Hyderabad: The VII Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan had announced a grant of Rs 20 per month to J. Bhaguram, priest of the Sitarambagh temple for his welfare.
A ‘farman’ issued by the office of the Nizam for the purpose in 1939 read: “The Umur e Mazhabi (religious affairs department) may pay a monthly allowance of Rs 20 a month to J. Bhaguram, the son of late priest Pandit Ram Billas, for a lifetime.”
Several such farmans (decrees) issued by the Nizam were on display at an exhibition being held at the National Achieves Institute and State Archives and Research Institute.
Another farman is about the Nizam’s grant of Rs 25,000 to the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. While the grant was for the construction of a guest house, another Rs 1,000 per annum for a period of 10 years was made for publication of books.The financial aid was subsequently enhanced for both the projects, explained Dr Mohd Safiullah, a city-based historian.
Sir Akbar Hydari, finance secretary to the Nizam, expressed his opinion that the Mahabharat was one of the most celebrated epics and a scripture of national importance. “Patronising its publication deserves sympathetic consideration”, he recommended in his note and it was promptly accepted by the Nizam. Records show that the Nizam approved a grant of Rs 1 lakh to the Banaras Hindu University.
The decree for grant-in-aid was issued on January 7, 1939. The Nizam had asked the president of his council to inform the Maharaja of Bikaner about the decision. This apart, the Nizam also extended a grant of Rs 1 lakh to Andhra University.
