A Hamaam in a necropolis?

The Qutb Shahi Tombs Complex is one of the most significant historic medieval necropolises in the world, with 70 structures within its complex. It has been nominated for the World Heritage Site listing.

It contains 40 mausoleums, 23 mosques, five baolis (water structures), several pavilions and gardens. These structures were built during the long and stable 170-year reign of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty in the 16th – 17th centuries.

It also contains what is popularly called as the Mortuary Bath. In the photo alongside, you can see a photo of this building. Water was supplied from the baolis, and it was used to ceremonially wash the bodies before burial.

Experts at the Aga Khan Foundation (who are doing restoration work at the complex) now believe that this is actually a bath-house or hamaam, similar to the ones found in modern day Iran or Turkey. The bath house is simply too large and it would have been too wasteful, for it to be used just once in a while during burial ceremonies.

But it's really unusual to have a hamaam in a necropolis. One possible explanation is that the hamaam actually pre-dates the tombs. Yashowant Purohit, conservation architect says, in this interview, “We have archaeological evidence of habitation at the site. We found remains of a mosque and of a sarai (rest house). The habitation could have predated the necropolis. But if it is at the same time, it could give us an answer to the use of the hamaam. The next season of archaeological work should help us uncover more,” he says.

I'm looking forward to more news about this. Here's another photo:

On seeing a fakir near Charminar, Hyderabad

I clicked this photo of a man asking for alms near Charminar. Yet, his clothes were not those of a beggar. They were neat and clean, and his demeanour was calm. He seemed unperturbed by all the chaos around him.

I felt that he was not just someone trying to make money from begging. He was probably a fakir in the original sense of the word.

The term fakir has its roots in the Arabic word faqr which means poverty. A fakir is one who is required to renounce all worldly riches and ties; and is required to live by seeking alms. A true fakir rejects the trappings of the world in exchange for spiritual riches.

In India, fakirs usually follow the Sufi spiritual path. They trace their roots to one of the many Sufi orders (tariqah) that were established in India beginning in the 10th century under the Delhi Sultanate. The Sufi tariqahs spread into the Deccan along with the Tughlaq dynasty. Sufi teachings of simplicity, spirituality, love and care for humanity were attractive values that made the common people revere Sufi fakirs. They were often credited with miraculous powers. 

While many fakirs are wandering mendicants, others have specific khanqah or establishments which are centres of Sufi gathering and discourse. At the khanqah, the master (sheikh) and his disciples would read scriptures together, engage in debate and discussion, and offer blessings and assistance to all who came for help. Khanqah's also had free kitchens, where food was provided to all who asked. Through service to the poor, combined with personal austerity, Sufi fakirs established strong credentials and were responsible for the spread of Islam in India.

Shadow Puppetry of Andhra Pradesh

The shadow puppetry of Andhra Pradesh is a dying performing art. In local language, it is called Tholu Bommalaata, and it is done by traditional clans of puppetters who go from one village to another. Families of puppetters not only perform the show, but also make beautifully decorated puppets. The puppeteers use the epics as the basis for the performance, but also create, compose and insert their own variations. In recent years, they have added songs from Telugu movies, and humorous asides with modern settings. However, like all traditional performing arts, the puppeteers are no match for modern entertainment forms such as television and the movies.

The photo here is of a shadow puppet depicting Hanuman, one of the characters from Ramayana. This puppet dates to the 1930's, and is very beautiful, although it shows some wear and tear. The creator of this puppet has displayed a masterful understanding of colour and form, using red, black and white to create a striking yet beautifully embellished puppet.

Annamayya: The Vaishnavite Song-writer

Annamāchārya (also called Annamayya) is a 15th century Vaishnavite saint, known for his devotional songs (sankeertanas) in Telugu. Written in a very personal and evocative tone, Annamayya's compositions epitomise the feeling of bhakti. In his sankeertanas, he addresses Vishnu as one would a real person. He quarrels affectionately with Vishnu, implores Vishnu, glorifies Vishnu, and surrenders completely to Vishnu. This intensely personal experience of bhakti makes Annamayya's compositions very moving.

Statue of Annamayya at Tallapaka in Andhra Pradesh, his birthplace. Photo taken from Wikipedia.

