HYDERABAD: A new book which documents the vast array of the jewels possessed by the Nizams of Hyderabad was launched by Princess Esra in the recently-restored Chowmahalla Palace on Wednesday. The book called the Treasures of the Deccan – Jewels of the Nizams, co-authored by art historians Usha Balakrishnan and Deepthi Sasidharan gives an insight into the lavish lifestyles the Nizams used to live.
A handpicked selection of their jewels have been archived in the book. The second part of the book records the paintings from Qutub Shahi era to the times of the Nizams.
While launching the book, Princess Esra Jah, the first wife of the prince Mukarram Jah (the grandson of last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan), who has also been instrumental in initiating many philanthropic activities in Old City, said that the jewels of the Nizams should be returned to Hyderabad and put on permanent exhibition. “It should return where it came from and where it belongs,” she said.
The idea of the book was commissioned by the princess herself, when one of the photographs of a jewel-adorned Nizam was accidentally discovered from the Chowmahalla Palace. A documented series of portraits of photos of the sixth Nizam Mir Mahboob Ali Khan growing up was displayed during the event. There were also photos of the seventh Nizam.