Conservation of eight important edifices, including some famous temples and mosques, will be taken up shortly at an estimated cost of Rs 3.01 crore. The state government has accorded technical sanction for the works and issued an order to that effect.
The works include restoration and repair of Hayath Baksh Begum Mosque and Sarai, Badshahi Ashoor Kahana and Mia Misk Moque in Hyderabad, the Nizamabad Museum, Dichipalli Ramalayam in Nizamabad, Alaghanatha Swamy temple at Atmakur in Nellore district, Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple at Bejjanki village in Karimnagar district and the Nandikandi temple in Medak district.
Hayath Baksh Begum Mosque and Sarai is a mosque located in the Hayathnagar area of Hyderabad, It was constructed in 1672 during the reign of Abdullah Qutb Shah, the fifth king of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, who ruled Golconda. It is in a typical Qutb Shahi architecture. Some work on its conservation will be taken up at the cost of Rs 50 lakh. The important feature of Hayath Baskh Mosque is Sarai (resthouse for travellers) with 130 rooms and a huge well _ Hathi Bawli
Badshahi Ashoor Kahana, another heritage site located near Charminar, is a mourning place for Shias during the festival of Moharram and constructed in memory of martyrdom of Imam Hussain. It too was constructed during the rule of Golconda Nawabs. It was constructed in 1594, three years after the construction of Charminar, the important landmark of the City of Pearls. Its conservation work will be taken up at a cost of Rs 60 lakh. Mia Misk Mosque is located in Mushk Mahal at Attapur, near Karwan, and was constructed by a noble in the court of Golconda Nawab Abul Hasan Tana Shah. Its repair work will be carried out at a cost of Rs 6 lakh.
Similarly, conservation of the Nizamabad Museum and Dichipali Ramalayam, whose total roof need to be renovated, will be taken up at a cost of Rs 28.5 lakh and Rs 58.9 lakh respectively. At a cost of Rs 14 lakh, conservation of Alaghanatha Swamy temple in Nellore district, which is an old and protected monument under the AP Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act.
The Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple at Bejjanki in Karimnagar district is another ancient temple whose architecture is similar to Chalukyan and Kakatiya architecture. Repair and renovation will be taken up at a cost of Rs 14 lakh. Nandikandi temple in Medak district is another monument that needs some conservation work which will be taken up.
‘’Conservation work differs from monument to monument. For some roof or wall structure needs to be either repaired or renovated and for others structural integrity needs to be protected. Construction of stone pavement around the structure is one kind of measure for preventing seepage of water. Chemical treatments too will be given,’’ a higher official of the State Archaeology and Museums told Express.
According to him, proposals worth Rs 100 crore were submitted under State Special Needs of 13th Finance Commission towards Conservation, Restoration and Preservation of 560 protected ancient sites and sites of historical importance and for improvement of museums. In the first quarter the finance department had issued budget release orders for Rs 25 crore, he said.