Annamayya's beautiful compositions lay forgotten for over three centuries, and were discovered concealed in a small room inside the Sri Venkateshwara temple at Tirumala in the mid-1800s. Since then, the Tirumala Devasthana Trust has been preserving these compositions. The well known Dr. Balamuralikrishna has set over 800 compositions of Annamacharya to music, and these are very popular among devotees of Tirupati. The temple trust is also making a lot of efforts to popularize these sankeertanas.

Tirumala Devasthana Temple

In 1997 a Telugu movie was released depicting the life story of Annamayya. In the initial scene, the movie depicts Vishnu and his two consorts (Bhu and Shri) in Vaikuntha, listening to prayers offered on earth in Sanskrit, Tamil and Kannada. Bhu and Shri comment that although Vishnu presides over the Telugu land, there are no songs or prayers in Telugu. In response, Vishnu's sword (Nandaka) is reincarnated as the poet Annamaya. 

The Dancers of Hyderabad

'Nautch' dancers at Hyderabad in the 1860s. See the intricate ornaments - one of the women has a jewelled sheath covering her long plait.

Nautch (Nach) dancers were a widespread form of entertainment in India in the 19th century. They danced in courts, palaces, British bungalows and zamindars' havelis. They danced for men, women and children of all social classes. While travelling between cities, they would hold impromptu performances on the roads and squares to entertain the masses, make some money and secure free lodging.

They reached the height of their popularity in the 1860s, but afterwards declined due the objections of Victorian and Hindu reformers, both of whom considered the dance immoral.

This photograph of the dancers was taken in the 1860s by William Hooper, a British officer and amateur photographer. After the 1857 Rebellion, the British wanted to better understand the diverse people of India. For this they commissioned many photographers. Hooper began as one of these, and eventually set up a commercial partnership with a photographer George Western, to market photos of Anglo-Indian life.

Beautiful Photos of the British Residency, Hyderabad

Earlier this year I visited the British Residency in Hyderabad. It was an opulent mansion, built from 1789 to 1805 by the James Kirkpatrick, the British Resident of Hyderabad state. It was designed like a palladian villa but has some Indian elements to it - like a zenana (women's quarters) for Kirkpatrick's wife Khair-un-Nissa. It had full lenghth mirrors, large chandeliers, beautiful ceilings and winding staircases.

Now, of course, it's a shadow of its former glamour and lavishness. It was used after Independence as a college. After a number of years, the main mansion was abandoned as a college but the old elephant stables and surrounding buildings still have classes going on.

James Kirkpatrick was steeped in Indo-Persian 'Nizami' culture. He wore Indian dress, smoked hookah, chewed paan, and was fluent in Persian and Hindustani (Hindi). He converted to Islam and married a Hyderabadi noblewoman, Khair-un-nissa. They are said to have been truly in love.

James Kirkpatrick (British Resident) and his wife Khair-un-nissa

During the construction of the Residency, Khair-un-Nissa expressed a wish to see the design of the building. But due to the conventions of 'modesty', she couldn't come to the building itself. So Kirkpatrick had a miniature Residency built for her, 100 yards away from the main building. Now she could see what the residency would be like.

The miniature Residency is now broken after a tree fell on it.

Eventually, Kirkpatrick was removed from his position by the Governor-General Lord Wellesley: partly due to his marriage to a non-European and partly due to his closeness to the Nizam.

Here are some pictures from my visit to the Residency:

THE DURBAR HALL / BALLROOM:

The room with the dusty chandeliers and full length mirrors...

The colourful ballroom ceiling 

Close-up of the ceiling

BEAUTIFUL STAIRCASES:

Grand staircase leads to a statue of Gandhi and pictures of Tilak and S. Radhakrishnan

The domed ceiling

Another winding stairwell. At the bottom are chairs from the building's college days.

MISCELLANEOUS:

Kirkpatrick and Khair-un-Nissa's son and daughter

Another reminder of the college!

A room full of old notebooks, exam papers, attendance registers...!

The place is full of pigeons!

In fact, not only pigeons but goats seem to live here. Hope this beautiful building is restored and preserved.

Bazaars of Hyderabad: Moazaam Jahi Market, then and now

Built in the 1930's at a major crossroad of the city, Moazzam Jahi Market even today remains a busy and important market. 

