Sir Viqar ul-Umara, Iqtidar ul-Mulk, Iqbal ud-Dowla, Secundar Jung,

Nawab Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...

Muhammad Fazl-ud-din Khan Bahadur (13 August 1856 – 15 February 1902), was the

Prime Minister of Hyderabad State __NOTOC__ This article lists the prime ministers of the Hyderabad State. In 1919, Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII ordered the formation of the Executive Council of Hyderabad, presided by Syed Ali Imam, Sir Sayyid Ali Imam, and with eight othe ...

from 1893 to 1901, and also served as the Amir-e-Paigah from 1881 to 1902. The town of

Vikarabad Vikarabad is a town and mandal in Vikarabad district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Vikarabad mandal of Vikarabad revenue division. History Vikarabad was named after the fifth Paigah Amir (Premier noble) H.E. Nawab Sir ...

and village is named after him.

Early life and ancestry

Viqar-ul-Umra was born as Muhammad Fazluddin Khan on 13 August 1856 to Rashiduddin Khan and Hashmatunnisa Begum. Viqar-ul-Umra's maternal grandmother was Bashirunnisa Begum, a daughter of

Nizam Ali Khan Mir Nizam Ali Khan Siddiqi, Asaf Jah II (7 March 1734 – 6 August 1803) was the 5th Nizam of Hyderabad State between 1762 and 1803. He was born on 7 March 1734 as fourth son to Asaf Jah I and Umda Begum. His official name is ''Asaf Jah II, Ni ...

Nizam of Hyderabad 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 wh ...

and Berar. Viqar-ul-Umra was a member of the

Paigah family Paigah family was a noble family from the former Hyderabad State. The family maintained their own court, individual palaces, and a standing army of about fourteen thousand infantry and cavalry troops. History The word ''Paigah'', which mean ...

. The family was hierarchically second to the

. The family members were staunch loyalists of the Nizam. The family descends from the

Rashidun caliph The Rashidun Caliphate () is a title given for the reigns of first caliphs (lit. "successors") — Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali collectively — believed to represent the perfect Islam and governance who led the Muslim community and po ...

Umar Umar ibn al-Khattab (; ), also spelled Omar, was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () and is regarded as a senior companion and father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Mu ...

. One of the family's ancestor is the Sufi saint

Fariduddin Ganjshakar Farīduddīn Masūd Ganjshakar ( – 16 Oct 1265), commonly known as Bābā Farīd or Sheikh Farīd (also in Anglicised spelling Fareed, Fareed ud-Deen, Masood, etc.), was a 13th-century Punjabi Muslim mystic, poet and preacher. Revered by ...

. Another ancestor Muhammad Abu’l Khair Khan was a ''

mansabdar The Mansabdar was a military unit within the administrative system of the Mughal Empire introduced by Akbar later used in all over in early modern India. The word ''mansab'' is of Arabic origin meaning rank or position. The system determined th ...

'' during Mughal emperor

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

's reign.

Tenure as prime minister

During his years as prime minister, he made valuable contributions in the field of education. The education department, the engineering school, the law classes, the legislative Council and the Asafia Library were opened under his prime-ministership. He was the fifth

Amir Emir (; ' (), also transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or ceremonial authority. The title has ...

of a noble family, the Paigahs, and was the maternal grandson of

Asaf Jah III Sikander Jah, Asaf Jah III (11 November 1768 – 21 May 1829), was the 3rd Nizam of Hyderabad, India from 1803 to 1829. He was born in Chowmahalla Palace in the Khilwath, the second son of Asaf Jah II and Tahniat un-nisa Begum. Family ;Consorts ...

. Sir Muhammad Fazl ud-din built the magnificent palace like

Falaknuma Palace Falaknuma is a former palace and currently a luxury hotel in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It originally belonged to the Paigah (Hyderabad), Paigah family, and was later owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad. It is on a hillock and covers a area in F ...

as his residence, which took 9 years to build and was completed in 1893. He also built the magnificent

Paigah Palace Paigah Palace is a palace in Hyderabad, India. It was built by Sir Vicar-ul-Umra, a Paigah nobleman. This was built after he gave the famous Falaknuma Palace to the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad state, Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI. The Palace ...

in the European style of architecture, after he gave the Falaknuma palace to

Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI Asaf Jah VI, also known as Sir Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqi (17 August 1866 – 29 August 1911), was the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad. He ruled Hyderabad State, one of the princely states of India, between 1869 and 1911. Early life Mahboob Ali ...

