The Baadshahi Ashoorkhana’s Naqqar Khana under restoration. Serish Nanisetti | Photo Credit: Serish Nanisetti
More than a decade after a detailed project report was prepared, the State government has finally begun work on the Naqqar Khana of the Baadshahi Ashoorkhana.
On Thursday afternoon, workers dismantled the second-floor concrete roofing that was built during a restoration effort in the 1950s.
The Baadshahi Ashoorkhana is a 16th century Shia house of mourning built during the final phase of the rule of Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah.
“We have just started the work. We are removing fallen debris and assessing the damage so that we can start the work. It’s too preliminary to comment about the status of the work,” said an official unwilling to go on record.
The Baadshahi Ashoorkhana has some of the most exquisite enamelled mosaic tilework that is over 400 years old. While the 1908 floods affected the tilework, a large portion of the tiles in the upper part of the building are still intact. The other buildings in the complex include a naqqar khana (drum house), abdar khan (water kiosk), niyaz khana (cooking area), langar khana (dining area) and a large central courtyard.
“The Naqqar Khana that’s being restored was the entrance to the site. During the Qutb Shahi era, the ruler would walk barefoot from the palace near Charminar and enter it from there. But it was encroached during the Mughal occupation of Hyderabad and was walled up in 1764,” says Mir Abbas Moosavi, the hereditary caretaker of the Shia monument. Currently the entrance is from the southern side. To make matters worse, there are couple of buildings that have come up close to the naqqar khana. “We have approached the courts, the police and the Department of Archaeology but the encroachments are expanding. The tin roof building was constructed last year,” says Mr. Moosavi.
The Baadshahi Ashoorkhana is a medieval tile wonder that has become a tourist draw in Hyderabad over the past few years. Once the whole complex is restored, the site may find a place of pride in tourist itinerary.
