Hyderabad: No good deed goes unpunished. This seems to be the case with the Qutb Shahi tombs in the city, which are currently experiencing a number of problems that have caused major obstacles to its restoration. The most peculiar, perhaps even strange, is with the coming center of interpretation. Work on its construction had to begin earlier, but a case by petitioners with dubious intentions and backgrounds jeopardized the entire project.
The Qutb Shahi tombs are the royal necropolis of the Qutb Shahi or Golconda dynasty (1518-1687), which once ruled from the Golconda fort, and later established Hyderabad in 1591. The tomb complex consists of almost 100 structures, including tombs, gardens, pavilions and mosques. The site is currently being restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in collaboration with the Telangana Department of Heritage.
The work on the graves by the AKTC was remarkable to say the least. The organization, which also repaired Humayun’s tomb (among others) in Delhi, also rescued the Badi Baoli (storage house) in the Qutb Shahi tomb complex half a decade ago after a section of the staircase fell due to heavy rain. Today it has been completely restored. Not only that, other monuments like the tombs of Sultan Quli (founder of the Golconda dynasty) and his grandson Mohd. Quli Qutb Shah (founder of the city) has been restored in full glory.
The interpretation center
The whole point of an interpretation center is to help visitors and tourists understand the history of the Golconda dynasty and through the Qutb Shahi tomb complex itself. The center, which was supposed to be where the Deccan Heritage Park now stands, will rightly allow visitors to enter the tombs in the actual order.
If one now visits the tomb complex, the first structure that can be seen is the tomb of Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah, the sixth king of Golconda, the last one to be buried (the last king Abul Hassan was captured by the Mughals after they conquered Hyderabad in 1687). In fact, even the national policy of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) also advises centers of interpretation on all important historical sites.
The issue – who are the petitioners?
From now on, work on the interpreting center has been stopped for nine months on the basis of a dubious petition from seven people, represented by a lawyer named Mohd. Ilyas. The case is currently pending in the Telangana High Court, after the state or counterparties appealed against the order of the Waqf tribunal. Judge MS Ramachandra Rao heard the case.
One of the petitioners is also one Jaferuddin, who tried to bury a corpse in the Qutb Shahi tombs in 2016. It was against the laws. That incident in itself was enough to shed light on the fact that Jaferuddin was in fact trying to invade the heritage area. His mother was forcibly buried on the site, in violation of laws, after which the assurance was taken that no more funerals would take place.
A source who was informed also claimed that Jaferuddin was in fact an employee of the lawyer or a close associate, and concluded that the latter was in fact running the program.
The petitioner Jaferuddin and Ilyas are the same duo who have been suing for years to stop various works at the Qutb Shahi tombs. Regarding the interpreting center, AKTC officials and others said that there was completely false information provided to the courts. It is a surprise that even the High Court in Telangana did not take note of the work at the Qutb Shahi tombs as Chief Justice Himo Kohli actively pulled up the state government because he did not look after his heritage structures.
According to the petitioners, who questioned the AKTC’s expertise, the current work on the interpretation center has allegedly damaged graves and will change the nature of the Waqf site, among many other complaints. However, the claim that the work on the Interpretation Center by the AKTC is at least laughable, as the AKTC in fact saved many of the monuments in the Qutb Shahi tombs from collapse and destruction.
The AKTC, led by expert architect Ratish Nanda, won the UNESCO Award for Excellence in Asia / Pacific in 2020. It also won the Bagh-e-Babur (Afghanistan), Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, and recently restored the coveted Sunder Nursery. in the national capital, for which he won laurels. The AKTC has a whole panel of experts with international experience. And what expertise do the petitioners have to file objections?
It is against this background that the whole petition on the interpretation center by the petitioners is highly questionable. Upon contacting one of them, he denies that he was even a tempter, and asks to speak to the lawyer, who could not be reached. An official, who did not want to be quoted, said that the petitioners are daily wage workers or run small businesses, who have absolutely no idea of the history of the site.
‘They are clearly looking for money at a Rs. 100 crore project, and file false cases to stop works and distort us. But they are not going to get anything, ‘the official added. It is against this background that one has to wonder how such important works, which will help the Qutb Shahi tombs and Hyderabad to promote the preservation of its heritage, were stopped on slender grounds by persons with absolutely no expert knowledge.
It is in fact even more disturbing to see how the Waqf Tribunal was deceived, as the AKTC uses about 2000 archival images from the 1800s to help restore the Qutb Shahi tombs. It should be noted that the work was so thorough that not even a single structure in the complex was damaged last year during heavy rainfall in October.
You can only hope that the High Court in Telangana takes into account all facts and expert opinions before finally ruling. Heritage activists have said they hope the interpreting center will be built.
‘This person has been working on the graves for many years. He’s basically looking for money. I was informed that the petitioners had asked for money to take back the case, to which, of course, no one agreed. We hope that the High Court in Telangana, which saved Irrum Manzil, will appoint at least a panel of experts without Ilyas being over it. At least a panel of IAS officials and experts can be appointed in custody, ‘said a city heritage activist, who did not want to be quoted.
History of the Qutb Shahi / Golconda Dynasty
Sultan Quli, established the kingdom with the Golconda Fort as capital in 1518, after the death of the last sovereign Bahamani (1347-1518) Emperor Mahmud Shah Bahamani, among whom the former served as governor of Telangana.
Sultan Quli, originally from Hamadan, and two of his sons (among others) who became the second and third kings, developed the fort between 1518 and 1580 into a walled city. Hyderabad was built in 1591 by Mohd Quli Qutb Shah, the grandson of the founder, after he decided to leave the walled city.
The fort has 87 bastions and eight gates, some of which are not accessible to the general public as it is under army control. It is considered one of the most impenetrable forts of the Deccan, and kept the army of Emperor Aurangzeb of Mughal away for eight months when he besieged Hyderabad in 1687.
Source: The Siasat Daily