The city police recovered a 17th century antique cannon at an under construction site at Nayapool on Wednesday. The contractor, Lateef, found the cannon while digging for laying pillars.

“The State Archaeological department officials told us that the cannon might have been used during the siege of Golconda Fort by the forces of Aurangzeb. They surmise that it is one of the most advanced cannons of that period,” Inspector Task Force (East) team, Ch Sridhar said.

The cannon is 6.5 ft long with a diameter of 4 inches and weighs 800 kg.

Animal oil

extraction unit

The Commissioner’s Task Force (East) team on Thursday raided a godown at Chaderghat where oil was being extracted from animal fat illegally.

The police seized 24 barrels of oil, 50 kg of body parts of animals and a DCM vehicle.

Additional Deputy Commissioner, Task Force, N. Koti Reddy, said that the owner of the unit, Salar Qureshi, 62, procured organs of cattle and converted it into fat in big cauldrons. He claimed that the produce was supplied to soap manufacturing units in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Two persons held

Two persons who allegedly bought 1.5 kg of gold from a gang of chain snatchers were arrested by the West Zone police on Thursday.

The accused persons, Mohd Irfan of Bandlaguda and Shyam Sunder Sugand of Gulzar Houz, procured gold chains from a gang of chain snatchers, who were arrested by the police in December.

The gang members, including Lamba Hussain, Mirza Azmath Ali and Mohd Akheeluddin, were involved in 230 chain snatching cases reported in the city.

VRO arrested

Anti-Corruption Bureau officials on Thursday arrested Yakapur Shivakumar, Village Revenue Officer of Rompally in Bantwaram mandal of Ranga Reddy district on charge of accepting Rs. 3,000 bribe from a person. The VRO received the sum from a villager to change names in revenue records, according to a press release.

He will be presented before a local court.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by Staff Reporter / Hyderabad – January 30th, 2015

Hyderabad :

The life and history of Telangana prisons will come alive next month with opening of a 219-year-old jail building for public viewing on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Deemed to be country’s first ever prison museum, the Old Sangareddy jail will welcome people for the first time to explain evolution of prisons in the region.

Built in 1796 by the then Nizam’s government, the jail building spread over 3 acres, was in use till as recent as 2012 when a new jail was constructed in Kandi and inmates were shifted. Considering the heritage value and the intact nature of the building, the prisons department of the new state has decided to preserve it for future and to promote local culture, history, art and language.

The old jail was at helm of activity during the earlier Nizam’s dominion/British era and then during the Telangana struggle of 1969 where a number of freedom fighters from the region were lodged here. The jail was under direct control of the Judiciary and in 1982, it was handed over to the prisons department of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.

Explaining more, Director General of Telangana Prisons and Correctional Services Vinoy Kumar Singh said that the building will also accommodate the art and cultural forms of the state. A sum of Rs.20 lakh was spent on transforming the heritage prison into a museum. ‘’We want to develop the prison into one of the important tourist spots in the district. In the first phase, we will display old handcuffs, weaving machines, telephones, photographs and other available artifacts. An entry fee of `5 will be collected from general public and entry would be free for schoolchildren,’’ he said.

The department will also open an outlet to sell products being made by jail inmates so as to generate revenue for maintenance. ‘’In other old prisons like Mahbubnagar, Karimnagar, Chanchalguda etc the old character is lost. Here, we have a heritage building that is still intact without any changes. This will be the first of its kind museum in the country,” he added. Various punishment methods too will be explained to the public using photographs and literature.

Spread across 3 acres and 10 guntas, the historic building was built in stone, sand, wood and lime mortar. It has 9 barracks including a separate female barrack, punishment cell, a staff quarters, kitchen, toilets and a watch tower. The initial capacity of the prison was said to be 90 male inmates and 5 female inmates. ‘’In 1947, the prison was under the direct control of district collector and in 1969, it was under the Judiciary and one Ramnath, who was civil surgeon was the superintendent,” said Santhosh Kumar Roy, district sub jail officer, Old District Jail Sangareddy.

Some of the names of freedom fighters who were lodged here during the independence struggle, Telangana armed struggle and separate state movement, according to data available are Chola Lingaiah, Datti Kistaiah, Godila Lingaiah Goud, Etla Guruva Reddy etc. Records here say that ex-Sangareddy MLA and former speaker of erstwhile AP Assembly P Ramachandra Reddy too was lodged here during the separate state movement in 1969.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Rahul V. Pisharody / January 14th, 2015

A motley collection of brilliant and rare maps from the 16th to the 19th century is on display at Heritage Arts in Mattancherry as part of ‘Cosmology to Cartography’, an exhibition—the first of its kind in India—jointly organised by the Hyderabad-based Kalakriti Archives and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.

