Dear visitor,
This blog was made to salvage and resurrect the memories of forgotten people and places. The annals of human civilisation are replete with instances of once-greatness and glory now relegated to the dust-heap of history. India, like many other countries, is not unique in its possession of a rich cultural past. what is unique is the fact that unlike many other places , the indian subcontinent exhibits an almost stratified accumulation of centuries of varied cultural deposits. The Ancient Indus and Harappan civilisations are verlaid with later Hindu/ buddhist/jain cultures. The last millennium has seen this rich tapestry again rewoven with christian and islamic cultural influences. Over the years this rich ensemble has come together to form a cultural smorgasbord that is uniquely indian in taste and sensibility. Islamic art and architecture in India is uniquely subcontinental in its expression and cannot be found anywhere else. Today much of our heritage, except for the more fortunate world-renowned icons like the Taj etc, are languishing in a state of neglect. The pressures of modernity manifest themselves in many ways on this monuments. Growing population has meant a need for more land. Monuments that were spread over large tracts of land, are now reduced to cramped spaces and find themselves hemmed in by burgeoning human habitations. General State apathy and indifference compounds the problem of conservation, rather than being of any help. While many people may actually question the very idea of heritage conservation as being unnecessary and a drain on precious resources, it also must be noted that cultural/ethnic heritage is an important source of group identity and fosters a healthy sense of belongingness.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Monday, December 11, 2006
The Paigah Tombs: The Taj of the South languishes in a state of decrepitude and neglect
The Paigah Tombs:
The Paigah Tombs complex is a little known necropolis lying behind the Santosh Nagar police station, amidst a warren of houses and lanes in an obscure locality known as Phisalbanda (Phisal - Slide, Banda -Rock).
The Paigah Tombs complex is the final resting place of the Paigah nobility, from which most of the prime ministers of the erstwhile Hyderabad State hailed, during the pre-independence rule of the Nizams.
Even for a city, known for its architectural splendour-manifesting itself in the building of extravagantly ornate palaces and onion-domed mosques-the Paigah Tombs still draw gasps of wonder from thier occasional visitor. And visitors are occasional here. Having lived in Hyderbad for a greater part of my life i was nonetheless quite unaware of the existence of this marvellous piece of architectural and historical importance till about a year back. While glancing through the various publications of the Archaelogical Department, i chanced upon a tiny booklet on the Paigah Tombs, and was quite surprised to discover that they existed within the Old City precincts. After quite a bit of looking around, and after losing myself in the catacomb of colonies that have sprung up around the Tombs, I finally located the place. And i must confess i was quite disappointed with the state of disrepair in which i found the Tombs. The glossed over pictures in the booklet do not brace the visitor for the filth and disrepair that is evident all around the complex.
Notwithstanding the depredations of human apathy and natural aging, the tombs still retain some vestige of thier former breath-taking beauty. Having visited the place and experienced thier beauty and historical importance, i cant help but wonder about thier relative obscurity , not just to the tourist from outside Hyderbad, but also to the residents of the city.
One of the probable causes for this almost cultivated obscurity could be the complete indifference displayed by the Department of Archaeology and Museums, (Govt of Andhra Pradesh) to which the complex was handed over by Begum Zaheer Yar Jung in 1983. The deplorably defaced condition of the once exquisite tombs stands testimony to the oft repeated lament that we Indians have no sense of appreciation or sense of preservation vis-a-vis our heritage.
The other fact, borne out by a visit to this place, is the unmistakable demonstration of the absolute incompetence and lack of any conservation ethic, on the part of the Archaelogical Department. It appears as if the Archaelogical Departments' idea of preserving invaluable heritage merely entails erecting a perimeter wall around a designated monument, exacting visiting fee from intrepid grafitti-etching visitors and then waiting patiently for the monument to fall apart and around thier ears.
