As protests roil Charminar, Hyderabad’s heritage slowly vanishes

The current media discourse on the Char Minar, including this opinion
piece, has the potential to be a two-edged sword. Hindu social activists
would assert in response that an Idgah juts on the Krishna Janmabhoomi
or the Keshav Deo Temple in Mathura while the Alamgiri or Gyanvapi
mosque overshadows the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. The issue in
Hyderabad should instead be framed in terms of archeology and urban
preservation rather than as a Hindu-Muslim issue which the author of
this piece has inappropriately done.

I appreciate "The Hindu" for rightly bringing out the facts to light.
I hope this issue provides a trigger for civic society to relocate
all religious structures encroaching roads and other heritage
buildings to appropriate locations. Who would want to visit a temple
or a mosque on a main road full of traffic anyway and also at the
expense of inconvenience to road users.
However, MIM is being a communal party full of Hypocrisy. Playing vote-bank politics esp on sensitive issues like religion is simply not acceptable. The argument that it is trying to protect heritage tructures is a lie. Everybody knows that. Its the same party which has opposed the protection of Badshahi Ashurkhana, that too by
threatening the officials. I hope people don't fall to such false agenda.
Therefore, I request The Hindu to highlight the plight of other Heritage structures and also the religious encroachments on the Main Roads of Hyderabad.

1.State government should show the guts to relocate the temple.
2.The Char Minar should not be seen just as a Muslim icon. It is a
heritage structure for the whole world.
3.If this generation does not have the culture to create its own
beauty, it should at least not destroy what has been handed down to
us.
4.As for faith in whatever godess, the so-called deveotees should
remind themselves that god does not reside in a stone, it resides in
the hearts of people.

The law of the land is supreme and only dithering creates tension between religious groups.During DMK rule many of such sudden appearance of temples were removed and nothing happened. During MGR rule he removed all pavement temples in Chennai which were unauthorized.If the state plays according to rules people understand and this will have no effect to polarize the community.

This heritage belongs to nation and every stone put their by either any hindu or muslim should be removed...
We r in a nation that do not belong to any particular sect or religion... India is only for it's son ... and i love my motherland more than my religion and My only religion is that i m an INDIAN.
These politicians and religious leaders are trying to create one more ayodhya in hyderabad.
Shame on them........ Guys be a true indian, respect the incridible honour and monuments of our motherland... think beside this religion and be a True INDIAN..Jai Hind.

Intolerance is the root cause of all evils.Unless each individual makes a conscious effort to eradicate from the mind,vandalism will continue.GOD help us...

I was one of the reader who asked for authenticity of image..
now I am convinced there was no temple.. we Hindu should have a bigger
heart and maintain the fragrance of our secular and democratic garden
INDIA..

Kudos to The Hindu for a coming up with a RARE gem of true Journalism! This and the other related article has proved beyond any doubt that this illegal structure has been put up recently compared to the 400 plus years of Charminar's existence. I wonder why other news outlets are not picking this up and saying anything about this big news!?

I am 56 years old born and brought up in Falaknuma, Hyderabad. I am giving this detail so that the people should know that I am a 100% Hyderabadi. I have not seen the temple in my life at that corner; but a corner Guard stone was damaged by RTC Bus, which turned to a small structure then an Idol was kept there and slowly that place has become the Center for spreading hatred by the Saffron/Hindutva Leaders at the time of Ganesh and other Festivals. Somebody mentioned rightly that the Hindus have no respect for their gods and goddesses; otherwise they wouldn't make a temple beneath (below) the Mosque. As there is a Mosque on the top of Charminar.

the hindu newspaper has done a good job,
But what is surprising is the comments made on this article is talking against only
one hindu structure.
A)The article clearly states many heritage structures are disappearing inspite of them
being notified,
B) a list of all unauthorised structures be it hindu or muslim should be made now,

Today we've an educated population, instead of letting the people with might
destruct our heritage, we, the citizens of hyd, along with a goverment( if it's
functioning) should take this opportunity and deal with the landgrabbing, heritage
building demolishers, people who have replaced values with adding their bank
balance.
A leader among us has to rise and bring about order in this anarchy.
For example,
Gvk has broken a heritage award winning building and built gvkone, kims hospital
has demolished two weeks ago another heritage building at mehdipatnam to build
kims hospital,
How much money is enough for us?

