Warmth of a palace: Restoring the sheen of Hyderabad's Purani Haveli

HYDERABAD: Surrounded by drab and unflattering high-rises on all four sides, Purani Haveli stands tall as the palace complex that was once the seat of power of the Asaf Jahis.  The Haveli aka Haveli-e-Khadeem, located in the busy town of Dabeerpura, is one of the older Asaf Jahi palaces, reportedly built in the 1800s. Back in the day, the complex spanned over 40 acres, with the ‘Yellow Gate’ near Madina Circle considered its original entrance. It is currently spread across nearly 8 acres. For more than one-and-a-half centuries, it housed several Nizams, and was also the birthplace of Nizam VI Mahbub Ali Khan.

In 1971, Prince Mukarram Jah, the titular eighth Nizam, established the Mukarram Jah Trust for Education and Learning, and handed the palace complex over to the trust. Over the last three decades, the nature of occupancy of the palace has changed. Now, approximately 2,000 students attend classes from I to X, and teenagers attend Intermediate courses in the rooms that earlier used to house the Nizams. 

The task bestowed upon the trust is no cakewalk. They are not only responsible for the welfare of thousands of students, but must also take care of the 200-year-old palace complex. Over the last two years, the trust has been taking up restoration works on various parts of Masarath Mahal, the main building of the Purani Haveli complex, and five out of the six ancillary palaces arranged in a U-shape around the Mahal.

This has not been easy. Owing to increased expenses and the unprecedented pandemic, the restoration efforts were halted. Now that there is a semblance of normalcy, the trust is looking to resume the works, and restore ancillary palace no. 6 (this is how the members of the trust refer to palaces other than Masarath Mahal), which is in shambles.

Speaking to The New Indian Express, trustee Faiz Khan, who is also the general power of attorney to HEH The Nizam and a member of the Awqaf Trust of the Nizam, said, “We are adhering to the originality of the structure while restoring it. Extra efforts are being made to replicate the original designs of stuccos, woodwork and so on. We want to restore it to its former glory, and we want it to withstand another hundred years easily.”

Mohammed Kaiser, the admin officer of the Mukarram Jah School, echoed Khan’s sentiment. Kaiser elaborated on the restoration process of ancillary palace no. 3, the last palace to have been restored before the pandemic. Each of these ancillary palaces is characterised by a verandah donning intricately-designed wooden arches, coupled with pillars that lead to the gateway of the palace. “The designs on the wood were very carefully replicated to match the original ones. Workers from Rajasthan were deployed for the job, and teakwood was used for the replication,” said Kaiser, adding that lime plaster was used for the conservation of walls and ceilings of the palaces.

It is important to note that five of the restored ancillary palaces are where the classes take place for students of the Mukarram Jah School. On the other hand, ancillary palace no. 6 is a reflection of what Purani Haveli would have been if it was left in the hands of time. Overgrown with vegetation and riddled with tree vines that have emerged through cracks on the ceiling, this particular palace is very akin to the condition of Mahbub Mansion in Malakpet.

However, Rekha Wadhe, principal of Mukarram Jah School, has high hopes for this palace. “We will take up restoration of this palace. And after it is completed, this will also be used for the school,” Wadhe said, adding that builders in the city had offered to construct a multi-storeyed building in its place.Restoration is also being taken up in certain parts of the Masarath Mahal. A longish room, which previously used to serve as a library for the Nizams, has been restored, and is now a conference room. “Special attention had to be paid to conserve the flooring,” Wadhe said.