SACRALIZING THE CITY: THE BEGUMS OF BHOPAL AND THEIR MOSQUES

Princely building ventures in post 1857 colonial India included, among others, construction of religious buildings, even as their patrons enthusiastically pursued the colonial modernist agenda. This paper examines the architectural patronage of the Bhopal Begums, the women rulers of Bhopal State, who raised three grand mosques in their capital, Bhopal, in the 19th and early 20th century. As Bhopal marched on the road to progress under the Begums’ patronage, the mosques heralded the presence of Islam in the city in the post uprising scenario where both Muslims and mosques were subjected to retribution for fomenting the 1857 insurrection. Bhopal’s mosques were not only sacred sites for the devout but also impacted the public realm of the city.