The Palace that Took 100 Years to be Constructed

Esha

The Palace that Took 100 Years to be Constructed

The immense love, passion, and dedication of Nizams for art and architecture can be easily seen in one of their significant legacies – The Chowmahalla Palace. A palace, built to showcase the invincible power and lavishness of the Nizams of Hyderabad. The palace was known to be the main seat of power for the Asaf Jahi Dynasty and was the home to the Nizams of Hyderabad during their rule over the princely state of Hyderabad.

Chowmahalla Palace; Image source: Flickr

The immense love, passion, and dedication of Nizams for art and architecture can be easily seen in one of their significant legacies– the Chowmahalla Palace, built to showcase the invincible power and lavishness of the Nizams of Hyderabad. The palace was known to be the main seat of power for the Asaf Jahi Dynasty and was the home to the Nizams of Hyderabad during their rule over the princely state of Hyderabad.

Located in a secluded area of the city of Hyderabad is one of the largest palaces in India – The Chowmahalla Palace was originally spread over 45 acres covering the Laad Bazaar area of the north to the Aspan Chowk Road on the south. The complexity of this palace can be understood just by knowing that the palace was started in 1750 by Nizam Salabhat Jung **and was completed during the period of Nizam Afzal-ad-Dawlah **between the years 1857 to 1869. It took more than a century to build this aesthetic masterpiece.

Though originally the palace covered 45 acres of land, but in the present-day scenario, only 12 acres are open for tourists and the local public.

The palace is known for its elegance and aesthetics. It is also popular all across the world for accommodating various architectural styles. Since it took more than a century to build this architectural marvel, the influence of several architectural styles can easily come to notice. It consists of two courtyards (Northern and Southern), and a grand Khilwat (Darbar hall) amongst other things.

The name of this palace comprises a combination of Urdu, Hindi, and Persian languages. ‘Chow’ or ‘Char’ means four and ‘Mahal’ or ‘Mahalla’ means palace. Hence, Chowmahalla means Four Palaces.

Being the oldest part of the palace, the Southern courtyard of Chowmahalla Palace still holds great significance in its beauty as it consists of four palaces– Aftab Mahal, Afzal Mahal, Mahtab Mahal, and Tahniyat Mahal. These palaces were built in the Neo-classical style of Islamic architecture. Currently, in Mehtab Mahal, a library is housed that hosts a very distinctive collection of history, political science, and philosophy books under the care of a team of efficient librarians whereas the Aftab Mahal has become the home to the palace’s exquisite collection of textiles and garments. It gives one a perfect idea of the Hyderabadi dressing style of that era.

The Northern courtyard was the face of the palace as it was mostly used to accommodate the guests. It has a Bara Imam (a very long corridor on the eastern side facing the central fountain and a pool which once was an administrative wing). It even consists of a *Shishe-Alat (*Mirror Image). The Northern courtyard consists of such characteristics which could be found in most of the architecture of Hyderabad constructed during that time like Mughal domes and Arches.

If we talk about one centre of attraction of Chowmahalla Palace, the heart of the palace, it is without a doubt the Khilwat Mubarak (the Darbar Hall). This is the place where the ruler would sit and discuss all the important matters of the state. It held great significance amongst the public of the state as all the religious and prestigious ceremonies were held here and all the important decisions were taken in the Khilwat Mubarak. The inside of the Khilwat had a pure marble platform over which the Takht-e-Nishan (the royal seat) was laid. The Darbar hall is adorned with Turko-Iranian settings.

The brave victories and the dreadful losses, the palace has seen it all. It was by the decision of the present-day Nizam– Barkat Ali Khan who resided in the palace along with his family that the palace was opened to the local public in the year 2005. It was restored between the years 2005 to 2010, it took almost five years to restore the beauty of this palace. On 15 March 2010, the title of UNESCO Asia Pacific Merit Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation was given to the Chowmahalla Palace. The princely state of Hyderabad was under the rule of the Asaf Jahi Dynasty successfully embarking on their journey from the 18th century to the 20th century. In the mid-18th century, Chowmahalla Palace became their seat of power.

In the lavish palace, there is a council meeting hall accommodating the collections of manuscripts and various other written sources related to the history of the Chowmahalla palace and its rulers. It also has a distinct collection of Qurans on display for the public. The council hall was originally built for the Nizams to conduct meetings with the official dignitaries but today it showcases the treasures and assets of the palace.

Above the main gate of the palace is the grand clock known as the Khilwat Clock which has been in work since past approximately 250 years. It holds a great sense of admiration amongst the people of Hyderabad in both past and present-day times.