Bhopal: After 350 yrs, Islam Nagar renamed Jagdishpur

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): After 350 years, Islam Nagar in Bhopal district will be known as Jagdishpur. The state government has changed the name of Islam Nagar Village located near Bhopal with immediate effect. The village will now be known as Jagdishpur. The government notified the change of name through a Gazette order. Jagdishpur is a panchayat village in the Bhopal district in Huzur tehsil and the Phanda block under Berasia Vidhan Sabha constituency.

SDM (Huzur) Akash Srivastava said, “The then Bhopal collector had sent letter to the state government on basis of recommendation of MLA Vishnu Khatri 5 to 6 years ago during the previous tenure of Chouhan. Then state government had written a letter to the Central Government which has given approval. After it, the state government has issued Gazette notification. Now, after 350 years, Islam Nagar will be known as Jagdishpur.”

Berasia MLA Vishnu Khatri said, “In 2016-17, I raised a question in Vidhan Sabha, after becoming MLA for the first time in 2014. I also wrote letters to the Central government in 2008 and the Congress-led UPA government had turned down my letter. I wrote letter to the then Bhopal collector who wrote a letter to the State government which ultimately forwarded it to the Central government. And today, the state government issued notification after the Central government approval.” 

Originally known as Jagadishpur, the place was founded by the local Rajput chieftains.  In the early 18th century, the place was captured and renamed to Islamnagar ("city of Islam") by Dost Mohammad Khan, the founder of the Bhopal princely state. Islamnagar was the original capital of the Dost Mohammad Khan's state.

In 1723, Dost Mohammad Khan had to surrender the Islamnagar fort to Nizam-ul-Mulk after a brief siege. Khan was reduced to the position of a kiledar (fort commander) under the Nizam after a peace treaty. In year 1727 he shifted his capital to Bhopal.  The Scindias controlled the Islamnagar fort from 1806 to 1817, when it was restored to Bhopal following a treaty. Several members of the royal family of Bhopal, including Shah Jahan Begum, were born in Islamnagar.

In Jagdishpur, there were temples during the Parmar period. After the Parmars, this it was one of the fifty-two strongholds of the Gond king Sangram Shah of Jabalpur hence there is also a Gond palace here. After Gond rule, this citadel and fort remained under Deora Rajputs. Dost Mohammad Khan attacked Jagdishpur in 1715.