Am from Hyderabad and i totally agree with the article, i appreciate
"The Hindu" as it is the "only" media/newspaper which has shown the
main cause for violence which occurred recently. I have been following
Ndtv, ibnlive, Deccanchronicle ...etc none of them showed much
importance to our city except once or twice showing some news. Many
old Hindus/Muslims can justify's that temple never existed 50 years
back.

As citizen i would suggest to leave this illegal structure as it is
instead of demolishing as we don't want any violence in our city,
since 2010 Hyderabad is facing communal tensions and these communal
minded people are mostly who migrated to Hyderabad from Gujarat,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Bihar etc and "very few" locals. Am not anti-
immigrant am just telling the facts, I have 80% of my friends who are
Hindus from Andhra and we never had any religious issues or debates.
Fact is south Indians are much tolerant than other parts of India.

I appreciate "The Hindu" newspaper for publishing this article and this
article itself tells how historic monuments are being misused by
religious & political person.

Lets sleep for now and celebrate humanity, religion,faith....praise
constitution provided liberty,freedom....wait till it becomes good ploy
to play divisive Politics...and then submerge in to cruelty..inflict
injuries to each other and afterwards hang our heads in to yet another
National Shame.....

It is surprising to see some of the comments. Instead of understanding
the political game of Sangh Pariwar and MIM, they are questioning the
authenticity of the photograph. Here is a classic case of a heritage
structure, that has been a symbol of Hyderabad, being threatened
brazenly and all that these commentators think of is the photograph!
It is precisely this mindset that the political powers want to
exploit. In any case, there are more pictures available now which can
be seen in the related news "A note on the Charminar photograph". At
least this news item should not be questioned now.

In Hinduism, temples cannot be constructed anywhere you please. There is a lot of criteria
involved. Over the past few decades they have been sprouting in every nook and corner
because of the money involved and nothing else. There is nothing sacred about these
eyesores.

Thanks to The Hindu in bringing the fact out. Illegal structure made in the name of God doesn't bring good faith along.the rule should follow with all such illegal structure. This structure in particular is expanding from a tiny place to a big structure over the period of time. Govt should take bold steps to curb such type of illegal construction.
Hope peace loving citizens of hyderbad understand the sensitivity and raise above politics to sort out the problem

All Hyderabadi people should start a movement to relocate the temple to a suitable location convenient to all the people.

This is not the way we should worship our Goddess Lakshmi.

However I must condemn the manner in which the Hyderabad
administration has handled this and other issues in the city, letting
its heritage go to the ashes. Its clear that the "writ of the govt"
and "law and order" exist only on paper while the ground situation is
governed by the bearded mob and the saffron mob.
Till now the ASI hasn't become a main party in the case. Which is bad
in law, since without the ASI's sanction the legal challenge against
the temple collapses.
The issue should be handled mainly as an issue of protection of
historical/heritage assets to reduce the influence of the right wing
actors in the matter else such events will continue till we resemble
our nefarious neighbor where entire villages are ethnically cleansed
on the basis of malafide accusations and cases.

I am all for protection of heritage structures.
There was a plan for pedestrianization around Charminar to protect
the 400 year old monument from vibrations from vehicular traffic.
Then the same MIM party opposed it on the pretext that it hurts
businesses around. To paint one sided picture is not appropriate.

Irrespective of my faith, I will agree that the temple looks a tad
ugly beside the charming Charminar. However, one must be fair and
objective.
For one, the 60 year old photo shown as evidence by the Hindu
certainly looks more a painting than a photo and you haven't mentioned
the source of the photo, which is suspicious.
Secondly, the communal tension one sees over this issue is largely
artificial. The MIM, which has been leading the recent protests
against the temple, has been alleged to be much more partisan and
communal than other Muslim parties like the Muslim League (their
contrary behavior on the issue of the Asurkhana proves it). On the
other side are the Hindu organizations with similar allegations
attached.
Thirdly the theory that the Temple was created by the same person as
the Charminar in honor of the Harijan mistress of the founder of the
Qutb Shahi dynasty, Bhagyavati, has not been conclusively disproved.
So its not clear if the temple is illegitimate or not.

The old photos were given hand-finishing with colors, that's why the
photo on the left looks like a painting. I wonder why would Charminar be
built so awkwardly along the temple if the 'temple claim' to be
considered true?

I do not understand how MIM can take political mileage out of it.
I do not understand why we are not condemning riots.
How does a riot rectify the issue?
How does loss of property and injury to people be justified?

