Mehdi Nawaz Jung - a noble philanthropist

   Mehdi Nawaz Jung - a noble philanthropist from Hyderabad

        Nawab Mehdi Nawaz Jung  born on 23 May 1894, was a nobleman from Hyderabad. He was born in Darulshifa, Hyderabad Deccan in a middle-class family of a very religious father, Moulvi Syed Abbas Ali. 

Nawab Mehdi Nawaz Jung  was Secretary to the Executive Council during the erstwhile Nizam rule from Hyderabad. He also served as the Governor of Gujarat from 1960-1965. Let us see some more facets of his amazing life !

    His very interesting house known as Deodi Mehdi Nawaz Jung or Kohistan  is located at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad. He was instrumental in the development of Bnajara Hills area of Hyderabad. He built the ''deori'' appropriately named Kohistan, on Road number 4 at Banjara Hills amidst the rocks and boulders and  a German architect Karl von Molte-Heinz designed it. ''The natural rocks on the hill on which the house is built was an enchanted world of grottos and caves, an underground dwelling, which is half nature, half culture. In the basement, the spaces are carved out of the rock; at times they are obtained from natural cleavages. The openings, roughly cut in the rock are framed by columns with Ionic capitals, elaborated with great precision, projecting from the rock surface, painted white in contrast to the natural texture of the stone. The deori celebrates nature, rather than impose culture on it. Poet Hafiz Jallandhari immortalized this mansion in his 1932 poem Nazara-yi Kohistan as did Rabindranath Tagore a year later in his poem Kohistan''.When Rabindranath Tagore visited Hyderabad in 1933, he had stayed at the ‘Kohistan’ as a guest of Mehdi Nawaz Jung.

‘From the distance thou didst appear
barricaded in rocky aloofness,
Timidly I crossed the rugged path
to find here all of a sudden.
An open invitation in the sky,
and friends embrace in the air,
In an unknown land the voice that seemed ever known,
Revealed to me a shelter of loving intimacy.’

                                                     ...........Rabindranath Tagore

    He married the eldest daughter of Nawab Akeel Jung Bahadur, a minister of the Nizam. After his graduation, Mehdi was selected for the Revenue Department and served in Bellary, Gulbarga and Nalgonda districts. In 1926, when Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad became President of the Nizam’s Executive Council (Prime Minister) he was appointed as secretary to the Council and remained so for 11 years. At the end of that, he earned the title of ‘Jung’ and so became known as Nawab Mehdi Nawaz Jung Bahadur. Mehdi Nawaz Jung was also the first commissioner of Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad. He contested a general election in 1952 from the Hyderabad constituency and won the election with a very big majority. From the year 1952 to January 1960, Shri Mehdi Nawaz Jung was a Minister in the former Hyderabad State and then in Andhra Pradesh Government, holding various portfolios such as Public Works Department, Roads & Buildings Department, Irrigation & Power, etc. He was the first President of Indian Council of Social Welfare.

After he retired from formal postings, he took up social work and philanthropy with great zeal. He was instrumental in establishing the Niloufer hospital for Women and Children in Hyderabad in 1953 for which he collected donations worth Rs. 35 lakh. He was thus instrumental in setting up Niloufer Hospital and in 1955, he collected donations of Rs.18 lakh and established the Cancer Hospital in the city the Mehdi Nawaz Jung Institute of Oncology - the first government cancer hospital in India.  He was also a surgeon. He has many feathers in his noble cap, he was the Secretary, Executive Council. Hyderabad State 1926, First Municipal Commissioner, Minister in the governments of Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh 1952 to 1959. He was a member of the 1956 committee for Standards for Education & Practice of Hakims, Vaids and Homeopaths. He also served as the Governor of Gujarat from 1960-1965 as already mentioned.

Kohistan, image Source : Mohammad Habib on Twitter.

 He also founded the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Oriental Research Institute at Hyderabad. On the integration of Hyderabad with India in 1948, he joined politics and in 1950, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly. From 1950 to 1960 he remained a minister. He was appointed Governor of Gujarat in 1960. On the completion of his term he was awarded the Padma Vibushan, a high civilian honour awarded by the Government of India. He died on 28 June 1967 after a long fruitful life spent for the welfare of the public. 

 

Nilofer Hospital, Hyderabad

Image Source : New Indian Express.

M N J Cancer Hospital, Hyderabad

Image source:  Sakshi.com

Maulana Abul Kalam Oriental Research Institute, Hyderabad.