It showcases as many as 47 maps straddling four centuries and under ‘Jain Cosmic’, ‘Pilgrimage’ and ‘Cartographic’ categories. On display are the early cartograms produced with vegetable dye on cotton and the ones in woodcuts, copper engravings with colour or watercolour and ink on paper.

Kalakriti founder Prashant Lahoti collected the unusual treasure of India maps. The brightly-coloured maps present the world in many fashions: some in sync with Jain philosophy where the earth is divided into regions of the Gods, mortals and the cursed; the pilgrimage maps, on the other hand, chart out panoramic routes to Badrinath in the Himalayas or Shatrunjaya in Gujarat.

“The exhibition displays move from the symbolic to the political, and there is a dichotomy in the first, the middle and the last few,” said executive curator Vivek Nanda, who is a town planner and whose current projects include the Mumbai-Delhi corridor. “The early part of the exhibition represents a world of meaning, while the political ones are a world of order. They depict coastal towns and sea ports, which were important trading indicators.” Also on show are the first Dutch map of the subcontinent and the Middle East, and the first map of India as a single entity, made in 1822, for the directors of the English East India Company.

Arts and Medicine

The famed biennale programme, in its 43rd episode on the General Hospital premises on Wednesday, saw Kochiite Charles Antony crooning songs in at least 10 languages, including Italian, English, African, Sinhala and Japanese, as he played the guitar and the mouth organ. Mr. Antony had sung a Spanish song alongside Diego Maradona during his visit to Kerala in 2012. His 80-minute performance began with Jim Reeves’ ‘Welcome to my World’. Mehboob Memorial Orchestra provided accompaniment.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – December 18th, 2014

The foundation for the church, believed to be the oldest situated at Trimulgherry in the Cantonment area, was laid in 1853

The 162-year-old Church of South India Garrison Wesley Church, which was meant only for British Army officers before Independence, has been restored to its original shape nd is all set to regain its glory.

The cornerstone for the heritage church, believed to be the oldest situated at Trimulgherry next to the post office in the Cantonment area, was laid in 1853 and completed in 1881. During last monsoon, the rafters of the church gave way prompting repairs.

Painstaking effort
The church built with lime and mortar has a hoary past and its construction was taken up only after Rev. William Burgess came from Madras in 1878. A Kanyakumari-based firm that specialises in conservation architecture and worked on heritage sites was assigned the task of restoring the church to its original shape. According to Mr. Thomas, who represents the firm, a mixture of eggs, jaggery, herbs, aloe vera leaves, fine lime powder and lime mortar were ground with jute to prepare the concentrate that was used for the finishing job. An amount of Rs 1 crore was spent on restoration work.

D. Sudesh Kumar, secretary of Pastorate Committee, told The Hindu on Saturday that there is a tragic tale to its construction. Lillian Burgess and Arthur Burgess, wife and son of Rev William Burgess had set sail from London with the bell to be fixed in the newly constructed church. But the ship they were travelling sank in the sea and the bell was never installed. Even today, there is no bell in the Church, which now has over 250 families worshipping every Sunday.

Rev William Burgess was assisted by Rev Charless Walker Posnett, who later went on to oversee construction of the imposing Medak church, according to Rev Jyothy Sunder, Presbyter in charge of CSI Garrison Wesley Church. The renovated church is being re-dedicated at a ceremony on Sunday by the Moderator of Church of South India Rev Dyvaashirvadam.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Telangana / by Ravi Reddy / Hyderabad – December 21st, 2014

Hyderabad :

Once a minister in Nizam’s court and a ‘shaukeen-mijaaz’, legend goes that he wore clothes European that were laundered in Paris, ate only European food, threw lavish parties, ‘Umrah-e-Uzaam’ nawab Fakhr-ul-mulk hadn’t wished to live longer to see his small kingdom being swept away by the winds of development, corruption and encroachment. The remnants of the more-than-century-old monument, peeping out from a corner at SR Nagar, tells the story of grandeur and splendour the Nawab was once known for.

Now a private property, as claimed by the great grandson of the aristocrat, the monument has tombs of Fakhr-ul-mulk, his wife, their five sons and other numerous descendants. “Until 1970, we received jaagir from the government to maintain the tomb. But when it stopped, shops and houses started cropping up on the property,” said Mir Sarfaraz Hussain, the great grand son of the nawab and a retired commissioner of commercial tax.

Recently the ‘zannana’ or female entrance of the tomb was obstructed when a mulgi was set up along boundary wall of the structure. “We even approached the GHMC commissoner but nothing has come of it,” rues the Sarfaraz Hussain.