If there is an issue with encroachment are there not legal/democratic means to rectify the same?

Can India discriminate between good/bad riots?

Though MIM has other motives behind the issue, if looked at objectively,
this temple should not harm the structure. We are not the right people
to comment on this because if things take an ugly turn, it is the people
living in that area who are suffered in terms of business or lives. So,
officials have to consult the local people and the temple committee and
see to it that it is relocated within the city.

This is so unjust and unfair, the temple is illegal it should be
removed.

The Hindu's editorial team needs to be applauded for publishing this
article.

Some of the guys here are dissecting the authenticity of left photo.
Let's not go into the details and ask the Archaeological Survey of India
to decide which one is older Charminar or the abutting temple? Or both
were constructed by the Deccan king?

We should respect religious sentiments of local people rather legality,
MIM eventually provoking local issues for political benefits.

I appreciate the efforts of The Hindu team (Mohd.Yousuf and A.Srivathsan) for
throwing light on the sensitive issue of Charminar and BhagyaLakshmi Temple.
Charminar is a national monument and should be protected. We Hindus don't respect
our religion and start building up temples in every nook and corner. We must first
learn to respect our Gods and Goddesses and not bring shame to their name like
this. Its a shame and being a Hindu i firmly believe that the temple must be
relocated.

You can ask any Hyderabadi Hindu or Muslim who is over 60 years of age, will say this is true picture. Every body in Hyderabad knows this fact. This happen infront of their eyes. Only politician can say whatever they want, for their benefit.

The honourable court has directed that status quo should be
maintained, and the situation in Old City is slowly limping back to
normal. At such a critical juncture, it is highly unbecoming of a
prestigious newspaper like The Hindu to publish such a piece on its
front page. It has great potential to further stoke communal passions
in the already disturbed atmosphere.
It must be further noted that the author produces no evidence of the
authenticity of the photograph that he has fished out. In today's era
of 'photoshopping', any picture can be produced by anybody. It is
important that a national daily of The Hindu's stature at least verify
its authenticity before publishing it on its front page. The fine
tradition of responsible journalism of The Hindu should not be
replaced by sensational rumour-mongering.

I hope Hindu has verified that the old photo is a photo indeed. Because it looks more like a painting. Was it verified with some photographic authority before putting this news in the front page?
Right or wrong the temple is there for 60 years. Let us leave it as such without making it big ,so that charminar is not disturbed. What is the problem with a small temple coexisting with charminar ?

India has ceased to be a democracy. Presently it is a MOBOCRACY. Gandhi is not The Father of the Nation. Savarkar is. That reality has to be acknowledged.

Democracy is a very egalitarian and noble concept. Unfortunately people are criminal-minded and evil. That is at the root of the matter. RSS has destroyed the Indian Psyche thru falsification of history (under Congress watch and protection). So, this situation is the result of that (Dynasty-Perpetuation Syndrome); which lead to the weakening of., and killing the IDEA OF INDIA.

Though the photograph that was taken 60 years before looks like painting, I think it is genuine photograph. The presence of the shadows may be considered as a proof for that! If it is a painting, credit to the one who painted! Amazing, he/she has paid lot of attention to details!

The people all over the world fails to understand one thing that we do
not learn from history. Everything which happens in the past come in
the same form or may be in better civilized way.

The solution in this particular case is to remove the temple from
the place or stop any other renovation for eternity. This temple is
no monument. No body should restore it as if it is some monument.
Rather, restore the charminar.

As a Hyderabadi I love my city.

Unfortunately this city where I was born and grew lacks the same charisma it had previously. The reason - our politicians, majority are diabolical by nature and sadly we are lead by them.

I think it is inane going into the intricacies of the picture on the left unless it has some certificate of authenticity attached to it. There could be many questions such as did the Minara have the blue color? This won’t do any good. As a teenage when i used to visit Gulzar house i did see a small temple adjacent to the minar. But this was only couple of decades though.

There could be many reasons as to why the temple was built. But the point is, Charminar is a architectural marvel and needs to be preserved. No affiliation attached to any community here.