Another disturbing trend one sees around monuments in Hyderabad (and i guess its a more pervasive phenomenon than just a peculiarity of Hyderbad) is that of the vandal visitor. This breed of visitor visits merely for the sake of an outing. They insouciantly desecrate and deface monuments, spit pan juice all over the place, dump plastic disposables all around as if the whole wide world was a huge dust-bin and depart in an unrepentant wake of litter. The other breed is a species of couples looking for a spot of privacy and who are in no possession of any historical interest whatsoever. What this species lacks by way of any historical curiosity is more than made up for by the possession of that irrepressible proclivity for making a history of their own by inscribing their legend of eternal love on the timeless monuments along with a faithful RSVP inscription of their adresses and names. This latter breed can be found in a prolific variety in the Seven Tombs Complex (near the Golconda Fort foothills) and in the Fort itself. So, visitors to any of these places , along with a sense of history, will also get first hand information about who loves whom, and how much, and exactly when the suit was made and accepted, and the approximate whereabouts of the suitor etc etc...
On a more serious note, whether its the Quli Qutub Shah Seven Tombs or the Shaikepet Sarai or the Paigah Tombs , all seem to be sharingthe same fate under the Archaelogical Department - disappear discreetly through neglect and decay.
Who were the Paigah Nobles?
The Paigah Tombs complex is a little known necropolis lying behind the Santosh Nagar police station, amidst a warren of houses and lanes in an obscure locality known as Phisalbanda (Phisal - Slide, Banda -Rock).
The Paigah Tombs complex is the final resting place of the Paigah nobility, from which most of the prime ministers of the erstwhile Hyderabad State hailed, during the pre-independence rule of the Nizams.
Even for a city, known for its architectural splendour-manifesting itself in the building of extravagantly ornate palaces and onion-domed mosques-the Paigah Tombs still draw gasps of wonder from thier occasional visitor. And visitors are occasional here. Having lived in Hyderbad for a greater part of my life i was nonetheless quite unaware of the existence of this marvellous piece of architectural and historical importance till about a year back. While glancing through the various publications of the Archaelogical Department, i chanced upon a tiny booklet on the Paigah Tombs, and was quite surprised to discover that they existed within the Old City precincts. After quite a bit of looking around, and after losing myself in the catacomb of colonies that have sprung up around the Tombs, I finally located the place. And i must confess i was quite disappointed with the state of disrepair in which i found the Tombs. The glossed over pictures in the booklet do not brace the visitor for the filth and disrepair that is evident all around the complex.
Notwithstanding the depredations of human apathy and natural aging, the tombs still retain some vestige of thier former breath-taking beauty. Having visited the place and experienced thier beauty and historical importance, i cant help but wonder about thier relative obscurity , not just to the tourist from outside Hyderbad, but also to the residents of the city.
One of the probable causes for this almost cultivated obscurity could be the complete indifference displayed by the Department of Archaeology and Museums, (Govt of Andhra Pradesh) to which the complex was handed over by Begum Zaheer Yar Jung in 1983. The deplorably defaced condition of the once exquisite tombs stands testimony to the oft repeated lament that we Indians have no sense of appreciation or sense of preservation vis-a-vis our heritage.
The other fact, borne out by a visit to this place, is the unmistakable demonstration of the absolute incompetence and lack of any conservation ethic, on the part of the Archaelogical Department. It appears as if the Archaelogical Departments' idea of preserving invaluable heritage merely entails erecting a perimeter wall around a designated monument, exacting visiting fee from intrepid grafitti-etching visitors and then waiting patiently for the monument to fall apart and around thier ears.
