According to the Imperial Gazeteer of India, Bhopal derives from "Bhoj Pal" named after the legendary founder of the city.

10th century CE onwards, names of Rajput rulers (including Bhoja) Malwa appear in the historical records.

In 1401, Dilawar Khan Ghori (father of Hoshang Shah) took control of the territory, ruling from Dhar.

The present-day Bhopal district was part of the Ginnor chakla, which comprised 750 villages.

After his death, the Afghan mercenary Dost Mohammad Khan managed the state's affairs on behalf of his widow Kamlapati.

Faiz was a religious recluse, and his step-mother Mamola Bai effectively ruled the state on his behalf.

On 30 April 1949, the Nawab relented and signed an Instrument of Accession to the Dominion of India.

On 26 January 1972, the Government of Madhya Pradesh announced that Bhopal would be made a separate district.

According to the 2011 census, Bhopal District has a population of 2,371,061,[1] roughly equal to the nation of Latvia[8] or the US state of New Mexico.