Dost
Mohammad Khan was an Afghan who kidnapped the wife of a noble Pathan after killing him in
Afghanistan and forced marriage with her. He then fled to India, fearing
for his life. Here, he was given shelter by a family friend who caught
him red handed with his daughter. Khan again fled and changed many jobs in
various armies. He earned the trust
of an old widow Queen of Mangalgarh
near Bhopal. After her death, he cleverly invited all surrounding Rajput
Kings with their families for Holi celebration
near Jagdishpur. When his guests
were drunk deep in the night, Khan’s men cut the ropes of the tents and set
them on fire. By the morning, the
river Banganga, also known as the
Thal, was red with the blood of natives.
So he renamed it Halali, meaning
the river where non islamics were
sacrificed. He then carried the massacre to Jagdishpur, broke its architectural masterpieces, the temples
and renamed it Islamnagar. (‘Begums of Bhopal’ by Shaheryar Khan)
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A panoramic view of upper lake from a
balcony of Fathegarh fort.
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The
architecture of the fort is largely Indian. The balcony in the residential
quarters has Gond designs with flowers and detailed designs on pillars. A
very small mosque is located on top of one of the bastions of the fort. Its
construction is evidently different from that of the fort below and further
strengthens the theory that Fatehgarh was not originally a Dost Mohammad
creation. Located in the campus are the tombs of Dost Mohammad Khan and
Fateh Bibi, with an adjoining mosque built in their memory.
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These figures only suggest that the
fort already existed and Dost Mohammad only partially modified it to suite
his ideas and convenience. It is also important to note that the
portions of the fort submerged in the upper lake went under water much
prior to 1722. However he renamed the fort on the name of his wife, a
Rajput girl called Fateh Bibi. Fatehgarh Fort is the largest of living
heritage sites in Bhopal. A very
large part of the fort is now in use by Kasturba Gandhi Medical College
Bhopal. The residential quarters of the fort, including the royal balcony
overlooking the upper lake and the city are used as a rest house and for
the medical college. The main gate of the fort is adjacent to the
Hamidia hospital and is used as a medical store now.
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Queen Kamlapati of Bhopal made the most
fatal mistake of hiring Dost Mohammad Khan for avenging the death of her
husband. After killing her enemies, Khan killed her trusted bodyguards and left her with no options, but
suicide. After her death, he renamed her fort ‘Fatehgarh’. (‘Begums of Bhopal’ by Shaheryar Khan).It is
said that the Fatehgarh fort was
built by Dost Mohhamad Khan in 1722. (‘The Royal Journey of Bhopal’ by Syed
Akhtar Hussain). Under the pressure of Dost Mohammad Khan to marry him,
Rani Kamlapati committed suicide in 1723. (‘Banganga Se Halali’ by Niranjan
Verma). There is no evidence of her giving up Bhopal until her death. Dost
Mohammad Khan died in 1726.
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The blocks of the fort that are submerged
in the upper lake
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The mosque on a bastion of the fort
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A view of the Fatehgarh Fort located
above VIP road.
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The tombs of Dost Mohammad Khan and Fateh
Bibi.
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