Another disturbing trend one sees around monuments in Hyderabad (and i guess its a more pervasive phenomenon than just a peculiarity of Hyderbad) is that of the vandal visitor. This breed of visitor visits merely for the sake of an outing. They insouciantly desecrate and deface monuments, spit pan juice all over the place, dump plastic disposables all around as if the whole wide world was a huge dust-bin and depart in an unrepentant wake of litter. The other breed is a species of couples looking for a spot of privacy and who are in no possession of any historical interest whatsoever. What this species lacks by way of any historical curiosity is more than made up for by the possession of that irrepressible proclivity for making a history of their own by inscribing their legend of eternal love on the timeless monuments along with a faithful RSVP inscription of their adresses and names. This latter breed can be found in a prolific variety in the Seven Tombs Complex (near the Golconda Fort foothills) and in the Fort itself. So, visitors to any of these places , along with a sense of history, will also get first hand information about who loves whom, and how much, and exactly when the suit was made and accepted, and the approximate whereabouts of the suitor etc etc...
On a more serious note, whether its the Quli Qutub Shah Seven Tombs or the Shaikepet Sarai or the Paigah Tombs , all seem to be sharingthe same fate under the Archaelogical Department - disappear discreetly through neglect and decay.
Who were the Paigah Nobles?
So who were these people, who built such beautiful monuments? What was thier occupation, where were they from? What inspired them? In the succeding passage i will try to answer some of the questions.
The Paigah Nobles are not unknown to the Hyderbad of yore. In the pre-independence pecking order, they were second only to the Asaf Jahi (Nizams) family. The Asaf Jah's were the deputies deployed by Aurangzeb to adminster his Deccan acquisitions. After the collapse of the Mughal rule at delhi, the Asaf Jahi dynasty came into its own, ruling the Hyderbad State from 1724 to 1948, till the Hyderbad State was merged with the independent Indian State after Police Action.
The Paigah nobility traces its decent to Nawab Taig Jung Bahadur, the first Shams-Ul-Umra (an honorofic title that later became hereditary and was passed on to the next of decendent) on whom the title Paigah was conferred by the Second Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty for rendering loyal service. Thus began an alliance that lasted the entire reign of the Asaf Jahi dynasty. The word Paigah is Persian in origin and literally means a foot-stool, figuratively it denotes pomp and rank.
Teg Bahadur was offered the prime-ministership of the nizamian dominion, in recognition of his service but he declined preferring to remain the soldier that he was. The later Paigahs were allied to the nizams family through many matrimoinial alliances.
Nawab Teg jung Bahadur's only son Fakhruddin Khan, born in 1781 was married to Bashir-un nissa Begum the daughter of The Nizam Of Hyderabad, Nawab Mir Nizam Ali Khan. Nawab Fakhruddin was a learned man and a great patron Art and Culture. He served three Nizams in his lifetime. He translated books from Arabic and English to Urdu and Persian. Fakruddin was far ahead of his time exhibiting a keen interest in Science. He had his own well appointed Observatory.
Asman Jah Bahadur, grandson of Fakruddin was married to the sister of sixth nizam, Mir mehboob ali khan. In 1887 he had visited England to reperesent the Nizam on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. After return he assumed prime-ministership of Hyderbad till 1893.
Nawab Sir Vicar-ul-Umra Bahadur , was the grandson of the third Nizam, he was conferred a knighthood by the British Government, and was presented with the Kaiser-E-Hind gold medal. He became the Prime-minister of Hyderabad in 1894 and made valuable contributions esp in the field of education. The education department, the engineering school, the law classes , the legislative Council and the Asafia Library were opened under his prime-ministership. He was a connoisseur of art and the builder of the legendary Falaknuma Palace spending almost 40 lac rupees in the process (the Falaknuma Palace is now under the stewardship of the Taj Group of Hotels and this peice of National heritage is no longer open to the public).
The Paigah Tombs: Architectural style and importance
The Paigah nobles as we now know were builders par excellence. Some of the most beautiful palaces, mosques, tombs and monuments in Hyderabad were built by them. The Falak- Numa Palace being an exemplary case in point.
The style of architecture employed in the construction of the tombs is Indo-Islamic or Indo-Saracenic . The Tombs were built blending marble and lime. This was probably inspired by the similarly made Bibi-ka-Maqbara, built by Aurangzeb’s son Prince Azam in memorium for his mother.