, where he spent his life. He built

Vikhar Manzil Vikhar Manzil was a mansion of the Paigah nobleman and former Prime Minister of Hyderabad State, Sir Viqar-ul-Umra. He was amazed by the Hussain Sagar Hussain Sagar (alternatively referred to as Tank Bund; ) is a heart-shaped lake in Hydera ...

, near

Hussain Sagar Hussain Sagar (alternatively referred to as Tank Bund; ) is a heart-shaped lake in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, built by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah in 1562. It is spread across an area of and is fed by the Musi River (India), River Musi. A large mo ...

lake.

Architecture

Viqar-ul-Umra commissioned the

Spanish Mosque The Spanish Mosque, also known as the ''Masjid Iqbal Ud Daula'' and the ''Jam e Masjid "Aiwan-E-Begumpet"'', is a mosque within Paigah Palace, in the Begumpet neighbourhood of Hyderabad, in the Hyderabad district of the state of Telangana, I ...

(original name: Jama Masjid Aiwan-e-Begumpet) at

Begumpet Begumpet ("Begum's Place") is an upscale locality of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Begumpet is named after the daughter of the sixth Nizam (Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI), Basheer Unnisa Begum, who received it as part of her wedding dowry when ...

, Hyderabad in 1887. He started its construction after getting inspired by

Spanish architecture Spanish architecture refers to architecture in any area of what is now Spain, and by Spanish architects worldwide, influencing mainly areas of what was once part of the Spanish Empire. The term includes buildings which were constructed within t ...

during one of his trips to Spain. It is built in the

Moorish architecture Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture that developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus (the Iberian Peninsula) and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia (part of the Maghreb). Scholarly references on Is ...

style and has

calligraphy Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an e ...

horseshoe arch The horseshoe arch (; ), also called the Moorish arch and the keyhole arch, is a type of arch in which the circular curve is continued below the horizontal line of its diameter, so that the opening at the bottom of the arch is narrower than the ar ...

es and influences of

Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical ancient Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often con ...

. Viqar-ul-Umra constructed the

in 1893. Later on this palace was allegedly gifted to the Nizam

Mahbub Ali Khan Mahbub Ali Khan (; 3 November 1934 – 6 August 1984) was a Bangladesh Navy rear admiral and the Chief of the Naval Staff (Bangladesh), chief of naval staff from 1979 until his death in 1984. He is known for his heroic actions for his country. ...

under political pressure. This palace was built with a blend of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

and

Tudor architecture The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture in England and Wales, during the Tudor period (1485–1603) and even beyond, and also the tentative introduction of Renaissance architecture to Britain. It fo ...

and the ceiling is adorned with

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

s. It also has the world's largest dining wall in which chairs made of

rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...

are present. Currently, it is a hotel, leased to

Taj Hotels Taj Hotels is a chain of luxury hotels and a subsidiary of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, India. Incorporated by Jamsetji Tata in 1902, the company is a part of the Tata Group. The company employed over 20,000 peop ...

. Notable dignitaries to stay in this palace include

Czar Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

, Queen Mary,

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

and

Ivanka Trump Ivana Marie "Ivanka" Trump (; born October 30, 1981) is an American businesswoman. She is the second child of Donald Trump, the president of the United States, and his first wife, Ivana. Trump was a senior advisor in her father's first admi ...

. After Nizam bought the Falaknuma Palace, Viqar-ul-Umra built the

(originally known as Aiwan-e-Viqar) for himself. The Zenana Mahal in it was built with a blend of

Neo Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

Indo-Saracenic Indo-Saracenic architecture (also known as Indo-Gothic, Mughal-Gothic, Neo-Mughal) was a Revivalism (architecture), revivalist architectural style mostly used by British architects in India in the later 19th century, especially in public and gov ...

and

Mughal architecture Mughal architecture is the style of architecture developed in the Mughal Empire in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries throughout the ever-changing extent of their empire in the Indian subcontinent. It developed from the architectural styles of ea ...

