The Begums of Bhopal: A History of the Princely State of Bhopal

by Shaharyar M. Khan

Between 1819 and 1926 four Muslim women rulers reigned over Bhopal, the second largest Muslim state of India, despite staunch opposition from powerful neighbors and male claimants. Even the British India Company initially opposed female rule in Bhopal until the Begums quoted Queen Victoria as their model and inspiration. Each Begum--or Queen--impressed her own personality on the role and succeeded in reigning over a mostly Hindu population. Qudisa, the first Begum, was supported by her powerful French-Bourbon Prime Minister in her departure from the traditional. She was succeeded in 1844 by Sikandar, her only daughter, who was also followed by her only daughter, the highly controversial Shahjehan. The story ends with the last Begum, Sultan Jehan, and her abdication in favor of her son, the first male ruler (Nawab) of Bhopal in five generations. This book offers the first balanced history of the state.

Genres: History, Research, Politics, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2000

Reviews

[JUSTIN JOS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, a book about my own city of Bhopal. I write this review having been away from my family in Bhopal for almost two years due to the pandemic and subsequent border closure. The book is an exciting, insightful and riveting read. It almost plays like soap-opera. The Royal family of Bhopal has had its fair share of grandioseness in its rule over the people of Bhopal. My family does not claim historical roots in Bhopal but I was born and bred there. I did not conceive the world of royals of this complexity.

The reign of the four Begums was revolutionary in the South Asian context. 4 Muslim women ruled Bhopal for 107 years. This shaped the city’s character and different Begums impressed different lifestyles on her subjects. Qudsia, Sikander, Shahjehan and Sultan Jahan. These four Begums ensured that the administrative governance over the Central Indian Muslim principality flourished. What surprised me was how the author brought alive the dramatic struggles for power within the royal family. The unfloundering support to British rule also ensured that the city was not subject to atrocities.

I think the book comes close to an objective reading of the history of Bhopal, however; it is not necessarily 100% true. This is because the book, at certain points, simplified the narrative. For example, the pretty obvious threat from the neighbouring principalities were not expanded. I can’t believe that there was no outside threat on Bhopal for over 100 years. However, I understand that covering such diverse areas might be outside the scope of the book. Overall, I would really recommend people to read the history of Bhopal and its Begums. Their lives were intertwined and often, complicated with several legal issues especially those related to succession. The book reminded me that the city I was born was tread upon by Begums who over the century moulded its character and dedicated their lives to religion, power and fair governance. To what extent this observation is accurate remains debatable as I am profoundly upset to learn that they supported the British in India’s first war of independence in 1857.

A lesson I have learnt from this book is that history tells tales of people who secured power and wielded it to expand their influence.

[Simala Kureishy · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading this book I feel like I need to research the
character of the Begums of Bhopal. While the author writes accurately about the historical aspect of Bhopal. His personal bias seeps through this work. Descended from one side of the family, he maligns the character of the members of the other side of his family. If you can get over his personal bias it is wonderful to read about the women who ruled Bhopal for three hundred years.
The sad aspect about reading history is the realization that rulers have a religion of their own. They may call themselves Muslim but their actions speak otherwise. Under pressure they eschew religious principles very easily.
Nawab Siddique Hasan Khan had his own agenda to further the salafi wahhabi ideology in Bhopal. He used the power that his position awarded him for propaganda. Out the door went the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah during his time...

[Sami Naik · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Begums of Bhopal guarantees history-check and authentic detailing because of the four vital factors. One is that Shahryar Khan had his mother Abida Sultan’s library in hand that preserves books, documents, and rare manuscripts. Two, he had access to the British Library where he scoured through confidential reports about the state by the-then British civil servants.

Three and the biggest factor that distinguishes this book from any history book a historian may have written in the past two centuries is that Shahryar gained direct knowledge about his ancestors through his mother’s tape recordings that recorded her impressions of the state’s history as related to her by her grandmother Sultan Jahan Begum, the fourth and final Begum of Bhopal. On the tape, the grandmother, old civil servants, and family members spoke in detail about their time and even recalled the time of Sikandar Begum’s golden era when she ruled Bhopal in the mid-nineteenth century.

And four, the book discourages being quintessential or overpraising the pride of his ancestors. The book refuses to deceive the readers by exaggerating the details of their greatness of being the most ideal of all Bhopalis. The book highlights the state’s leadership that went in good and bad hands. The book stamps an unbiased history of centuries-old rulership where the author details the rights and wrongs of Bhopal’s leadership in safe and unsafe hands.

The beauty of reading this book is that you grow with the timeline from Dost Mohammad Khan’s arrival in Malwa in 1707 to Hamidullah Khan’s succession of the throne in 1926. It is like if you are watching the American television show Roots and following Kunta Kinte’s descendants. This book deserves a television series with an extremely huge production budget, and I wish if this ever happens. Because this part of history needs to be told.

To all the readers who seek knowledge about the tareekh-e-Hindustan, The Begums of Bhopal is a part of it. A lot of information about India’s ancient history has not reached the internet; that makes me think that there is still a lot about the past to reach us. Gain it, treasure it, before all these cannons go further missing.

To read my complete book review for 'The Begums of Bhopal', follow this link:
https://saminaik.com/2022/01/28/book-...

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really would have liked to sing praises to this book - any book calling on the reader to examine anew a period history is going to have value, but as another reviewer points out their are obvious bias in the authors treatment and overall it lacks a certain excitement in reading - neither dry academic history nor really good popular history, the book fails to engage and hold the reader. Also the production standards are very poor.

[Qudsia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s really good. I liked it.

[Vipul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well researched book about the history of Bhopal state from an author belonging to the ruling family. A good read for those interested in political history and court intrigues. A must read for every bhopali.