In its anxiety to revive the cultural heritage of Telangana, has the government got its historical facts wrong? It appears so. Rani Mahal, the place chosen by the authorities to unfurl the tricolour, is actually Dad Mahal where the Qutb Shahi kings used to hear grievances of people. In fact there is no such place as Rani Mahal. The ‘zanana’ quarters where the royal consorts used to stay are behind the king’s palace, it is said.
Well known historian, M.A. Nayeem, welcomes the TRS government’s decision to host the Independence Day celebrations at Golconda Fort but says the place selected for the event is Dad Mahal and the audience hall. Over the years the ASI and the tourist guides have all got it wrong and propagating the name of Rani Mahal which doesn’t exist.
‘Inaccurate’“It is the right time this anomaly is set right”, he says. Mr. Nayeem, who has written a book on ‘The heritage of the Qutb Shahis of Golconda and Hyderabad, says the existing drawings of the palaces are inaccurate and located wrongly in the plans. After thorough research he has come up with a new plan to give correct location of different palaces. The Dad Mahal or the place of justice is a majestic hall with arched ways on all four sides.
“Those needing justice used to ring the golden bell, hearing which the Sultan would appear on the balcony to listen to the grievance of his subjects”, says Mr. Nayeem.
The tourist guide books, he says, have wrongly named the Dad Mahal and the adjoining two palaces as Rani Mahal or Taramati or Premamati Mahal while comparatively smaller palaces at the interior are named Khilwat’, Shahi Mahal and Daulat Khana Aliya. “Imagine the king living in a compact palace while larger palatial palace at the main entrance are occupied by his Rani and mistresses,’ wonders Mr. Nayeem.
Another misnomerThe ‘Silah Khana’ or armoury, is another misnomer. After conquering the Golconda Fort, the Mughals dumped their arms and ammunitions here and it soon came to be known as the armoury. This three storied building opposite the Dad Mahal was actually the Qutub Shahi secretariat. Its very appearance and size shows that it was the Sultan’s main office with suitable suits for civil, military staff, ministers and kotwal.
“This was certainly not the armoury of Qutub Shahis who had Shamsheer Kotha and other kothas outside the inner fort for storing arms”, points out Mr. Nayeem.
He also disputes the naming of mosque after Taramati since there is no inscription or contemporary history to vouchsafe it.
History, they say, is interesting as long as it is strictly true.