Isn’t there a Supreme court order to not allow any new or expansion of existing religious structure on the roads? Why isn’t this law applicable here? Like many democracies my country also has laws framed

The congress govt is giving in to majority communal vote bank politics
and hence bending to the whims of communal fanatic hatred mongers bent
on deviding the society on communal lines.These groups have no respect
for heritage structures and in fact openly advocate the erazing of these
monuments from the muslim past.The ruling secular govt instead of taking
on them head on,are playing in to their game for narrow political
gains.We can only pray that one day good sence will prevail over them to
save the country from ruin.

I also doubt the authencity of the left picture. The hues, and golden
shines gives an impression of a painting.
1. Clouds on top are coloured and shows a beautiful stroke of brush
2. Certain sections of minarets tops, and the gate has golden hues as
if gold has been plated on it.

For Sure This is a proviking article and photo - The Hindu Paper should think before publishing this type of articles

It's time for all the religions subdue their emotions and think about a solution. I have seen so many temples, masjids/durgaas, churches hindering the traffic terribly(jump from a 3 lane to a single lane!). The government(if exists!) should take steps to remove all such things and make way for the people, afterall it's people who pray to god! The solution for this is to replant the temple somewhere else as just removing it might hurt some community. Both MIM and BJP shouldn't make a fuss when something is demolished or being shifted.

I do not understand the arguments of some who claim that the picture to the left is a painting and not a photo. Clearly the picture to the right is authentic. The issue here is the construction of a temple in a protected monument area. Not only has the construction of the temple violated he laws of the land, it has also violated its own sanctity. There should be strict enforcement of laws to protect heritage monuments and stricter regulations concerning the indiscriminate building of religious structures just about anywhere. Modi did a stellar job in knocking off all illegal structures that hindered automobile traffic on many of Gujarat cities' roads.

As a proud Hyderabadi, and I am not a Muslim, I feel ashamed that we have failed to protect 'The Icon' of Hyderabad in the manner it was originally built. It is sad that the Charminar has this ugly appendage which, in my opinion, serves to drive and display a bigoted political idea more than it is an place of worship constructed and consecrated on a ground which has no room for controversy of any sort, be it historical, or contemporary or even of the future.
We, all of us Hyderabadis, are to blame for this unsightly, and architecturally and historically un-authentic brick and mortar wart that now exists. Whether we are Hindus or Muslims or of any other faith, we have failed to integrate ourselves in a way that we have mutual respect and so have created an environment where narrow politics accentuates religious differences only to deepen and divide us more. The result is that it is our history that bears the brunt of such nonsense and becomes a corrupted and troublesome legacy.

The temple should be relocated as it is the only solution for problems
in old city in recent days.
i expect more problems if it is not solved
Government of Kiran kumar reddy should take a serious note of it and
solve the issue and shouldnt play politics

A colour photograph made over 60-years ago! So that should be circa 1952. And although there are many responses here which question the authenticity of the image as a photograph, it certainly deserves a closer look and begs the question if it couldn't be a hand-coloured photograph. Such craft was not impossible and in the past, studio photographers possessed the skill to deftly apply colour to Black & White photographs. So it is not entirely strange to find photographs made in the B&W photography era where ladies or men were depicted wearing colourful sarees or turbans. This certainly looks like a photograph considering the fine detail and consistency of shadows - something that would require a master painter to accomplish. And if so, he or she would have certainly signed and dated the work and would have been quite well-known as an artist.

Shall we dig the total history of Muslim invasion and restore what belongs to this land and what to invaders.. what's wrong if there is temple... why temple issue now...

Do both the photos depict the same facade of the Charminar? As all four sides of the Charminar look similar.

The ruling parties or for that matter any party which is in power always
wants to sit on a tinder box so that the radicals can light a match
stick to it to stoke communal frenzy, the case in point is now the
Charminar and the Bhagyalaxmi temple in Hyderabad...........or we going
to have another Babri Masid kind of a thing in the coming
days.............

Dear Krishna, You are misinformed and have no idea about charminar - the background is not similar on all sides - look at the arch in the back ground - it is called charkaman and is on the fours sides of gulzar houz but only on one side of charminar as you walk down towards gulzar houz.

i would like to thank the Hindu news paper for publishing this article.
i really appreciated.as a hyderabadi.

Could the 60 year old photo be independently verified as I have serious doubts because of its pure quality?
If the story is indeed true I think elders have very good ground to relocate the temple.

India is a mature democracy and this Babri Masjid like attempt is for
sure going to fail.

