History razed: Part of Hyderabad's Asman Garh Palace demolished

HYDERABAD: A part of the 135-year-old Asman Garh Palace in Malakpet was demolished on Sunday, July 18, 2021. A large part of the southern side of the palace adjoining a mosque was demolished, allegedly under the direction of St Joseph’s School, which has been running its campus on the palace’s premises since 2000.

The palace, which was built by Sir Asman Jah — the prime minister of erstwhile Hyderabad State — in 1885, was aptly named ‘Asman Garh’ as it was built on top of a hillock. It was constructed to look like a miniature medieval European castle. Sir Asman Jah gave it to the Nizam, who used to visit it frequently. 

The palace was later used as a museum by the Birla Group, which later vacated it, paving way to its acquisition by St. Joseph’s School. The school had constructed a four-storey building beside the palace and has been running it since then. 

Earlier this year, a similar demolition was carried out at the palace. Locals immediately objected to the move. However, the next day, the demolition was carried out again in presence of local police, after the school management obtained a court order. The court order could not be verified immediately.

“Asman Garh Palace is among the protected heritage structures of Hyderabad that cannot be demolished, even if the property is purchased by a private entity,” claimed Dr Md Shafiullah, a heritage activist.

“The government is in their hands, what can anyone else do? Law and justice seem good to discuss at homes, but we all know what actually happens. They will do what they want to do,” commented a Moulvi from the locality, who was told by the security guard that the palace had become dilapidated, which was why they were demolishing it. “There used to be an Ashoorkhana (a symbol of martyrdom and religious importance) inside the palace. There were rooms for workers to live in,” the Moulvi told Express.