Asman Garh Palace located in Malakpet, a suburb of

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, was a palace belonging to the Paigahs of

Hyderabad State Hyderabad State () was a princely state in the Deccan region of south-central India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the ...

. The palace was declared a heritage structure by INTACH. ''Asman'' means "sky", and ''Garh'' means "home", since the palace was located so high on a hillock. The palace hosted a museum displaying archaeological relics. After that converted to an orphanage for a brief period of time. The palace presently is converted into a school (St Joseph's Public School, Asman Garh Palace branch). Located near the TV tower at Malakpet, the Asmangarh Palace was constructed in 1885 by the Paigah Noble Sir Asman Jah. Large parts of the heritage structure was demolished in 2021 by school authorities to build a structure adjacent to it.

History

The Asmangarh Palace is located on a hillock with a commanding view of the surrounding forest, which served as a hunting preserve for the

Nizam Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I ...

and his courtiers. The

was so fascinated by this miniature castle that he became a regular visitor. Sir Asman Jah eventually gave it to the

. It was designed personally and built by the erstwhile Prime Minister of

Hyderabad state Hyderabad State () was a princely state in the Deccan region of south-central India with its capital at the city of Hyderabad. It is now divided into the present-day state of Telangana, the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka, and the ...

Sir Asman Jah in 1885 on a hillock for leisure. He belonged to the Paigah family. He fulfilled his dream of building a home close to the sky. It is believed that there is a tunnel (Underground way) in the basement of the building leading to the Golkonda Fort. Unused for quite some time, the palace was leased to the Birlas who located their Archaeological Museum in it. After more than four decades, the Birla Museum moved out and the building is now under the management of St. Joseph's Education Society], which has bought the building in the year 2000. They have added a new four-storied building, in front of the villa.

Design

It is based on

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

and is in the shape of a European medieval castle. The granite

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...

s and arched windows of Asman Garh palace stand out. A granite structure in Gothic style, the compact building is too small to technically qualify as a palace, let alone the European castle which no doubt inspired its construction. Its claim as a palace is however justified by its architectural style and lofty location on a high plinth. The entrance is approached by a pair of simple symmetrical staircases which lead up to a verandah with painted arches springing from slender Corinthian columns. The painted arch is repeated in the window openings. The multi-level terraced roof is topped with castellated battlements, which form the parapet and are the most noticeable of its architectural elements. When the 7th

Mir Osman Ali Khan inherited the palace he added a unique arched gateway in the shape of the Royal Dastar (turban-like headgear, part of Hyderabad court dress and a symbol of the state).

References

External links

Picture of Asman Garh Palace

Heritage structures in Hyderabad, India Hyderabad State Palaces of Paigah of Hyderabad {{India-palace-stub