having closely

worked with the heritage of Bhopal and its conservation, in this paper Meera talks about the rich history
and architecture of the city. At a time when the gas leak has become the single most defining factor of the
city s image , the paper draws our attention to the rich historic urban fabric of Bhopal , especially to the
legacy of environmental sustainability through groundbreaking urban design and water management
systems that have evolved in the city through the centuries. Meera Dass was a jury at the Bhopal 2011
workshop and a panelist at the symposium.

Related Content
Documents Posts
01.

"Introduction

to Bhopal

2 0 11: Landscapes

of Memory." In Bhopal

2 0 11: Landscapes

of Memory, edited

by Amritha Ballal and Jan af Geijerstam, XII-XVI. New Delhi , India : SpaceMatters with
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
02.

(NTNU ), 2011.

Burgess, James, Charles Shepherd, and Samuel Bourne. "Udaypur, the Water-Palace - Photograph
XVII." In Photographs of Architecture and Scenery in Gujarat and Rajputana. Calcutta , Bombay and
Simla : Bourne

03.

Bhopal

& Shepherd, 1874.

2 0 11: Landscapes

of Memory, Edited by Amritha Ballal and Jan af Geijerstam. New Delhi ,

India : SpaceMatters with Norwegian University of Science and Technology

04.

"Bhopal 2 0 11 -

Context, Concept, Process ." In Bhopal

Ballal and Jan af Geijerstam,

Science and Technology
05.

4-13. New

2 0 11: Landscapes

(NTNU ), 2011.

of Memory, edited by Amritha

Delhi , India : SpaceMatters with Norwegian University of

(NTNU ), 2011.

Shah, Jagan. "Bhopal 2 011 Workshop Reinventing Heritage Conservation as a Collective Endeavor." In
Bhopal

2 0 11: Landscapes

of Memory, edited by Amritha Ballal and Jan af Geijerstam,

Delhi , India : SpaceMatters with Norwegian University of Science and Technology

222-224. New
(NTNU ),

2011.
06.

Burgess, James, Charles Shepherd, and Samuel Bourne. "Marble Ghat at Rajnagar - Photograph
XIII." In Photographs of Architecture and Scenery in Gujarat and Rajputana. Calcutta , Bombay and
Simla : Bourne

& Shepherd, 1874.

Document Metadata
BibTex

EndNote

RIS

RTF

Buy from Amazon

http://architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-122795

7/8

3/21/2015

City with a past an account of the built heritage of Bhopal | Architexturez South Asia

Bhopal 20 11

Landscapes of Memory SpaceMatters, NTNU, University of Gothenburg and mAAN Paperback

Contact
[

Contact

Documents RSS

News RSS

http://architexturez.net/doc/az-cf-122795

8/8