Rare official seal of Nawab Sikandar Jahan Begum of Bhopal (1844–1868).

She was a fearsome and powerful character who laid the groundwork for modernization and reform.
She reformed, modernised, and reorganised the Bhopal army. She established cavalry and top-khana (artillery) regiments. She conducted a chain of surveys of the state and divided the territory into 3 parganas with 21 zillas. She demarcated the Bhopal frontier. She took great care to ensure that her courts dispensed justice according to both Muslim and Hindu family law. She started the postal service and roads to connect the state to other states. She encouraged girls education. She replaced Farsi with Urdu as Bhopal’s official court language.