Telangana's only ASI museum lies in neglect

Hyderabad: Unfortunately, it’s still the only Archaeological Survey of India museum in Telangana, but it severely lacks publicity and lies in utter neglect.

Old Jail museum in Sangareddy town. Jail of Nizam era.

Tucked in an interior Kondapur village, 15 km from Sangareddy and 78 km from Hyderabad, the little-known museum houses exhibits artefacts retrieved from a nearby ancient mound locally known as Kotagadda (fort mound).

The museum is open from 10 am to 5 pm, and is closed on Fridays.

The site was first explored by the famous archaeologist Henry Cousens in 1900. Subsequently, the department of archaeology of the erstwhile Hyderabad state under the Nizam excavated the mound for a couple of seasons from 1940.

A small museum was established to house the excavated material at the ancient site itself but was later shifted to the present building. The museum came under the administrative control of ASI in 1952. It has a rich collection of minor antiquities unearthed from the digs during 1940-1942, which dates back to 2nd century AD. The museum has a central hall and two galleries in corridors.

The ASI Museum at Kondapur is located 15 km from Sangareddy and 80 km from Hyderabad Along the Hyderabad-Mumbai Highway.

The main hall has antiquities displayed in wall showcases representing different facets of material culture of the early historic period such as pottery, terracotta figurines, bone and shell objects, metal objects, talismans, pendants, beads, inscribed pottery and coins etc. brick tiles, sharpening stones, moulded bricks and designed panels.

In the other galleries, prehistoric tools and fossils are exhibited. Apart from these objects, a couple of sculptures, a Buddhapada, a standing image of a four-armed Vishnu carved on a door jamb and two inscribed storage jars are other interesting pieces in this gallery. The site was a fortified township of the Satavahana dynasty.

Reaching the museum is not easy either. There are no sign boards en route and even the locals are unaware of it. But once there, one will be surprised with how  well-maintained the museum is. Two attenders take care of the museum guests only need to pay Rs 5 per ticket.

“Few visit the museum since it’s located at a very interior place, it lacks publicity and transport facilities. About 10 people or even less visit the museum daily. Sometimes none,”explains a local.

While the attender gives a pamphlet of the museum, there’s no one to explain the history of the artefacts. A lower division clerk is in charge, but he is rarely there. Interestingly there is also a gag order from ASI refraining the staff from speaking with the press — only designated PROs are assigned.