Hyderabad: The US will fund the restoration and conservation of the Paigah tombs complex, while the Aga Khan Trust for Culture will implement the work, Chargé d’Affaires, and acting interim Ambassador, A. Elizabeth (Beth) Jones said on her visit to the necropolis on Tuesday.
The US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation will provide a grant of $250,000, making the tomb restoration the fifth project to be funded by the US Consulate in Hyderabad.
On her first visit to the city, Jones said, “We are proud to be part of the government of Telangana’s efforts to conserve these magnificent monuments.”
Consul General Jennifer Larson, who accompanied Jones on the visit, said, “I had the good fortune to inaugurate one of our earlier AFCP projects at the Qutb Shahi Tombs during my first week here in Hyderabad.”
Jones was also accompanied by Ratish Nanda, the CEO of Aga Khan Trust for Culture India, as she took a tour of the Paigah tombs.
The tombs, belonging to the highest-ranking nobility of the Paigah family under the rule of Nizams, are a work of lime and mortar, built with white marble. The intricately designed interiors, especially the jail works, are exemplary works of architecture.
“The Paigah tombs are an incredibly unique site with no comparison to any site in India. About two years ago, the state government gave us the responsibility to conserve the tombs and do the landscape restoration of the complex. This work will take a couple of years and once it’s done, the Paigah Tombs would rightly be recognised amongst the foremost and unique cultural heritage assets in Hyderabad,” Ratish Nanda told Deccan Chronicle.