After the Musi floods of 1908 and the plague of 1911, Mir Osman Ali, the Last Nizam of Hyderabad, undertook measures for improving water management, sanitation and urban planning in Hyderabad. The famous Sri Visveswaraiya from Mysore state, who had engineered many marvels there, was invited to Hyderabad. A City Improvement Trust was formed, and many new buildings were erected. These included the Osmania General Hospital, Unani Hospital, High Court, City College, Patherghati Complex and Moazzam Jahi Market.

Both Pathaghatti and Moazaam Jahi are bazaar areas, intended for business. In Moazzam Jahi market, there are more than 100 shops, selling fruits, vegetables, flowers, meat, paan, attar, metalwork and of course, the famous ice-creams! There's a shop called FAMOUS ICECREAM at this market, and there is another one called BILAL. Some time ago, I wrote about the ice-creams at Bilals, inside this market. You can see how the inside of this market looks in this ice-cream story here: http://magictoursblog.blogspot.in/2014/08/bilal-ice-cream-at-moazzam-jahi-market.html

Bilal Ice Cream at Moazzam Jahi Market

Moazzam Jahi market is a lovely stone building constructed in 1935. It's known all over Hyderabad as the location of several famous ice cream parlours and their delicious fare.

Of special interest is Bilal Ice Cream Parlour - possibly the most delightful and most interesting ice cream parlour in all of India! Situated inside the market, Bilal is an airy space with elegant arches and high ceilings. The historical mood is deepened and enriched by the black and white photographs, pictures of erstwhile rulers, and elaborate chandeliers that decorate the parlour.

The imposing stone building could have proven to be a very sombre setting for an ice cream parlor - but that has been solved by painting the walls and ceilings in a cheerful red-and-white.

The elegant arches and old chandeliers of Bilal Ice Cream Parlour

The walls are adorned with portraits of rulers from a bygone era, 
and above these are a collection of old black and white 
photographs of Hyderabad

The high ceilings rather remind me of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar :)

An exterior view of Moazzam Jahi market. 
You can see the big sign for Bilal Dairy Farm
 and a smaller one that says 'Bilal Ice Cream'

The ice cream parlours in this market serve fresh handmade ice creams. Some of the other well-known parlours in the area are Gafoor, Famous, etc. These are no fuss places with haphazardly placed chairs under a tented structure. These are older joints (Famous will be 60 in a couple of years) while Bilal is relatively new. These parlours are where locals recover from the heat with an ice cream during the day. In the evenings, they are completely packed with families and friends, and close only after 12.

Flavours range from seasonal fruits like mango and chikoo to some uniquely flavours like pista and paan (betel nut). In summer, Bilal offers blessed relief from the heat... I was already contemplating which ice-cream to order next as I ate my first one!

There are some very cool names on this list... wonder what "Swinger" is?

Happiness

Mahbub Chowk clocktower in Hyderabad

Clock towers were often erected in public areas in 19th century India. Why? Because in those days very few people had their own time-keeping devices. Clocks and watches were expensive. This photo depicts one of Hyderabad's good-looking towers; at Mahbub Chowk. This area used to be full of shops and traders; so of course a clock to tell the time was very useful.

The tower sits in the middle of a little garden; and is designed in a mix of Indian and European styles. It was constructed in 1892 by Asman Jah, the Prime Minister of Hyderabad. It was awarded the INTACH Heritage Award in 2008 because of its unique architecture: there are Qutb Shahi style brackets, Corinthian columns, stucco work, wrought-iron railings, etc; all harmoniously balanced.

New logo of Telengana State, explained

Telegana is the 29th state to be created in India.

Here is the new logo of the state,

Key design elements:

1) Kakatiya thoranam - http://magictoursblog.blogspot.in/2014/05/the-ruins-of-kakatiyas-at-warangal-near.html

2) Charminar - the iconic monument of Hyderabad - Placing the Charminar in the logo indicates that the city of Hyderabad is the heart of Telangana.

3) Lion Capital of Ashoka - from 3BC, four lions facing four directions, I saw the original at the museum at Sarnath, stunning and still shining in polished stone. Now the national emblem of India.

4) Text in three languages:
English (Government of Telengana)
Telugu (Telangana Prabhutvam)
Urdu (Telangana sarcar)

5) Satyameva Jayate in Devnagri script at the bottom - Truth Alone Shall Conquer - from the Mundaka Upanishad. Now the national motto of India.

