On February 16th, 2020, a 32-foot statue honoring the Seventeenth Century Gond Queen Rani Kamlapati was unveiled in Bhopal. The statue honors and celebrates the Gond community’s history. It is one of the few statues in India that commemorates a woman. Rani Kamlapati, the 18th-century Gond queen who ruled over the Bhopal region, was one of the seven and most favorite wives of Gond ruler Nizam Shah. Kamlapati was renowned across the land for her beauty and talents. In 1722, Kamlapati constructed the iconic seven-story ‘Kamlapati Palace’ overlooking Bhopal’s lakes, which has been designated as a Monument of National Importance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) since 1989. Built of Lakhauri bricks, the palace boasts cusped arches over crumpled pillars and merlons shaped like lotus petals that honor the queen’s name. When Nizam Shah’’s envious nephew Alam poisoned him because he was after Kamlapati’s hand, she turned to Afghan commander Dost Mohammad Khan for aid. Tying Rakhi to his wrist, she promised payment for his protection. Khan annexed Alam Shah’s territory after defeating him, but Kamlapati lacked the funds, instead ceding control of her kingdom. Though initially loyal, after Kamlapati’s suicide in 1723, Khan killed her son and seized control of her kingdom. Throughout the large Gond community, Kamlapati has been revered as an inspiring and brave queen. The project to erect a statue commemorating Kamlapati’s legacy was launched in 2016. Due to the lack of sketches or images of Kamlapati, the sculpture was designed based on an estimate of her likeliness. It stands near the Rani Kamlapati Palace at Kamla Park and depicts her sitting tall and proud on a grand throne chair. Read more...