Thank you, Aga Khan Trust …

Yes, you did it!

You did what the elected governments of people failed to do—you restored it to its original beauty, while the governments passively used it to conduct their so-called governance affairs as long as it could host them and thereafter left it to its own fate. Perhaps, maintaining its original architectural beauty for posterity might not have stuck in their mind.

I first saw this startling architectural marvel of the city— the shining white façade with cusped arches over fluted columns and grand multi-layered canopies crowned with glistering copper finials— way back in 1965 when I visited the city for the first time as a student on a study tour. Standing on the footpath of the other side of the road, just abutting the AIR campus, stared at it simply in awe.

This edifice—a grand example of Indo-Saracenic architecture adorned with Rajasthani embellishments— originally known as the ‘Mahabubia Town Hall’, was built by the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahaboob Ali Khan. Its foundation was laid in 1905 and was thrown open for public assembly in 1913.

Later, on the formation of AP, it became the Legislative Assembly Hall of the government. Since then, this white silhouette against Hyderabad’s blue sky stood as a symbol of democracy.  But the incompatible additions/alterations made to suit the requirements of the Assembly Hall, and the lack of/poor maintenance leading to water ingress—all cumulatively, over a period of time, made the building unfit for use.

It is at this juncture that the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) stepped in to restore the building to its original beauty. It started the conservation work in late 2024. It noticed many challenges: there were certain missing elements, such as the urns on the parapet and secondly, scrapping of cement plaster repairs that was unmindfully carried out by the modern-day engineers; restoration of stucco plaster on the façade and ensuring structural stability of the building as a whole that ensures its reuse.

Driven by these challenges, the trust adopted a ‘craft-based’ approach focusing on the utilisation of traditional materials and techniques. They employed master ‘craftspeople’ to carry out the conservation works on the desired lines. To begin with, they erected a temporary shed on the roof to arrest further ingress of rainwater. Then they painstakingly removed five inches of thick cement. Having located the jack-arch roof beneath it, they repaired the roof using lime mortar and handmade terracotta tiles.

Later, moving to the inside of the hall, craftsmen struggled for months to hand-scrape thick layers of enamel paint from ornate stucco that masked the delicate floral garlands and Corinthian details for all these years. Simultaneously, the carcinogenic asbestos false ceilings erected by PWD engineers were also removed. It exposed the hitherto concealed jack arches. Then they redesigned the affected ceiling parts to seamlessly merge with the Nizam-era motifs.

Then, moving to the exterior of the building that once prominently displayed its signature flowerpots and finials, which are today either missing or in a dilapidated state, restored them by engaging a small army of lime craftspeople, potters, and coppersmiths for quite a long time. The coppersmiths repaired the old copper finials by using hand tools and then reinstated them. In a similar vein, the damaged ornamental brackets were recreated to support the reconstructed eaves. Cumulatively, all this restored the building‘s outline to its original rhyme.

Then, turning their attention to the corridors—the dark, dingy passages—cleared them of brick infill walls/partitions, etc. The revived interior corridors exposed the arcade’s ornamental columns, a few of which were damaged/totally lost their shape. All of them were rebuilt/restored to their original design. This restored the original beauty of the interiors—the beauty of light and shade dancing mesmerisingly.

The trust completed the repairs and restoration work of this 60 000-square-foot heritage structure within 18 months and is now standing true to its past glory. The restoration and conservation of this historic structure teach us a lesson or two: Do not tinker with heritage structures using modern-day cement and enamel paint to make it functional for today’s needs. Instead, have patience and vision to conserve it for posterity, of course, functionally.  Such an approach to heritage structures alone preserves the history and identity of a place.  

Source: https://www.architecturaldigest.in/story/inside-the-restoration-of-a-113-year-old-nizam-era-landmark-in-hyderabad/

Photos by Sri Lipi Bharadwaj. Source is gratefully acknowledged.