Fateh Darwaza caught in legal vacuum

‘Gateway to Hyderabad’ lies in a shambles on anniversary

For Hyderabad, September is the cruellest month. It stirs some tragic memories. Precisely 332 years ago, on a cold night of September 21, the Qutb Shahi dynasty was snuffed out after Mughal soldiers raced inside through a doorway. A mercenary soldier called Abdullah Panni opened the door to let in the enemy.

The ‘S’ shaped doorway is now called Fateh Darwaza and is the first glimpse of the Golconda Fort for tourists visiting the heritage site. While the Asaf Jahi dynasty’s rule ended on September 17 after a 105-hour war in 1948, the Qutb Shahi dynasty resisted the Mughal might for eight months before the traitor opened the door in 1687.

The gateway, which should ideally be a protected site, is being chipped away as the territory under the control of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is not demarcated. “We have asked the Revenue Department for clear markings about what all are under the control of ASI. But the discussion didn’t go very far. We send notices to people who are encroaching on the site, but there is no authority to stop it,” says an ASI official. This legal vacuum has turned much of the fort into a happy hunting ground for encroachments. A whole shanty town has grown around the gateway, including private hospitals, schools and markets.

Signalling system

While the heritage law specifies the need for permission for carrying on any construction work in 100-metre radius, the gateway has been defaced with multiple utility projects. The signalling system is the newest addition that has streamlined the flow of traffic. For every festival, the doorway becomes a hanging nail for all sorts of banners, buntings and lighting system. The sharp iron spikes on the gateway that kept charging elephants at bay, have fallen victim to vandals who cut/prise/break them as trophies.

Garbage dump

While a small chilla (place for meditation) has come upon the parapet wall to the right of the entrance, on the left side a garbage dump is used for climbing the parapet wall.

“We play here every day. We don’t damage anything. Earlier, people used to party near the cannons, but now there are a lot of mosquitoes. Nobody can stay here after 6 p.m.,” says Afzal, who attends a madrasa (seminary) near the gateway. Every evening, a swarm of mosquitoes rises from the Langar Houz lake and sends the residents scurrying home.

While the focus on heritage keeps hopping from one disaster to another, the Golconda Fort and the doorway where the story of Hyderabad began remains mostly forgotten.