Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019 with funding from Public.Resource.Org https://archive.org/details/landmarksofdeccaOOsyed LANDMARKS OF THE DECCAN LANDMARKS OF THE DECCAN A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS OF THE CITY AND SUBURBS OF HYDERABAD SYED ALI ASGAR BILGRAMI, ASAFJAHI ASIAN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES NEW DELHI ★ MADRAS ★ 1992 ASIAN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES. * C-2/15, S.D.A. NEW DELHI-110016 * 5 SRIPCIRAM FIRST STREET, MADRAS-600014. First Published: 1927 AES Reprint New Delhi, 1992 ISBN: 81-206-0543-8 Published by J. Jetley for ASIAN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES C-2/15, SDA New Delhi-110016 Processed by APEX PUBLICATION SERVICES New Delhi-110016 Printed at Hi-tech Offset Printers Oelhi-i 10053 landmarks of tfje ©ecratr A Comprehensive Guide to the Archaeological Remains of the City and Suburbs of Hyderabad BY SYED ALI AS GAR BILGRAMI, ASAFJAHI Ag. Director of Archceology (1922-1924) Asst. Secretary to H.E.H. the Nizam’s Government, Judicial, Police & General Departments HYDERABAD-DECCAN: PRINTED AT THE GOVERNMENT CENTRAL PRESS 1927 I ■ . CONTENTS 1. DEDICATION. 2. INTRODUCTION. 3. PREFACE. 4. LIST OF MONUMENTS. 5. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 6. LIST OF AUTHORITIES. 7. CHRONOLOGY OF QUTBSHAHI DYNASTY. 8. DESCRIPTION OF MONUMENTS. 9. RETROSPECT. 10. INDEX. DEDICATION TO Lieutenant-General His Exalted Highness, Asaf Jah, Muzaffar-ul Mulk-Val-Mumalik, Nizamud-Dowlah, Nizam-ul-Mulk, NAWAB MIR SIR OSMAN ALI KHAN BAHADUR Fateh Jung, Faithful Ally of the British Government, Sipah Salar, Sultan-ul Uloom, G.C.S.I., G.C.B.E., Nizam of Hyderabad. This Book Is by Gracious Permission Dedicated by HIS EXALTED HIGHNESS’ Most Devoted Servant and Faithful Subject, SYED ALI ASGAR BILGRAMI. INTRODUCTION This English edition of the “ Maathir-e-Deccan, ” is the outcome of the favourable reception which was accorded to the Urdu edition of this book and the encouraging remarks made by the intelligentia in general. I am greatly indebted to M. A.N. Hydari, Esquire, (Nawab Hydar Nawaz Jung Bahadur) the Finance Member of the Hyderabad Executive Council, whose interest in the Arch- ceology of the State is well known, for his valuable suggestion to publish this English version, so that it may make a wider appeal both in the East and the West. I am also grateful to Nawab Inayeth Jung Bahadur, an enlightened member of the Hyderabad aristocracy, and a great grandson of the late Prime Minister, Nawab Ruknud Dowlah Bahadur, for his ardently following me in most of my adventures when I used to hunt for fresh inscriptions in the ruined cemetries of forgotten ages. It is hoped that the shortcomings of this little work may receive gentle treatment by its readers and that its co-ordinating data may be of some value to Archceological scholars. I have inserted a Retrospect of the origin and progress of the Qutbshahi dynasty at the end of the text and revised this edition with many useful additions and reference and some minor inaccuracies have been removed. Hyderabad-Deccan, S. A. A. v t 1st March 1927. J PREFACE {To the Urdu edition.) The antiquarian remains of His Exalted Highness the Nizam’s Dominions are in no way less important in respect of their variety and interest than the chief monuments of the Indian Empire. Wherever you look, to whatever quarter you turn in His Exalted Highness’ dominions, you will find them covered with the most varied remains of the past— remains that belong to every age from Palaeolithic times down to the 20th century, remains which are representative of many peoples and of many creeds. Of prehistoric anti¬ quities there is an abundance throughout the whole .State particularly in the Southern and Eastern districts, where besides Palaeolithic and Neolithic remains you have those very interesting monuments, the circular cairns and Mono¬ lithic tombs, which are generally classed as prehistoric. Among the earliest records of the historic age, the rock inscriptions at Maski (Raichur) are unique in that they refer to the Emperor Asoka by his own name and thus once and for all place his identity beyond dispute. Then the cave temples and monasteries hewn from the living rock at Ajanta and at Ellora, afford especially valuable material for the study of Indian plastic and pictorial art, for these monuments, particularly the frescoes of Ajanta, have a far reaching significance in the historic art not only of this country, but of Asia in general. A large fresco painting in Cave No. I at Ajanta is still easily recognizable as a vivid representation of the reciprocated courtesy in the presenta¬ tion of their credentials by the Persian envoys from Khusru II, king of Persia, who in 625 A.D. had received a compli¬ mentary embassy from Pulakesin—(608-642 A.D.) kifig pf 4 the