Hyderabad: Chowmahalla Palace

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Restoration efforts

2019/ some details

Serish Nanisetti, Hyderabad’s Chowmahalla Palace, fit for the Nizams once again, January 18, 2019: The Hindu

Lit up in the night: The restored Chowmahalla Palace has a glossy sheen
From: Serish Nanisetti, Hyderabad’s Chowmahalla Palace, fit for the Nizams once again, January 18, 2019: The Hindu

Painstaking conservation has restored the grandeur of Hyderabad’s Chowmahalla Palace

While Hyderabad’s heritage structures and sites are being seen as prime real estate up for grabs, the restoration of the Chowmahalla Palace to its age-old grandeur, putting it on top of the city’s must see bucket list, is a silver lining.

“This has been the most extensive effort to restore the Palace to the state it was when it was built. We have restored the original colour after trying out 500 samples and colours,” said Anuradha Naik, conservation architect, working on the project. The structure dates back to late 18th century when construction began in 1750. It was completed in the mid 19th century during the reign of Asaj Jah V.

Once spread over 60 acres near the city’s Mecca Masjid, the palace complex with its eight buildings is restricted to just about 12 acres now. A big moment was the coronation of Mukarram Jah Nizam VII in 1967 after the demise of his grandfather Nizam VI Mir Osman Ali Khan.

After 1976, however, the palace complex was left untended and uncared for till Princess Esra, former wife of Mukarram Jah, stepped in to begin restoration efforts in 2000.

“For nearly seven years, a team lead by Rahul Mehrotra, Marthand Singh and Najib Jung worked to carefully catalogue, ideate and curate a unique experience that gives a hint of the life of royalty. The other buildings are also being restored in stages,” said Kishen Rao, director of Chowmahalla Palace, who has been involved in the project right from its inception.

“We used a lime-friendly product and matched it to the original colour. We scraped off layer after layer and found the original colour. We used a 20% darker shade as lime fades as it sets in. The real challenge was marbling the front pillars, which was done for the first time. It took us six months of trial and error and close to 500 samples to get it right,” recalled Ms. Naik. The result is a stunning transformation in which pillars appear to have a glaze of newness.

Bright finish

Inside, there is a subtle change in the colour schemes and a more resplendent finish to the walls and ceiling with delicate daubs of colour on the intricate stucco work that dominates the building.

“This is an ongoing process. The upper floor of the darbar hall has been carefully restored taking care of the steel spans and beams,” said Princess Esra with a hint of pride.