Why Hindu religious leaders are silent on the construction of illegal Temples on encroached lands? To list a few the temple at Basheer bagh, Kothi, and all along Musi Gutter are all illegal and are the hinderance to the development of Hyderabad.
I am a Muslim and I strongly oppose construction of places of worship of any religion on encroarhed lands.
The commnal politicians, Police and Land grabbers are behind these illegal Places of worship.There should be a legislation made and stringent punishment shall be awarded to those who are responsible for these Illegal constructions.

Charminar used to impress me every time i visit Hyd'bad;beautiful and majestic.
It is very clear by the two photos that the temple was constructed later.
"The government has no political will and had not upheld the law"
The older photo looks better. How come the domes on the minarets are blue in color? is it the original color? It is pity that our ancient monuments are not maintained.

This is simply outrageous to construct a temple besides Historical Charminar. This will mar the beauty of Charminar and also cause frequent conflicts in future. GoI must pass a rule not to construct anything within 100 meters of any historical monument / mosques/ temple etc...This is really a dirty thing.

Does the picture on the left not look more like a sketch or painting?

Apparently, the temple was built at a later date.The Govt should have
prevented its construction at the beginning and nipped the problem in
the bud.Luckily the BJP has not ruled the state; only "secular"
parties have ruled the state and the so called secularists should take
the blame.
The central govt should enact a law stating that places of worship
built at a later date near another place of worship built earlier,
should be demolished.If this rule is applied uniformly,perhaps all
issues facing us in so many places,eg: Ayodhya,kashi etc will be
solved.

Take photo back in 420 years, there would be no charminar too :), at times when we dont even care other ancient structures for instance Lepakshi, Penugonda, Guthi fort in Anantapur, why the foul cry over charminar?

Excellent report,I appreciate Hindu Daily for this good report.

The left one seems more like a painting than a photo. This is shoddy
journalism.

I still remember the first time i visited Hyderabad around 10 years
back. Now the place is lot changed for worst. Hyderabad had much
suffered from "pragmatic" governments, whose sole aim were to create
vote banks . The old city, at present, cannot be considered as tourist
spot. The small shops. constructions, street vendors have destroyed the
heritage place.

I do not understand what they want to achieve by building a temple in a controversial manner. Is temple a joke for them? Being a Hindu, I
condemn the act of subsiding the fame of Charminar. Why can't they
invest in renovating the older temples at places like Vemulawada and
Srikalahasthi? Temples and mosques are there to give us peace of mind
and for disciplinary practices, but not to create chaos.

No one can deny the fact that the temple has been there for quite
sometime and suddenly uproars have started to surface.
Indeed if the ASI feels that the temple should be removed to preserve
the architectural heritage, It should go ahead and move the temple
elsewhere.
However, It is unnecessary to remove the temple which has been a icon
for religious tolerance and cordial relationship between the hindus and
muslims in hyderabad.

The Government should order Destruction or moving of the temple. Don't
let a Hindu Taliban to control the Government. No group be it Hindu,
Muslim, Sikh, Christian, or any one is bigger than the greater interest
of the country.

The photo given as 60 years old is not a photo. It is a painting. Please check the authenticity of it to ensure your news article does not lose the credibility it deserves.

Prasad

Ram temple in Ayodya also rich heritage. muslim kings damaged our rich
hindu culture and built their monuments and now media is focusing on
the monuments built by muslims but it forgets the fact that those so
called heritages are built by dismantling the rich hindu heritages.

It should not have been done. It is a heritage site and should not be politicized in the name of religion.

Great investigative journalism! What we expect from media to do but are rarely seeing it.

It is very clear from the published photos of Charminar that the temple mushroomed from nowhere. The power lacuna within ASI and vote politics of our state and central government are to blame. The authorities must take necessary steps to clear the encroachment and teach the public that our country functions by rules and regulations and not by hooliganism and feudalism.

This is not an intelligent journalism. Without proving the authenticity of
the former image of Char Minar, it must not have been published on the
national level.
I agree that if there was no temple there in the past, there should not be
any now also but the editor should had first investigated properly without
merely comparing two images.

It is creating sensitivity to the topic.since in this modern time photos
can be morphed according to claim.So who can authenticate the photo.
I was not expecting The Hindu to be bias on such communal areas.