Deccan (Vatapi), the modem Badami in the Bijapur district. This picture, in addition to its interest as a contemporary record of unusual political relations between India and Persia, is of the highest value as a landmark in the history of the art. At Ellora, the paintings which once adorned the walls of the caves, have now all but perished and only the more durable sculptures remain. The Thousand-Pillared Temple at Warangal (Hanam- konda), the temples of Amba Jogai (Mominabad) and Tulja- pur, an almost unique structural Chaitya-hall at Ter in Osmanabad district and the remains of Alampur of the early Mediaeval age, are likely to prove very enlightening as links between the earliest Buddhist stupas and later temple architecture. At Ittagi, Palampet and Anwa, there are some of the most perfect "and most splendid examples of Chalukyan style. The ancient remains of old Paithan (Pra- thisthana) and the buried temples of Patancheru, Alwam- palli (Mahbubnagar district) and Karimnagar, offer a re¬ markably wide scope for exploration and research. The chain of Saracenic buildings begins with the early Muslim conquerors, Qutbuddin Mubarak Khilji and Mu¬ hammad Tughlaq ; the imposing monuments of the Bahmani dynasty at Gulburga, the towering Chand Minar at Daulat- abad, the tomb of Ahmad Shah Wali at Bidar, the palatial Madrasa of Mahmud Gawan and the Badshahi Ashur Khana in which the lapse of so many centuries have failed to rob the freshness and resplendence of their Persian enamelled tiles. The mausoleum of Ali Barid, the finely proportioned Mecca Masjid, the Char Minar and the tombs of the Qutb Shahi Kings of Golconda may be ranked among greatest Architectural creations of the East and they by themselves tell the tale of Muslim genius in Architecture and of the bygone glory of the rulers of the Deccan. 5 The peculiarities of these splendid groups of antiquities have drawn towards them Western explorers and Oriental scholars as far back as 1665 or even 760 A.D. when Monsieur Thevenot, the famous French traveller or the Chinese pil¬ grim Hieun Thsang first visited these lands. These memorials of the past being a great national asset, the State as well as the people have every reason to guard and to cherish them with the most zealous care. The Govern¬ ment of His Exalted Highness the Nizam in consequence, is taking great pains to preserve them for posterity. Apart from the educational value of these ancient monuments the beauty which pervades their line and their colour, their delicate grace and their massive strength, the beauty which enshrines their stately walls and battlements, their pillared halls and soaring minarets, and the beauty of the graven or painted forms combine in themselves the best traditions and ideals of the Indian genius and tells the his¬ tory of the bygone generations. Ever since the inaguration of the State Archaeological Department in 1914 (1323 Fasli) a good number of reports and journals, illustrated by photos and drawings, have been published which deal in detail with the account of the Archaeological remains of the dominions. Mr. Henry Cousens was the first to compile a list of Anti¬ quarian Remains of the Nizam’s Dominions in 1899. This list, apart from being incomplete, was prepared in a summary manner and consequently it is difficult to form any adequ¬ ate idea of the monuments which have been described in it. To wit, the monuments of the entire city and suburbs of Hyderabad have been dealt with in a single leaf of this list. In 1922, When Mr. Ghulam Yazdani, the permanent Director of Archaeology of the State, proceeded on deputation to Europe and Islamic countries for a period of 2 years, I was put in charge of this Department by the Gracious Farman of His Exalted Highness, and as in the course of discharging 6 my interesting duties I had the privilege of going through the valuable data collected by the Department and also by having the occasion of constantly visiting and examining these ancient monuments, I felt the necessity of preparing a comprehensive descriptive list of the ancient monuments of these Dominions and first of all the remains in the premier city and its suburbs engaged my attention. The present volume may be taken as the first instalment of this under¬ taking, and conditions being favourable, I propose to compile lists of the antiquarian remains of the four Subahs of the Deccan, in the same fashion. The monuments mentioned in this volume are situated in the city and suburbs of Hyderabad and in listing these monuments I have followed the principles laid down by the Superintendent, Archaeological Survey of India, Northern Circle. The uninscribed monuments have been dated with re¬ ference to the reign of the contemporary emperor and in the general description of the monuments the following rules have been adhered to :— No.—Number of monument. a. =Name of monument b.