Sardar Mahal set to be converted into museum

Charminar: 'Sardar Mahal' a Nizam-era palace near Charminar, built by Nizam VI, housing the GHMC Zonal office will be converted into a 'city history museum' within a couple of months, according to the GHMC officials. The museum will showcase the history of the region through maps, paintings, pictures and video archives, speaking on its own about the rich heritage of the erstwhile Hyderabad State which covered a large part of Deccan plateau.

The reason for converting it to a museum comes from the nature of the structure, which has heritage tag and remains one of the rare European style palaces of the city that still remains intact. "To save the heritage structure, firstly, the structure will be renovated and later converted into a museum which will attract the visitors and tourists interested in the historic Charminar and history of Hyderabad Deccan.

"Charminar being a major tourist attraction, people visit here from all over the country and from abroad to view the rich heritage presented by the city, earlier known as wall city," said an official.

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 paying visit to Charminar. The museum will have details about the important monuments including Charminar and Mecca Masjid and scores of other structures mostly spread all over the City.

"GHMC plans to acquire the antiques from different sources, including the private collections of old Hyderabadis. But firstly, renovation works will be taken up to restore the glory of Sardar Mahal," added the official.

New GHMC building

GHMC which is now running its south zone office from Sardar Mahal will be shifted to a new building constructed in Chandrayangutta in the coming days. "Owing to the structure not able to accommodate increased staff and weakening of structure most of the circles and ward offices were already shifted to sports complex in Moghalpura about six months back and soon the entire GHMC south zone will be shifted in the newly-constructed building", said B Venkanna, city planner, Charminar zone.

He also said that the zonal office should have been shifted about a year back, but the delayed construction works of new building has made the decision to be postponed. "By September the entire GHMC south zone office will be shifted to a new building", he hoped.

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 civic body took Sardar Mahal under its control in 1965 as huge property tax was pending. In the meantime, the palace was also declared as a heritage structure by the Heritage Conservation Committee.