It was a pleasure walking through the bylanes of Old Bhopal, the city built by the 106 year rule of Begums of Bhopal, unparalleled in the history of India. The rule of Begums gave the city its waterworks, railways, a postal system and a municipality constituted in 1907.

Bhopal has many mosques including Taj-ul-Masajid (one of the largest mosques in Asia), Dhai Seedi ki Masjid (one of the smallest mosques in Asia), Jama Masjid (built by Qudsia Begum in 1837). Moti Masjid (built by Sikander Begum in 1860).

Some of the major historical buildings in Bhopal include Shaukat Mahal (a mixture of Indo-Islamic and European styles of architecture), Gohar Mahal (built by Qudsia Begum, fusion of Hindu and Mughal architecture), Sadar Manzil (used by the Begums for public audience, now used as the head office of the Municipal Corporation) and Purana Qila (part of the 300-year-old fort of Queen Kamalapati, situated in Kamla Park, which separates Upper Lake from Lower lake).

The streets around these monuments are lively and I managed to capture the spirit here.