As visitors enter the Qutb Shahi tombs complex, they are informed that the unfinished tomb on the left is that of last ruler of the dynasty Abul Hasan Tana Shah. Once inside, guides inform them about the massive dome on the right as that of Hayat Bakshi Begum who was known as Ma Saheba and the area of Masab Tank is named after her. Then there are countless tales and conjectures about the medieval necropolis at the foothills of Golconda Fort. This is set to change as the Telangana government is developing an Interpretation Centre that will be first landing spot for visitors to the tombs and the Golconda Fort.
For the record, neither the unfinished tomb, that of Abul Hasan nor the Masab Tank area gets the name from Hayat Bakshi Begum.
“The interpretation centre will be of immense importance as it will give an understanding of the complex and place it in its historical context. School children, who visit the site would find it very useful as children are very inquisitive,” said well-known historian Sajjad Shahid, noting how most monuments in the world and in India have an interpretation centre to help viewers make sense.
Before the State government signed an MoU for conservation and restoration of the Qutb Shahi Tombs Complex with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the site had a small one-room museum beside the hammam . After nearly 10 years of restoration with many more structures within the complex becoming visible, the interpretation centre would create a holistic understanding of the qanats, the step-wells, the funerary mosques, serais and the symmetrical gardens inside the complex developed between 1512 and 1687. The Mughals are given credit for introducing symmetrical gardens known as Chahar Bagh. But in reality, the first Qutb Shahi ruler Sultan Quli’s tomb is set in a symmetrical garden much before Mughals started building their monuments.
The site’s interpretation centre is being developed at a spot where an amusement park with toy-train, boating facility, and swimming pool was built in the 1990s. The excavated soil for the pool and the lake was used to create a man-made mountain used for film shootings. The amusement park was never opened for the general public and served only as shaadi khana or site for official functions where food was served under a gazebo.
Published - August 12, 2021 07:45 pm IST