Image Source : www.thehindu.com

Posted by

Soma Ghosh

References :

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehdi_Nawaz_Jung
• https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/man-who-gave-hyderabad-its-banjara-hills-nawab-mehdi-nawaz-jung-34143
• https://dome.mit.edu/handle/1721.3/43630

Mir Alam - a prime minister and his legacy

 Mir Alam - a prime minister and his legacy

         Nawab Mir Alam Bahadur and Raja Chandu Lal Bahadur, miniature painting, San Deigo Museum of Art, 1800 A.D

       

      The city of Hyderabad which was founded by the Qutub Shahi dynasty has gone through major developments over a period of time. In the architectural structures and especially the water systems.  Besides the monuments, mosques and the temples, the city also has many water reservoirs. Mir Alam Tank is a reservoir in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is located to the south of Musi river. It was the primary source of drinking water to Hyderabad before Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar were built. The tank is named after Mir Alam Bahadur, then Prime Minister of Hyderabad State (1804 - 1808), during the reign of Asaf Jah III, the third Nizam of Hyderabad state. The Mir Alam Tank was built by French engineers and it shows impressive engineering with 21 arches holding over 20.7 square km  of water. The water tank was fed by a tributary from the Musi River. The primary inflow and outflow of water here had been the  Musi River. This tank had been built considering the necessity for the supply of water to the city.

Who was Mir Alam?   Mir Abul Qasim Mir Alam was born near the Charminar in an area known as Irani Gully. His father Syed Raza hailed from the Nuria Syeds of Shustar region of Iran and settled down in Hyderabad. Beginning his career as a 'vakil' to one of Nizam’s courtiers, Mir Abul Qasim led the Nizam’s soldiers to fight Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore war of 1799.  Mir Alam served as Prime Minister of Hyderabad State from 1804 until his death in 1808. He was a scholar  in Persian who became a philanthropist. As per sources he had built rest houses or ''caravanserais'' on the road from Hyderabad to Pune and the road from Hyderabad to Masulipatnam. It is mentionable that he belonged to the Salar Jung family. During his prime ministership Chandu Lal was appointed as ''peskhkar''. He was the great grandfather of Salar Jung I. Mir Alam laid the foundation for the water tank on 20 July 1804 and it was completed in about two years by June 1806. The legacy of Mir Alam continued when his son-in-law Munir ul Mulk became a minister in the Nizam’s court. Munir ul Mulk’s grandson Nawab Mir Turab Ali Khan,  Salar Jung I became prime minister of Hyderabad state in 1853 A.D.

        Another edifice gifted by is near Charminar, a bustling market, the Mir Alam Mandi. It is framed by a graceful arch. Currently it houses many shops with tinned roofs.The Mir Alam Mandi is spread over 200 acres of land and operated by 300   vendors.

       Mir Alam died in 1808 and is buried in Daira Mir Momin some distance from Mir Alam Mandi and Mir Alam Tank. A park is made  near the shore Mir Alam tank. The park is constructed using the Deccani theme. Qutub Shahi, style painting is on the walls.

Nawab Abul Qasim Mir Alam Bahadur, portrait.

The Mir Alam reservoir was built much  later after  Hussain Sagar Lake,  but it was a major source of water to the city of Hyderabad. The artificial lake was also the place for travellers, who used to carry the  water of the lake with them when they started out on long sojourns.

       Near to the lake is also the Mir Alam Eidgah used for prayers to this day.  Thus the legacy of Mir Alam Bahadur continues in Hyderabad.

Mir Alam Eidgah,  1938, photo credit S.A Jabbar

pic source - https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/travelnews/story/45365/eid-in-hyderabad-1938Phot

o Credit: S.a Jabbar

       View of Mir Mahmud Nimatullahi Dargah overlooking the Mir Alam Tank, 1890s 

pic source https://dome.mit.edu/handle//20292

                                                    

      Bund, Mir Alam Tank, Hyderabad, 1903, British Library, London, U.K .

                         

                                                                   Mir Alam tank, photograph, 21st century. 

                                         Pic source - http://wikimapia.org/4001321/Mir-Alam-Tank

T

                                                            

                      Mir Alam Mandi, photograph, 21st century.

Posted by:

Soma Ghosh

©author

References:

1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir_Alam
2. https://templesinindiainfo.com/mir-alam-tank-lake-hyderabad-telangana/

3.http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/online

4.https://www.thehindu.com/society/history-and-culture/living-hyderabad-mir-alam-bahadur-is-remembered-for-his-gifts-                     to-the-city

5. https://www.thehansindia.com/news/cities/hyderabad

6. Images from Wikimedia Commons unless mentioned otherwise.

7. Pictorial Hyderabad, Vol.II, Hyderabad : Chandrakanth Press, 1934

The Hyderabad Residency : a mansion with a love story

 The Hyderabad Residency : a mansion with a love story

              The Koti area of Hyderabad, also a part of ''Chadarghat'' ot ''Chudderghat'' in the past, as mentioned in many sources has a very interesting building with an amazing history. The British Residency commissioned by James Achilles Kirkpatrick. It has been referred to as Hyderabad Residency, Koti Rersidency and Chudderghat Residency at various places. However today the building has grown old but still retains some of its charm and opulence and whispers stories of times gone by.

The British Residency, Hyderabad.

     James Achilles Kirkpatrick, a Scottish bureaucrat was the British resident in the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad during 1798 -1805 A.D.The stately residence was designed by Samuel Russell of Madras Engineers and construction began in 1803. It was paid for by the NIzam who had adopted him as his son and given the name Hashmat Jung. The building is in the Palladian style with a classical portico with six Corinthian pillars. 

