Century-old Sardar Mahal set to turn into be an art gallery

Hyderabad: After years of neglect, the iconic Sardar Mahal, a Nizam-era palace near historic Charminar, which is currently home to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) zone department, is all set to get a facelift as the government has finalised revival and restoration plan of Sardar Mahal to turn it into an art gallery, heritage accommodation and café on the lines of Neemrana Fort Palace in Rajasthan.

On Sunday MA&UD Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar announced the facelift and revealed that Sardar Mahal will have an art gallery, and heritage accommodation which will attract visitors and tourists interested in Charminar and history of Hyderabad Deccan.

Kumar said, "the works are being taken up by Kalakriti Art Gallery in an agreement with the State government and Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA)."

According to QQSUDA officials, the reason for converting the palace into an art gallery or museum comes from the nature of its structure, which has a heritage tag and remains one of the rare European-style palaces of the city that still remains intact.

"Now Sardar Mahal will have an art gallery similar to a Neemrana Fort Palace in Rajasthan. The government has taken the decision to transform Sardar Mahal into a culture centre to promote Deccan's unique history," said an official.

With the place being historically considered to be one of the prosperous regions, which was ruled by Qutub Shahis and later Asafjahis, the officials are confident of attracting a large number of tourists visiting Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Chowmahalla Palace, Salar Jung Museum in the Old City.

They said "as per the plans announced earlier, the heritage structure will be developed as a cultural hub with a museum and a 10-room hotel. Various activities, including exhibitions and performances, would be organised. The proposed activities include cultural events, workshops, art exhibitions, heritage walks and hospitality. The project is proposed to be taken up in Public Private Partnership (PPP) with Built, Operate and Transfer concept."

Officials said the Sardar Mahal would be maintained for the concessionaire period of 10 years. The private agency will map tourism assessment in the vicinity of the site and prepare a demand assessment study and propose a comprehensive action plan for the development of the palace.

In April Minister K T Rama Rao, along with Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, had formally launched the works to conserve, restore and strengthen Sardar Mahal. He had also announced that the project taken up at a cost of Rs 30 crore will not only protect the heritage structure, but add attract tourists visiting Hyderabad.

History

Sardar Mahal was built in European style by Nizam VI Mir Mahboob Ali Khan in 1900 for one of his wife Sardar Begum, hence the name 'Sardar Mahal'. Interestingly, the Municipal Corporation took Sardar Mahal under its control in 1965 as a huge property tax was pending.

Sardar Mahal was declared a heritage building by the Heritage Conservation Committee and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).