HYDERABAD: The Saidani-Ma tomb, a 19th-century state-protected heritage structure, that commuters would have seen on the road to Tank Bund in Secunderabad will get the long-awaited care and attention of the authorities.
MA&UD special chief secretary Arvind Kumar announced on Saturday that the tomb, located at Jeera in Bhoiguda, would be restored in the near future by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, following a visit to the monument which he noted had “stucco decoration and fretwork screens.”
The structure is in a dilapidated condition due to long years of neglect. The problem is also compounded due to encroachments. During a visit to the site on Saturday, this correspondent found that there were workshops and a flooring shop on the right side of the entrance to the tomb.
The tomb, built in the 1880s by Nawab Abdul Haq Diler Jung in memory of his mother Saidani-Ma, carries Mughal and Qutb Shahi architecture styles. The main structure has a peeled-off onion-shaped dome with five intricately carved arches at the lower side on four sides, with fine ‘jaali’ work.
The tomb lies underground, at the base of the dome, and is not open to the public. The structure also has the tomb of Nawab Diler Jung, the son of Saidanima, and a Muslim graveyard at the rear.
The move to restore the Saidani-Ma tomb comes on the heels of the HMDA restoring the Bansilal Step Well, and undertaking work on the Sardar Mahal and Murgi Chowk.