 Kirkpatrick wore Mughal-style clothing at home, smoked a hookah, chewed betelnut, enjoyed nautch parties,  Kirkpatrick was born at Madras in India, was  educated in Britain, spoke Tamil as his first language, wrote poetry in Urdu, and added Persian and Hindustani to his linguistic armoury.

  With fluent Hindustani and Persian, he openly mingled with the social elite of Hyderabad. Kirkpatrick fell in love with Khairunnisa and married her, who belonged to an aristocratic Muslim family. She was the granddaughter of Nawab Mahmood Ali Khan, the prime minister of Hyderabad.She stayed at the ''zenana'' or the women's quarters in ''purdah''. There is a miniature model of the building at which Khairunnissa looked at from her ''zenana''. Their love story created much furore in Hyderabad and British India of that time. They had two children who left for England when they were very young. Kirkpatrick  died in Kolkata in 1805.

                             

James A. Kirkpatrick and Khairunnisa, portraits by George Chinnery,1805.

The mansion served the residents to came after him as successors. It was the embassy of the East India Company in Hyderabad. During the rebellion of 1857 Maulvi Allaudin and Turrebaz Khan attacked the Residency, after this marte towers were erected which were however demolished in 1954. 

"The British Residency at Hyderabad," from Vol. 3 of 'The Indian empire' by Robert Montgomery Martin, c.1860

The British Residency, photo by Raja Deen Dayal, 1880s.

Children of James A. Kirkpatrick and Khairunnisa

The building built in broadly European neo-classical style has a Palladian style in its north side and an Indian style on south side, corridors with lattices, a magnificent Durbar hall and a double staircase which divides at a landing adding a sense of  mystique to the place. The building campus has few graves of residents and others. The bastions add a sense of old worldliness to the campus of over 40 acres. The building and the love story form the main plot in William Dalrymples's popular book ''The White Mughals''.

Double staircase, The British Residency, Hyderabad.

The Darbar Hall, British Residency, Hyderabad.

Image source - @theworldofinteriors) on Instagram

It houses a College for Women after Independence, though the main buidling is  now emptied for restoration. This building is now a protected monument with the Archaeological Survey of India.

The British Residency, Hyderabad, posterior view.

Posted by

Soma Ghosh

© author

References:

1. https://alchetron.com/British-Residency,-Hyderabad

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Achilles_Kirkpatrick

3. http://www.minorsights.com/2014/04/the-hyderabad-residency.html

4. Images are from Wikimedia Commons and Flickr. Darbar Hall is from @theworldofinteriors) on Instagram

Asman Garh Palace : a place in the sky

Asman Garh Palace : a place in the sky

    Among Hyderabad's many enchanting old palaces and mansions is the Asman Garh Palace built around 1885 A.D. 'Asman' means the sky, and 'garh' means place or home since the palace was built high on a hillock. It is based on Gothic architecture and is in the shape of a medieval European castle. The granite turrets and arched windows of Asman Garh palace are very prominent.

     Asman Garh Palace, image.

Nawab Asman Jah Bahadur, portrait.

  

   The palace was designed and built by the erstwhile Prime Minister of Hyderabad state Sir Asman Jah in 1885 on a hillock for purposes of leisure. He belonged to the illustrious Paigah family. He fulfilled his dream of building a home close to the sky. His real name was Mohammed Mazharuddin Khan, and he was the grandson of Nizam III, Sikander Jah.

    The palace had served as a hunting preserve for the Nizam and his courtiers. The Nizam was so fascinated by this miniature castle that he became a regular visitor. Sir Asman Jah gifted it to the Nizam. It is believed that there is a tunnel in the basement of the building leading to the Golkonda Fort.

   Unused for quite some time, the palace was leased to the Birlas, an industrial house who located their Archaeological Museum in it. After more than four decades, the Birla Museum moved out and the building is now under the management of St. Joseph's Education Society which has bought the building in the year 2000. They have not changed the structure and it retains its glory.

    Asman Garh Palace, Hyderabad. Image source : https://web.archive.org/

      The palace is a granite structure in Gothic style,  the entrance is approached by a pair of simple symmetrical staircases which lead up to a verandah with painted arches springing from slender Corinthian columns. The painted arch is repeated in the window openings. The multi-level terraced roof is topped with castellated battlements, which form the parapet and are the most noticeable of its architectural elements which add character to the overall structure's Gothic feel. When the VIIth Nizam, Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan inherited the palace which had been gifted to his father Nizam Vi, Nawab Mir Mahboob Ali Khan by Asman Jah Bahadur, he added a unique arched gateway in the shape of the ''Dastar'' or royal headgear resembling a turban over which a ''sarpech'' or ornament used to be worn on occasions, a part of Hyderabad court dress and a symbol of the state which is also seen in other insignia.

Nizam VI with 'dastar'

                 Nizam VII with 'dastar',with ''sarpech'' along with his courtiers.

Asman Garh Palace with the 'dastar' gateway.

Pic source :www.astrolika.com/monuments/asman-garh-palace

Posted by:

Soma Ghosh

References:

• Wikipedia.org

• Images from Wikimedia Commons unless otherwise mentioned.