Why always a section wants to create trouble is a million dollar
question to be answered. When there are so many centuries old temples
remain in ruins and unattended to and when there are many places where
new places of worship could be constructed, why some elements always
are bent upon creating social unrest by indulging in acts of whipping
up religious/communal fervour and feelings? Is it not the duty of the
ordinary people belonging to all castes, religions and creed to raise
their voice together for maintaining tranquility and calm to ensure
social amity and harmony? Government machinery too, should not remain
a mute spectator, I strongly opine.

Very sad to see our countrymen still not learnt how to live in harmony with people of other religions. Our country has lot of other problems which are to be given more importance. We have temples in almost very lane of the country. What was the need to construct one next to Charminar? Concerned authorities should immediately bring down this illegally constructed temple.

We should bring in a law to stop any more construction of temples/chruches/mosques in the country and utilize the same money to build schools, hospitals, colleges, improving infrastructure, irrigation projects, sanitation in rural places, etc.

Encroachers become more powerful when the public organizations are
weak and apathetic. Only laws to preserve the heritage sites are not
enough, enforcement should mean the strength and goodwill of the
State Government.

So called 60 years old photograph...doesnt looks like a photograph, it looks like a painting...have you verified before posting that photograph is original or imagination of some painter...

I think with the above photo either The Hindu is misleading the readers or someone mislead The Hindu to publish this picture because, the picture on the left is a painting and is not the photo. A paiting cannot become a realty.

The politicians and corporators are busy looting money and have no time to protect heritage structures. This is the root cause of all this trouble. The Bhagyalakshmi Temple seems to have been illegally constructed about 60 years ago. Was the MIM sleeping all these years. It is most probably raked up now to switch it's support to YSRCP. The burning of vehicles and stone throwing is all being done to blame the Government.

I am sure the person who wrote this article do not have enough
knowledge about the history of hyderabad. I am surprised to see hindu
putting up a photograph which the newspaper doesn't even know when it
was taken. The view from the four minarates could be similar and we do
not know which angle the photo was taken - btw, the background can be
similar from the other side.

More importantly, hyderabad has been a sensitive place since quite
long; The allegation that the temple was 'setup', just adjacent to
charminar, a few decades ago is very imaginative and highly unlikely
- anybody who knows the history of (hyderabad) old city, particularly
around charminar, will have a laugh about this.

In most parts of South India, there is a mosque adjacent to every ancient 1000 years old temple. Best examples can be found in temple towns like Kanchipuram.
Sadly neither The Hindu nor photography existed 1000 years ago.
Otherwise The Hindu would have published an article worrying about "(South) India's Hindu heritage".
Kudos to The Hindu in its efforts "to protect Hyderabad’s Islamicate heritage." .

The Older one looks like a Painting? Can you please check the source of
the same.

You don't have to go to an undated photograph. Just go and ask the people who have shops there and they will tell you just when the adoration of a foundation stone began and the exact date only a decade or so ago when during a curfew itself the local authorities allowed a ramshackle "temple"to some up. It is all well known, and can be documented using police records.

I personally blame the ASI.

From whwre did the temple come from ? Did someone from the moon or
Mars land it there ? The police should have taken it off the moment
it came there instead of allowing it to grow .The tendency to put
up a religious place where ever one wants is the problem.

People who try to destroy history have no culture. In hyderabad since independence all signs of past are being wiped out. We have plenty of beautiful temples, where our traditions and culture are maintained with dignity. The temple at the charminar is built by people who want to make money and who want to create trouble.

The article written by A Srivathsan is good and based on certain facts. Perhaps the
journalist could have done some more research especially interviewing probably 80
year old Hyderabadis. Such data would be strengthening his argument. I congratulate
Hindu for bringing out this article. I think the authorities must take action on this
and remove the temple as soon as possible not only to protect the monument but
also keeping the communal forces at bay. The congress government must
immediately take action on the issue. Is the congress government supporting the
communal forces in the City?

Thanks for the photo comparisions
it seems like a clear instance of land grabbing
iconic heritage structures - no matter their religious or cultural affiliations - should be protected as history and for future generations
besides the charminar is beautiful

I do not understand that Why there is temple just beside Charminar? Do
Hindu activist want to prove that they can encroach any place ... and it
is proved that they can.
If heritage is not protected then Hyderabad will loose all its glory as
well as tourists...you do not want to be famous for Biryani and Nizam
only ... people do want to see these monuments and govt apathy is really
a grave concern.