6) Gold outer circle - denotes the hope, desire and determination of Telanganites for ‘Bangaru Telangana’ (Golden Telangana).

7) Green inner circles - prosperity

Incomplete tomb of the last Qutb Shahi King, outskirts of Hyderabad

It's not easy being a king. This is the incomplete tomb of the last Qutb Shahi king, Mirza Nizamuddin Ahmed (who died in 1687 in captivity in Daulatabad Fort). With him, the rule of the Qutb Shahi emperors ended. 

It was a practice among the Qutb Shahis that each king built his own tomb, in preparation ahead. The plans for this tomb ended rudely after an eight-month seige by Aurangazeb. Seeing the tomb reminded me that dizzying heights are also accompanied by dizzying lows. Maybe there is something to said for a life without such pomp and splendour!

Osmania Biscuits at Nimrah Cafe and Bakery, Charminar, Hyderabad

- by Deepa Krishnan

At the Nimrah Cafe and Bakery, there is always a crowd. Located right next to the iconic Charminar, this cafe has both locals and tourists filling it. The signboards are in English, Urdu and Telugu.

Every half an hour, fresh trays of biscuits and other baked goodies are brought to the counter-tops, still warm from the oven. The photo below has 2 trays of Hyderabad's famous Osmania biscuits.

We ordered Irani chai and Osmania biscuits; and they also gave us a Khopra Biscuit (the larger one in the photo below, it has coconut in it). The Osmania biscuit was delicious - crumbly, flaky, sugary and salty, all at once. Too much sugar, of course, but hey, I wasn't complaining. The tea was also milky-sweet.

The biscuit is named after the seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, who died in 1967. Apparently he was very fond of them, and ordered them from Vicaji's Hotel (which was popular at that time). He would send his car to Vicaji's to fetch the biscuits.

Vicaji's Hotel doesnt exist any more. The original Vicaji refers to Vicaji Meherji (1781–1853), a Parsi from Thana, who along with his brother Pestonji Meherji, moved to Hyderabad in early 1800's. One of their mansions - called Pestonji ki Kothi - was converted to Vicaji's Hotel by Naorozji Bapuji Vicaji, a descendant of Vicaji Meherji. Vicaji’s Hotel was the numero uno of Hyderabad hotels in the 1940s and 1950s. It was sold in the 1950's to a Punjabi businessman who called it the Three Aces Hotel and Bar. In the 1980s, the mansion was demolished and Hyderabad lost a slice of its history.

But the Osmania biscuit has survived unscathed, and continues to be enjoyed by all Hyderabadis.

The ruins of the Kakatiya Empire, at Warangal Fort near Hyderabad

These are the ruins of the grand Swayambhu Temple at Warangal Fort. Simply fabulous. Poetry in dolerite.

The Archaeological Survey of India has tried to reconstruct / reimagine the original temple partially; in addition, they have also placed other artefacts found nearby, to make a sort of grand open-air architectural ruin. 

The Kakatiyas were Jains originally, but converted to Saivism (worship of the Hindu god Siva). In Warangal, we see the worship of Harihara; half-Siva and half-Vishnu. In the Harihara statue in the photo above, you can see the damru of Shiva in the right hand, and the conch of Vishnu in the other.

The Kakatiyas were Telugu-speaking and they ruled Andhra Pradesh for 300 years, from 12th to 14th century. The Kakatiyas were defeated by the armies of the Tughlaqs of Delhi, and their kingdom at Warangal was ruined. But even what little remains is very impressive. Here is one section of the ruins. You can click on it for a larger view.

On each of the four sides of the temple, there is a grand square gateway, a torana, which is typical of Kakatiya architecture. They have beautiful carved swans mounted on top. The toranas have survived, making me wonder why the temples and palaces were destroyed but the toranas left intact. Perhaps some belief or superstition?

To imagine the size of the torana, see the garden bench at the bottom right of the photo, that will give you a sense of proportion. I was really saddened to see the headless swans on the ground. Such destruction!

The Kakatiya torana is famous in Andhra Pradesh. It is represented in state tourism brochures, and copied and used in many forms and variations by many institutions. Here is the entry road from the highway into Kazipet, see the grand torana that they have made, this one is of course, not dolerite rock, it is just concrete, but it is still attractive! Of course, the local bill stickers have not spared it!!