princely state · Indian princely states
Bhopal State
Origins
Dost Mohammad Khan, an Afghan soldier who had served the Mughals, took advantage of imperial decline after 1707 to seize lands in Malwa. He fortified the old town of Bhopal and built the fort of Fatehgarh, establishing a Muslim dynasty over a largely Hindu population.
Rule and society
Bhopal resisted Maratha pressure and allied with the British in 1818. From 1819 to 1926 four women ruled in turn: Qudsia Begum, Sikandar Begum, Shah Jahan Begum and Sultan Jahan Begum, who built mosques, schools, railways and the Taj-ul-Masajid. It was a nineteen-gun salute state.
Decline and legacy
Nawab Hamidullah Khan held out against accession until 1949, when Bhopal became a centrally administered state of India. In 1956 it became the capital of Madhya Pradesh.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Bhopal State paid tribute to Maratha Empire1737 CE – 1818 CE
- Bhopal State was a protectorate of Company rule in India1818 CE – 1858 CE
- Bhopal State was a protectorate of British Raj1858 CE – 1947 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Bhopal State. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bhopal-state
- MLA
- “Bhopal State.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bhopal-state. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Bhopal State.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bhopal-state.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Bhopal State’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/bhopal-state (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