Not just encroachment, but in last 100 years, the industrial development and urbanisation tanned down its shine. The structure has endured traffic pollution for decades. With the metro rail passing through the area, the existential troubles have only increased for the the nawab’s tomb. “When the area fell under HMR plan, they negotiated with the encroachers and paid them. If taken away, we fear the beauty of the tomb be lost as it will be further sandwiched in the dust of developing the transport system,” points out the Mir Amanath Hussain, the great great grand of Fakhr-ul-Mulk and adds that the matter is pending in the court at the moment.

Erected on two acres out of the total four acres and 27 guntas estate, the tomb is a pagan symbol of tomb architecture in Hyderabad. It is also marked as the last major monument to be constructed in the Qutub Shahi revival style of architecture. Constructed with stone, lime stone and sand, it is quite modest but imposing at the same time.

The tomb that was awarded the Intach Heritage award in 2011 for being instrumental in the evolution of tomb architecture in Hyderabad, with its creaking iron gate, wild overgrowth, broken fountain, rumbling pool, unkept pathway — are all the tell-tale signs of sheer negligence. It’s ironic that the sixth generation of the family hardly has any knowledge of their glorious past or of the majestic stone structure in which they are associated with.

“Yearly we spend a lot of money on the upkeeping of the tomb but as you can see its not enough. What’s more is that no one takes interest in the upkeep of the place,” rues Sarfaraz Hussain and adds “when family is apathetic towards our ancestors, there is no surprise if the administration takes no heed of our pleas.” While fighting many legal battles, the retired government employee is also battling his relatives to set up a private committee to look after the upkeep of the structure.

M Vedakumar, a former core committee member of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and the President of Forum for Better Hyderabad opines that retaining the rights of the heritage structure and its precinct by the private parties is justified. “The Government should, however, take into account the condition of the structure and provide assistance for its maintenance,” he said.

He feels that there is a need for a heritage cell to look into all the matter pertaining to the upkeeping of heritage structures. And rightly so, for one doesn’t know how many of the 156 heritage sites will exist for our grandchildren to see.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Sadaf Aman / November 25th, 2014

Do you know that great geometric combinations and mathematical reasoning has gone into the construction of Charminar? Visitors are usually astounded by the beauty of the 16 century monument, but not many know how the number ‘char’ (four) and its multiples figure in the designing of the structure. In at least 22 spots the magic of four dazzles.

Of course, the main Minars and arches are four. So are the small arches decorated on each side of the main arch. The number of galleries built in each Minar at different level is four. Again each Minar is divided into four parts. The supporting arches (big petals) to galleries and main dome in each Minar are four. The number of entrance arches built in four directions to enter the Minar is also four. And it was the fourth Qutb Shahi king, Mohd. Quli Qutb Shah, who built the Charminar!

There are also effigies of pigeon, parrot, squirrel and peacock in the delicate stucco work of Charminar. Mind-boggling, isn’t it? If your curiosity is aroused, don’t mind. You can now find all about Charminar, the little known and not so well-known things, in the new book on the monument authored by M.A. Qaiyum, retired deputy director, Department of Archaeology and Museums.

The book titled “Charminar in Replica of Paradise” is, perhaps, the first publication devoted entirely to the legendary Qutb Shahi masterpiece.

“So beautiful, so old and so complete”. One is compelled to repeat this comment of a western traveller after going through the 220-page book. The 190 multi colour photos, illustrations and paintings on real art paper make it a collector’s item.

Mr. Qaiyum traces the 400 years of journey from Qutub Minar to Charminar (1192-1591 AD). He throws light on monuments all over the world which sport Minars to explain the concept of minarets. For instance, there are references with pictures of the first Turkish mosque with four Minars built between 1569-75, the Qaismi Mosque with four minarets built in Iranian architects in Baghdad, the four Minars on the main entrance gate of Emperor Akbar’s mausoleum in Agra. Not just this. The book contains pictures of spiral minaret (Iraq), square minaret (Morocco), cylindrical minaret (Afghanistan).

Mr. Qaiyum discusses in detail the Paradise gardens and their significance in Persian life and culture. A well laid out garden is a symbol of happiness and prosperity. The ‘Char Bagh’ or four garden pattern was introduced in India by the first Mughal king, Babar. This concept was also followed when Charminar was constructed. “In later years the gardens and parks gave way to streets and houses and few know that Hyderabad once had a virtual garden of Paradise”, says Mr. Qaiyum. He can be reached on phone 8978877448.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by J.S. Ifthekhar / Hyderabad – October 28th, 2014