The National Archives of India, Regional Office, Bhopal came into existence on the basis of an agreement signed on 21 October 1953 between the Bhopal Government and the Government of India. The records housed in the Central Records Office of the erstwhile Bhopal State contain Mutiny Papers, files relating to the Chamber of Princes and other subjects, covering the years 1843 to 1949. These records are mainly written in Persian and English.
National Archives of India, New Delhi transferred 2008 bundles containing approximately 2,51,000 files, as spare copies of Government of India records of various Ministries/ Departments of the Central Government for the years 1860-1938 for their safety and also to help facilitate the scholars of the adjoining states. Furthermore, the National Archives of India has also transferred 13,732 volumes of Gazettes of various states (inclusive years 1841-1971) for their permanent preservation. In 1984, this office also accessioned a collection of private papers (inclusive years 1928-1978) which was received from Pandit Chatur Narayan Malaviya, ex-prime Minister of the erstwhile Bhopal State. These private papers consist of three volumes on the ‘Monuments of Sanchi’ by Sir John Marshall.
The Microfilm Repository at Regional Office, Bhopal is functional since June 6, 1997. The Microfilm Repository is as per prescribed norms with air conditioning to achieve the controlled temperature and humidity to prevent any damage to the microfilm rolls. The total collection of 13,950 rolls consists of the Jayakar Papers, Foreign Acquisition series, Crown Representative Records, Rampur Raza Llibrary Papers, Department Proceedings and Parliamentary Papers. These microfilm rolls are of intrinsic historical value and are preserved as a second line of defence of records and as a parallel archives for posterity.
The Regional Office has also acquired a collection of books of historical and archival importance,numbering about 3200. These are properly kept in the reference library to cater to the needs of scholars, officials and visitors. The latest scientific methods of conservation are followed in this office through its Preservation Section to increase the longevity of these books for another hundred years.
The Regional Office also possesses xeroxing facilities for scholars and officials. Efforts are afoot to procure a Microfilm Printer and Scanner as well, so as to provide xerox copies of the relevant portions of the microfilm rolls for genuine scholars and users, as per the Historical Research rules.
The details of the holdings available at Regional office, Bhopal are as follows:
Contact Details
Mohammad Asghar
Assistant Director of Archives
National Archives of India-Regional Office
Civil Lines, Bhopal
Madhya Pradesh-462002
Tel No: +91-011-2391042
Fax: +674-2560043
E-mail : rc[dot]bbsr-archives[at]gov[dot]in