Prez Murmu inaugurates various tourist attractions

Hyderabad : President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday inaugurated various tourist attractions including a replica of a historic flag post at Rashtrapati Nilayam, on which the national flag was hoisted for the first time in Hyderabad after the princely State acceded to the Indian Union in 1948.

According to officials, Rashtrapati Nilayam, along with the flagpole, the President also inaugurated a maze garden and a children’s park, the restoration of step wells and traditional irrigation systems, Shiva and Nandi sculptures on the rock water cascade, and the addition of new enclaves in the knowledge gallery. Minister for Panchayat Raj, Dr DanasaiAnasuya, prominently known as Seethakka, was present during the inauguration ceremony.

Highlighting the history of the flagpost, a senior officer of Rashtrapati Nilayam said that in 1948, at the Bolarum residency (which is now the Rashtrapati Nilayam), Hyderabad State’s flag was taken down from the flagpole in the presence of Prince Azam Jah, the eldest son of seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, and the Indian national flag was hoisted as a symbolic transition of power. It is the same place where civil services officer MK Vellodi took the oath of office as the first appointed chief minister of Hyderabad after military rule was disbanded in 1949. The new flagpole is a replica of the original one and has wooden platforms at a height of 15 m and 30 m. The replica features hinges and, as before, is erected with 14 steel wire stay supports at different locations. Flags can be hoisted on the new pole both manually and using a motorised mechanism with steel wires and pulleys.

There is also a provision to illuminate the flagpole at night. At the four corners of the flagpole area, authorities have installed 250-watt LED focus lights to illuminate the flag.

Describing other attractions, the officer added the maze garden located near the main building has Murraya Exotica as the main attraction. The restoration of three-step wells will help in storing an ample amount of rainwater and will increase water security, while traditional irrigation systems will make visitors aware of the heritage.

The sculptures of Dakshinamurthy Shiva seated under a banyan tree and the Nandi bull on a rock are among the new attractions for visitors. Meanwhile, in the knowledge gallery, two new enclaves have been added—one provides information about the unification of Hyderabad and the other about Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Presidents of India. The rock paintings outside the knowledge gallery depict aspects of Ek Bharat and Shrestha Bharat—scientific and defence achievements, heritage, monuments, and art forms.