The State of Bhopal was founded in 1723 by Sardar Dost Muhammad Khan, from Tirah in Afghanistan , a descendant of the Mirzai Khel branch of the Warakzais (Orakzai) Pathans. He entered the service of Emperor Aurangzeb and had been appointed Governor of Bhairsa. Taking advantage of the disintegrating of the Mughal Empire, he declared his independence and found a separate state. He fell foul of the Nizam of Hyderbad for siding with the notorious Sayyid brothers, and was forced to surrender many of the territories he had won. His successors lost further territory during the Maratha invasions. In 1795 they forced Nawab Hayat Muhammad Khan to cede large tracts of his domains to them. The state was saved only through the intervention of Wazir Muhammad, a colatteral scion of the family and a distinguished soldier in the Nizam's service. He eventually made himself became Nawab Regent in 1808. He was followed by his son, Nasir ud-Daula eight years later. The two branches of the family ruled thereafter in an uneasy alliance until a settlement was affected in 1837. Seven years later, the daughter of Nasir ud-Daula became the first of three successive and world famous female rulers.

The youngest son of the last of these ladies, Hamidullah, succeeded as Nawab in 1926. He signed the instrument of accession the Dominion of India in 1947, but was left to administer his state as a separate entity. However, two years later Bhopal was merged into Madhya Bharat. He died in 1960, leaving three daughters. The Heiress Apparent had opted for Pakistan in 1950 and entered that country's Foreign service. Therefore, the Government of India excluded her from the succession and her younger sister succeeded in her stead. Nawab Begum Safida Sultan married the Nawab of Pataudi, the famous first class and international cricketer. Her son and heir is the equally famous cricketer known as "Tiger Pataudi". Indeed, the entire family is 'cricket mad', providing several stars on the field at international and national levels of the game, both in India and Pakistan .

After Independence
Bhopal was one of the last princely states to sign the 'Instrument of Accession' 1947. Though India achieved Independence in August 1947, the ruler of Bhopal acceded to the Indian government only on May 1, 1949. Sindhi refugees from Pakistan were accommodated in Bairagarh, a western suburb of Bhopal.organization Act in 1956, Bhopal state was integrated into the state of Madhya Pradesh, and Bhopal was declared as its capital. The population of the city rose rapidly.In December 1984, a cloud of methyl isocyanate was accidentally released from the factory of Union Carbide, a multinational company (now taken over by Dow Chemicals). The cloud covered half of the city and killed 3,000 people immediately, 15,000 later, and left 50,000 with permanent disabilities; see Bhopal Disaster.

State : Madhya Pradesh
District(s) : Bhopal
Coordinates : 23.16° N 77.24° E
Area : 285 km²
Elevation : 427 m
Time zone : IST (UTC+ 5:30 )
Population (2001) : 1,433,875
Density : 160/km²
Codes : Postal :462 001
Telephone :+91-755
Vehicle :MP-04