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Kaikhusrau Jahan
Kaikhusrau Jahan or Nawab Begum Dame Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan was Begum of the princely state of Bhopal. She ruled from the year 1901 till 1926.

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Kaikhusrau Jahan, Nawab Begum of BhopalKaikhusrau Jahan, alternatively known as Nawab Begum Dame Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan GCSI GCIE GBE GCStJ CI KIH, was one of the most prominent and noteworthy rulers and a liberal Begum of the princely state of Bhopal. She ruled from the year 1901 till 1926. Kaikhusrau Jahan was born at Bhopal, as Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan, where Sultan was a name and not a title. She was the eldest and the only surviving child of General HH Nasir ud-Daula, Nawab Baqi Muhammad Khan Bahadur and his wife Sultan Shahjahan Begum. After her grandmother died and her mother succeeded the throne in 1868, Kaikhusrau Jahan was declared as heir apparent to the Bhopal musnaid. After the death of her mother, Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan succeeded her in 1901 and became the Nawab Begum of Dar-ul-Iqbal-i-Bhopal.

Rule of Kaikhusrau Jahan
Nawab Begum Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan was a great reformer like her mother and grandmother and established various essential educational institutions in the princely state of Bhopal. She also initiated free and mandatory primary education in the year 1918. Kaikhusrau Jahan enlarged the number of qualified teachers and built several schools and other technical institutes. Since 1920, until her death in 1930, Nawab Begum was the founding Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University. Even at the current age, she is still the only lady Chancellor ever served for Aligarh Muslim University. Apart from taking reformative steps to develop education, Nawab Begum Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan reformed taxation, the judiciary, the army, police and the prisons. She also helped in the expansion of agriculture created widespread irrigation and public works in the state of Bhopal. In the year 1922, she founded an Executive and Legislative State Council and commenced open elections for the municipalities.

Nawab Begum was appointed as the President of the All-India Muslim Ladies` Association in the year 1914. She also took various efforts for the advancement of public health and she instigated extensive inoculation and vaccination programs. Further more, she enhanced the water supply and standards of hygiene and sanitation. Due to her various progressive efforts, Kaikhusrau Jahan received a number of awards and honours.

Literary Works of Kaikhusrau Jahan
Nawab Begum Dame Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan GCSI GCIE GBE GCStJ CI KIH was a creative author and wrote numerous books and other literary works, mostly on health, education and various other topics. Some of her works include Maishat-o-Moashirat, Hidayat Timardari, Bachchon-ki-Parwarish, Tandurusti (Health), Sabil ul-Jinan and Hidayat uz-Zaujan.

Personal Life of Kaikhusrau Jahan
Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan was married to her distant cousin, His Highness Ali Jah, Ihtisham ul-Mulk, Nasir ud-Daula, Nawab Ahmad Ali Khan Bahadur, Sultan Dulha Sahib, Nawab Consort of Bhopal, KIH, on 1st February 1874. He was a member of the senior male-line branch of the dynasty. The royal couple had two daughters and three sons, namely Sahibzadi Bilqis Jahan Muzaffar Begum Sahiba, Sahibzadi Asif Jahan Begum Sahiba and Colonel Ali Jah, Nawab Hafiz Sir Muhammad Nasru`llah Khan Sahib Bahadur, Wali Ahad Bahadur, Major-General Al-Haj Mohsin ul-Mulk, Nawab Hafiz Muhammad Ubaidu`llah Khan Sahib Bahadur, CSI and HH Sikander Saulat, Iftikhar ul-Mulk, Al-Haj Nawab Hafiz Muhammad Hamidullah Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Dar ul-Iqbal-i-Bhopal.

After a reign of 25 years, Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan abdicated the royal throne of Bhopal in the year 1926, in favour of Hamidullah Khan, her only surviving son and youngest child. Nawab Begum died at the age of 71 on 12th May 1930.

Titles of Kaikhusrau Jahan
* Nawabzadi Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan Begum Sahiba (1858- 1868)
* Nawabzadi Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan Begum Sahiba, Wali Ahad Bahadur (1868- 1877)
* Nawabzadi Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan Begum Sahiba, Wali Ahad Bahadur, KIH (1877- 1901)
* Her Highness Sikander Saulat, Iftikhar ul-Mulk, Nawab Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Dar ul-Iqbal-i-Bhopal, KIH (1901- 1904)
* Her Highness Sikander Saulat, Iftikhar ul-Mulk, Nawab Dame Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Dar ul-Iqbal-i-Bhopal, GCIE, KIH (1904- 1910)
* Her Highness Sikander Saulat, Iftikhar ul-Mulk, Nawab Dame Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Dar ul-Iqbal-i-Bhopal, GCSI, GCIE, KIH (1910- 1911)
* Her Highness Sikander Saulat, Iftikhar ul-Mulk, Nawab Dame Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Dar ul-Iqbal-i-Bhopal, GCSI, GCIE, CI, KIH (1911- 1917)
* Her Highness Sikander Saulat, Iftikhar ul-Mulk, Nawab Dame Sultan Kaikhusrau Jahan Begum Sahiba, Nawab Begum of Dar ul-Iqbal-i-Bhopal, GCSI, GCIE, CI, GBE, KIH (1917- 1930)

Honours of Kaikhusrau Jahan
* Kaiser-i-Hind Silver Medal- KIH (1877)
* Delhi Durbar Gold Medal (1903)
* Dame Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire- GCIE (1904)
* Dame Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India- GCSI (1910)
* Companion of the Order of the Crown of India (1911)
* Order of Nobility (Nishan-i-Majidi) of the Ottoman Empire (1911)
* Dame Grand Cross of the Venerable Order of Saint John- GCStJ (1916)
* Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire- GBE (1917)


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