Hyderabad: Ashoorkhana’s Restoration Confronts Mysterious Delays

 Hyderabad: Badshahi Ashoorkhana, a heritage structure from the Qutub Shahi era, is facing political neglect as the promises made for its restoration works are yet unfulfilled.

An understanding was reached between HMDA, the department of heritage and Agha Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in May 2023 for restoration of Badshahi Ashoorkhana, Saidanima Tomb and Shaikpet Sarai. Even a year after, only one of them — Saidanima tomb — has been restored.

In April 2024, there were reports that the restoration of ashoorkhana's drum house would be completed soon and the work on the main building would be sped up. However, there has been no progress since.

According to sources, the work has been halted, allegedly due to lack of funds. Ratish Nanda, the CEO of AKTC, admitted that the works have not commenced yet. On being asked for the reason for the delay, he said, “The answer lies with HMDA and the Department of Heritage, of why it hasn't started yet."

Mir Abbas Ali Musavi, the caretaker (Mutavalli) of the ashoorkhana, said he was unaware of the restoration plans. “We have been waiting for the restoration for a long time. Since the MoU was signed, we saw AKTC people evaluating the ashoorkhana structures. There were talks of restoration of Naqar Khana, the drum house, and also the roof of the main building. They wanted to reduce the weight of the roof so that there is less burden on the supporting walls. They also wanted to add iron pillars to support the roof. However, no official plans were submitted to us," he said.

The ashoorkhana was built by Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah in 1594, three years after building Charminar. It was adorned by coloured mosaic tiles in 1611. It was restored once in 1764 by Nizam Ali Khan, the second Nizam of Hyderabad.

Spread across 43,115 sq yards, the ashoorkhana complex was fully encroached upon, until the hereditary caretakers fought legal battles for its recovery. "In 2007, we submitted a writ petition in court after which the eviction was completed in 2012. More recently, the front of Chabutra and guard rooms were made free from encroachments. The ashoorkhana has been eyed upon by land mafia and politicians alike. There has been a lot of political interference in delaying its restoration. We expect the same from the present government as well," said Abbas Ali.

AKTC completed the 10-year-long restoration of Qutub Shahi Heritage Park recently and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy himself attended its grand inauguration, sending a message that the government is interested in protecting heritage structures. Officials from the HMDA and the department of heritage refused to comment.