Hin: भोपाल bhopāl
‘Bhoj’s Dam’ [Bhojapala] – Capital/City/District, Madhya Pradesh
From (King) Bhoj and Hin: pāla ’embankment (to confine water for irrigation)’, ‘dam’, ‘dike’
Bhojpal or Bhoj’s dam is the great dam which supports Bhopal city lakes. It was built in the 11thC by a Minister of Raja Bhoja, a king of the Paramara dynasty which ruled Malwa and surrounding regions from their capital at Dhar.
The city was built on a sandstone ridge which separates the two lakes.
Bhopal is known as the ‘City of Lakes’, including the Bada Talab, ‘Upper Lake’ which is 36 sq. km; and the ‘Chhota Talab’, ‘Lower Lake’ which is just under 2 sq. km.
Sadly, Bhopal is also famous for the December 1984 Union Carbide Disaster when a leak at a pesticide plant released 32 tons of toxic gases, including methyl isocyanate (MIC) resulting in over 4,000 deaths and many, many more lasting injuries.
King Bhoja, Bada Talab (Bhopal) SUBHASH E