. A part of the palace houses the U.S. consulate and a part of it is inhabited by his descendants. By , he built scores of monuments, public buildings, Dams, water reservoirs, artificial lakes, and about 21 palaces and mansions in the state of Hyderabad including the palace of

also known as Aiwan-e-Begumpet. Viqar-ul-Umra founded the city of

in present-day

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

state, India. This town is named after him. In this beautiful town with a mini hill station of Ananthgiri hills, he constructed the Sultan Manzil for his son Nawab Sultan-Ul-Mulk, post-office, police station, Hospital, Sanitarium, Vikarabad Bazar, Kotpally dam, Vikarabad lake and a hunting lodges imported from London in 1882.

Personal life

In , Viqar-ul-Umra married Jahanderunnisa Begum. She was the fourth daughter of Nizam

Afzal ad-Dawlah, Asaf Jah V Afzal ad-Dawlah, Asaf Jah V Mir Tahniyat Ali Khan Siddiqi (11 October 1827 – 26 February 1869) was the fifth Nizam of Hyderabad state, Hyderabad, India, from 1857 to 1869. Realm Asaf Jah V's realm was divided into five Subah (province), subah ...

Tahniyath Ali Khan and a sister of Nizam

Mahboob Ali Khan Asaf Jah VI, also known as Sir Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqi (17 August 1866 – 29 August 1911), was the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad. He ruled Hyderabad State, one of the princely states of India, between 1869 and 1911. Early life Mahboob Al ...

. After Nawab Viqar-ul-Umra Bahadur was knighted, his wife took the title Lady Viqar-ul-Umra. Their son Sultan-ul-Mulk was born on 3 November 1875. He later became the Amir-i-Paigah-Viqar-ul-Umra (Amir-i-Paigah of Viqar-ul-Umra branch). They also had a daughter – Liaqatunnisa Begum. In 1878, Viqar-ul-Umra married Munirunnisa Begum, the daughter of Nawab Hamza Ali Khan Bahadur. Their son Waliuddin Khan was born on 13 March 1880. He later served as the

Prime Minister of Hyderabad __NOTOC__ This article lists the prime ministers of the Hyderabad State. In 1919, Asaf Jah VII ordered the formation of the Executive Council of Hyderabad, presided by Sir Sayyid Ali Imam, and with eight other members, each in charge of one ...

. They also had a daughter – Taharaqunnisa Begum. Although Viqar-ul-Umra's previous marriages were

arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestratio ...

, he fell in love with Dr. Gulbai Viccajee, a Hyderabadi

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

. They first met in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. In 1900, they married. As she was a

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

by faith (colloquially known as

Parsi The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...

), she converted to Islam to marry him. She took the name Nur Jahan Begum. After marriage, she left her medical profession and lived in ''

purdah Pardah or purdah (from Hindi-Urdu , , meaning "curtain") is a religious and social practice of sex segregation prevalent among some Muslim, Zoroastrian and Hindu communities. The purdah garment is the same as a burqa, or yashmak, i.e a veil ...

'' at

. Viqar-ul-Umra died while hunting at Yalghadap - Khanapur (in present-day

Nizamabad district Nizamabad district, also known as Induru district, is a district located in the north-western region of the Indian state of Telangana. The city of Nizamabad is the district headquarters. The district share boundaries with Jagtial, Sircilla, N ...

) on 15 February 1902. He is buried at the

Paigah Tombs Paigah Tombs or Maqhbara Shams al-Umara, are the tombs belonging to the nobility of Paigah family, who were fierce loyalists of the Nizams, served as statespeople, philanthropists and generals under and alongside them. The Paigah tombs are amo ...

Polo

Viqar-ul-Umra was an avid player of

polo Polo is a stick and ball game that is played on horseback as a traditional field sport. It is one of the world's oldest known team sports, having been adopted in the Western world from the game of Chovgan (), which originated in ancient ...

. He discovered the sport during a tour to Europe and later brought it to

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 ...

. He went on to popularise the sport amongst the

nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

of the state. He also constructed polo grounds in the state and organized polo tournaments for the royal families.

References

External links

Feature on a palace he built

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viqar-Ul-Umra Hyderabad State 1856 births 1902 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Indian knights Recipients of the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal Prime ministers of Hyderabad State