From the look of it , the shamiana abetting the charminar is indeed the
temple it looks incongrous and out of place if not outright ugly. It
indeed has no place in the present site as seen in the photo. let better
sense prevail. let us not give momentum to extremist elements in both
communities

The one on the right does not look like a photograph, but rather a painted picture. The aspects and angles don't overlap very well, but maybe its just because its old tech.

Thanks to The Hindu for bring out the details.

The temple is looking ugly spoiling beauty of Charminar. So is many tombs, dargas in the middle of roads ex. Maulali, Afjalganz.

When Babri Masjid was construncted in Ram Janmabhoomi, we Hindus were spectators and some of our ancestors would have been slave labour helping in the construction.
When the Krishna Janmastan has been relageated to one small room under a Grand Mosque again we did not object (due to lack of a strong backbone).
Enough of pandering to the minority communities. The minorities act ask if they own the city.

Good job by THe Hindu.There is no reason to put a temple overnight and create a noise.Let the monument stand for the Unity and cultural heritage for generations to come.

Do you apply the same logic to Varanasi Temple as well? Where the muslim rulers has converted/ constructed part to a temple to a mosque?
And will you take India to the same homogenous level of Only Hindu Kingdom before muslim rulers has invaded India so as to preserve the Hindu Heritage of India? This is just shortsightedness. You are believing what you saw, what has seen in a single photo that too 60 years old. But you don't have the vision to see much bigger picture.
What if I can secure the pictures of India say, for the last 4000 Years? Will you take India to the same level to preserve those monuments? Am talking in terms of preserving, not modernizing the society.

The Central Government should come hard on the State in these matters.
These issues, if left to fester, cause greater trouble for everyone in
the longer run.

Appreciate your efforts in collecting the true data and posting on the front page, that is why I prefer to read THE HINDU :).

Why some sections of the Indian society are hell bent upon creating conflict is not understandable. Specially when it comes to historical monuments.

I've been to the charminar twice, in '93 and in 2011. I dont remember seeing a bhagyalakshmi shrine there. This is ridiculous and such a petty issue and surely a political one with an attempt of causing more harm to common people.
Will India never cease to improve on such religious tolerance? Dont we have temples in corner of the each blocks. God is supposed to be in our hearts not in those stones. Common Indians.. grow up.

It is very unfortunate that heritage of the city getting spoiled due to communal violence. I hope the law enforcing authorities would bring in peace and tranquility in the city and all people strive towards preserving the heritage and gradeur of the great city.

Gods have becom a liability to the nation.

The article presents only one side of the story. The source and the
authenticity of the old photograph is not mentioned. During the
Islamic rule, it was not unusual to demolish the temple and to build
mosque over it or simply convert the structure to mosque. However, it
doesn't justify the act of repeating the same historical mistake
again, i.e., to destroy current structure and build up new hindu
structure (Babri masjid is classic example). The demolition of Babri
masjid can not be justified but denying the historical and evidential
fact on the face of it that there was no temple before mosque,
wouldn't serve the purpose. Accepting the fact and agree to maintain
the status quo is a viable solution. The similar might be true in case
of Bhagyalakshmi temple of Bhagyanagar (the so called old name of
Hyderabad). If there was no temple there before the charminar, there
is no issue. But the attempt to make it non-issue despite the
historical fact would only vitiate the communal atmosphere.

We, the Hindus have no piety towards our religion. Why should they choose a place adjacent to a heritage monument that is predominantly of Islamic religion? It looks it was wantonly done to court communal trouble. We construct temples at Cross roads, on walk paths and even just by the sides of Public conveniences, scarcely exhibiting any respect for our religion, Hinduism. The State government should issue order for the removal of that abutting Hindu temple. India is a country for all the religions and by showing respect for each other's religion only, we can command respect and fraternity towards each other and live in peace.

Excellent and a timely article by Srivathsan. Thanks to "The Hindu" for taking initiative to expose this.

is the photo on the left not a painting ? why is it being called a
photo?

The temple structure strikes a discordant note. It should be removed.

It is not a Hindu Vs Muslim fight. As a Hyderabadi, I love the architectural marvels and I'm proud of the heritage.
There are no second guesses here. The temple must be relocated. Majlis
politicians who are making this a hindy-muslim conflict should back
down gracefully and make a case for preserving the heritage of the
city.
Anyone else protesting to have the temple must be locked out. BJP and
its allies should not fish in a pond which results in death and
destruction. I don't understand why the CM is developing cold feet to take any meaningful action.