The Paigah Tombs came under the Archaelogical Department in nineteen eighty three and were designated as the Taj of the South. Alas for all such bombastic talk the tombs soon fell into rack and ruin. Squatters have moved in and some live inside the Ghansi Miyan Tomb. The caretaker, on persistent questioning informed us that, repairs hardly take place. The delicate jali work is gouged out at several places leaving gaping holes in the latticces, which have then been filled with rude dollops of cement balls. The walls of most of the main tomb complex have blackened under the constant rivulets of rain water let out by the rain spouts. Some time ago the only guard on duty was moved out (?) and vandals from the nearby bustees had a field day vandalising the monument much of which is in varying states of decay. The plaster has peeled in many places. The elements have done thier work too, leaving the once stately structures a mere shadow of thier former princely self.
If immediate attention is not paid to this valuable piece of heritage, it will soon vanish from the map. some of the stucco work here is reminescent of and comparable to the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture found in the Alhambra Palace of Granada, Spain.
Nawab Teg jung Bahadur's only son Fakhruddin Khan, born in 1781 was married to Bashir-un nissa Begum the daughter of The Nizam Of Hyderabad, Nawab Mir Nizam Ali Khan. Nawab Fakhruddin was a learned man and a great patron Art and Culture. He served three Nizams in his lifetime. He translated books from Arabic and English to Urdu and Persian. Fakruddin was far ahead of his time exhibiting a keen interest in Science. He had his own well appointed Observatory.
Asman Jah Bahadur, grandson of Fakruddin was married to the sister of sixth nizam, Mir mehboob ali khan. In 1887 he had visited England to reperesent the Nizam on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. After return he assumed prime-ministership of Hyderbad till 1893.
Nawab Sir Vicar-ul-Umra Bahadur , was the grandson of the third Nizam, he was conferred a knighthood by the British Government, and was presented with the Kaiser-E-Hind gold medal. He became the Prime-minister of Hyderabad in 1894 and made valuable contributions esp in the field of education. The education department, the engineering school, the law classes , the legislative Council and the Asafia Library were opened under his prime-ministership. He was a connoisseur of art and the builder of the legendary Falaknuma Palace spending almost 40 lac rupees in the process (the Falaknuma Palace is now under the stewardship of the Taj Group of Hotels and this peice of National heritage is no longer open to the public).
The Paigah Tombs: Architectural style and importance
The Paigah nobles as we now know were builders par excellence. Some of the most beautiful palaces, mosques, tombs and monuments in Hyderabad were built by them. The Falak- Numa Palace being an exemplary case in point.
The style of architecture employed in the construction of the tombs is Indo-Islamic or Indo-Saracenic . The Tombs were built blending marble and lime. This was probably inspired by the similarly made Bibi-ka-Maqbara, built by Aurangzeb’s son Prince Azam in memorium for his mother.
The Paigah Tombs came under the Archaelogical Department in nineteen eighty three and were designated as the Taj of the South. Alas for all such bombastic talk the tombs soon fell into rack and ruin. Squatters have moved in and some live inside the Ghansi Miyan Tomb. The caretaker, on persistent questioning informed us that, repairs hardly take place. The delicate jali work is gouged out at several places leaving gaping holes in the latticces, which have then been filled with rude dollops of cement balls. The walls of most of the main tomb complex have blackened under the constant rivulets of rain water let out by the rain spouts. Some time ago the only guard on duty was moved out (?) and vandals from the nearby bustees had a field day vandalising the monument much of which is in varying states of decay. The plaster has peeled in many places. The elements have done thier work too, leaving the once stately structures a mere shadow of thier former princely self.
If immediate attention is not paid to this valuable piece of heritage, it will soon vanish from the map. some of the stucco work here is reminescent of and comparable to the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture found in the Alhambra Palace of Granada, Spain.
Bibliography
The Paigah Tombs; A companion Guide. Dr J Kedaswari. 2003.
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All pictures taken by Qurrat Khan on the Pentax SLR F7
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