Hindu temples inspired Telangana Secretariat design

Hyderabad: While Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar repeatedly accuses Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao of building the Secretariat with domes and architecture resembling Muslim culture, the government’s version was the other way round.

Explaining the salient features of the new facility and inspiration for the design, an official press release stated that domes were built drawing inspiration from the architectural design of Neelakanteswara Swamy temple in Nizamabad, rajaprasadas of the former princely state of Vanaparthy Samsthanam and the pattern of Hanuman temple in Sarangpur, Gujarat.

Further, the note said that red sandstone was used to bring scenic beauty to the exterior part, while the peak-like towers in the middle were made of sandstone brought from Dholpur in Rajasthan. The government utilised the services of popular architects Dr Oscar G. Concessao and Dr Ponni M. Concessao, who provided designs based on the visualisation of the Chief Minister. Contractor Shapoorji Pallonji was awarded the civil contract.

Meanwhile, BJP state chief Bandi Sanjay reiterated that the domes would be demolished after the BJP came to power.

“I will not step into the Secretariat till changes are made to reflect the true culture of Telangana,” he said, criticising the Chief Minister for catering to Majlis chief Owaisi and allotting just 80 square yards for a temple in a state that has 80 per cent Hindu population, but 400 sq yds for a mosque.