Heritage lovers walk down the memory lane in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: On World Heritage Day, a 'Heritage Walk' was organised by the Deccan Heritage Academy in association with the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation, Telangana State Tourism Department, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Archeological Survey of India (ASI), Hyderabad Circle, and Forum for a Better Hyderabad. The International Day for Monuments and Sites is celebrated every year on April 18.

The walk started at 7.30 am near Charminar, flagged off by Special Chief Secretary, MA&UD, Arvind Kumar, and Prof Er Veda Kumar Manikonda, Chairman, Deccan Heritage Academy. Participants walked through Charminar, Lad Bazar, Motigalli, Mehboob Chowk (Murgi Chowk), Iqbal-ud-Doula Devdi, the secondary entrance gate of Mecca Masjid, JiluKhana, Qursheed Jha Dewdi, Khilawat, and ended at Chowmahalla Palace.

The participants experienced and relived Hyderabad's past glory, including the era of palatial mansions, heritage buildings, centuries-old mosques, and vernacular architecture. Historians, architects, engineers, staff, and students from architecture colleges, including BR Architecture College, Oxford Grammar School, Himayatnagar, and others, joined the walk.

On this occasion, Arvind Kumar said that efforts are underway to conduct Heritage Walks in the City every week on Sunday since World Heritage Day 2022, with the main objective of educating future generations about heritage and culture and making them responsible for preserving it.

Prof Veda Kumar said that World Heritage Day has been celebrated all over the world since 1983, which was announced by UNESCO. He praised the efforts of the Chief Minister, Minister for MA&UD, and Arvind Kumar who took the initiative to restore dilapidated Step wells, Gateways, Moazzamjahi Market, Clock Towers, Tombs, Mehboob chowk, Clock Towers, Mir Alam Mandi, etc., as part of the conservation of Telangana heritage.