In January, the British Residency Building in Hyderabad will be fully completed. This magnificent mansion introduced European-style architecture to the area in the early 19th century and is one of the most important heritage buildings in the city. The launch of the internal translation center will complete the future protection process of the building, although visitors will have to wait a few more months before opening the campus to the public.

Built between 1803 and 1808, this building was not only the residence of the East India Company in the Nizam court, but also a center of power, sometimes concealing the authority of successive monarchs.

The place of residence for the British to provide a permanent residence and a mature military base in Prince Hyderabad is also the result of the Second Nizam, Mirnizam Ali Khan, and Assaf Jah II's affiliated alliance treaty in 1798 Joined the British East India Company in

After independence, this historic monument became the Osmanian University Women's College (OUCW), which was closed for restoration in the early 2000s.

The building has now become a protected monument notified by the Department of Heritage of the State Council. It also serves as the famous work "White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in India in the Eighteenth Century" by the Scottish historian William Dalrymple (William Dalrymple). : Love and Betrayal in 18-Century India), the book tells the love story between the British resident James Achilles (Kirkpatrick) and his married Muslim noble Khair-un-Nissa Begum. Kirkpatrick commissioned and supervised the construction of the building when he was the sixth resident of Hyderabad from 1798 to 1805.

At present, a small team of workers are completing the last layer of lime water and are engaged in various public utility services. Upon completion in January, the building will have an interpretation center, and OUCW will reserve some rooms to accommodate the office of the principal, deputy principal and conference hall.

Shaping the history of Deccan politics

The building was designed by the Madras engineer Lieutenant Samuel Russell, and it took six years to build under the supervision of Kirkpatrick and Raja Mudaliar. Professor Salma Ahmed Farooqui of the HK Sherwani Deccan Research Center of Mullana Azad University of Urdu (MANUU) said that it was after the signing of the affiliation alliance treaty in 1798 that the land and garden houses of Nawab Shamsher Jung were handed over. In Britain, the second Nizam built a permanent residence for British diplomats.

"After the signing of the treaty, the British gained a political foothold in Prince Hyderabad. One of the country’s largest camps was established in Secunderabad at the time, and British troops were permanently stationed. In addition, the Nizam moved the northern Circars to the fertile east The coastal areas were ceded to the British,” added Professor Farouki, who is also the director of the Persian Society for Social Studies (India Office).

She said that residents are not only diplomats, they are also popular in Hyderabad’s social circles. They adopted the local culture, dressed like Nawabs, participated in social gatherings, used to use pots and hookahs, and spoke in Persian and later Urdu. This was also a period when the European lifestyle and English as a language had a great influence among the aristocracy. "Kirkpatrick is so popular that he was awarded the title of Hashmat Jung by Nizam. He is also known as Farzand-e-Dilpasand, which means favorite son. The market area near the house-Hashmat Gunj and Russell Gunj, named after British residents," she added.

However, with their popularity, their control of the monarch also increased. Professor Farooqui quoted the book "Nizam-British Relations 1724-1857" by scholar Sarojini Regani, saying that Nizam chose a colonial agent because his kingdom faced the rulers of Maratha and Mysore. The threat of Tipu Sultan. Also during the second Nizam rule, the Assafjah rulers moved the capital of the region from Aurangabad back to Hyderabad. Previously, Hyderabad was the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty from 1591 to 1687, until the Mughal Emperor Aurangab conquered Golconda and moved the capital to Aurangabad. In 1724, the first Nizam Mir Kamal Uddin Khan (Asaf Jah I) declared independence from the Mughal dynasty, but it was not until 1763 that the capital moved from Aurangabad back to Hyde Laba.

She said that during Nizam's continuous rule, the power and influence of British residents were further consolidated, so that even the Prime Minister was the choice of the British, and they had a great say in everything. "The fourth generation of Mr. Nizam Fakunda Ali Khan was awarded the title of Yar-o-Wafadar (Faithful ally) by the United Kingdom. Although Nizam is the ruler, if he does not sign the subsidiary alliance treaty, his Autonomy will not be maintained," Professor Farouki said.

A 15-year conservation project

Although the conservation and restoration project only started in 2015, in the early 2000s, the then president of the university, Pramada Devi, together with heritage conservation architect Vasanta Shobha Turaga, explored ways to protect the building from structural disintegration for the future. In 2002 and 2004, the building was listed as a distress heritage building of the World Heritage Observation Program by the World Heritage Foundation of New York.

The Academy worked with WMF in 2010 to develop a conservation management plan. The project implementation committee composed of OU, the Ministry of Heritage, the National Cultural Fund and WMF subsequently jointly raised funds and started work in 2015. A member of the project team stated that so far, 130 million rupees of the total project cost has been used for repairs, and donations are still being raised.

First, repaired a scale model of the Residency building that was destroyed by falling branches in 1978. The traditional doll house in the British mansion in Lang Maha Garden was rebuilt with the assistance of the Deccan Heritage Foundation in London. The adjacent cemetery was restored with the support of the British South Asian Cemetery Association (BASCA)

Early 1800s: The original "doll house", a model of an old British residential area in Hyderabad in 1973, with students @Ilovehyderabad from Koti Women's College. The consensus says this is not a toy, but Kirkpatrick, who lives in a boudoir, can see all of her house.

Cc: @IndiaHistorypic pic.twitter.com/BcOpdoaAHQ

— Dr. Andrew Fleming (@Andrew007Uk), May 4, 2020

Given the scale of the building and the multiple levels of its history, the conservation project is challenging, and the conservation team led by the chief consultant conservation architect GN Heritage Matters and the restorer Jeernodhar Conservators insists. According to the priority of protection needs and the availability of funds, these projects are carried out in six phases. "The first task to be solved is the threat to the structural integrity of the building. The ceiling of the western oval (spherical) room has collapsed. It must be demolished and redone again." In addition, the wooden beams were damaged by water seepage. "It was also a challenge to purchase a huge 30-foot-long teak wood to redo the entire beam."

When construction started, the 8 ceiling fans, 3 chandeliers and 12 tall mirrors in the Darbar Hall were from the British era, except for the Burmese teak log doors and windows. The conservation team believes that although this building is one of the best examples of Palladian architecture, it was not designed by an architect.

"Although we have some documents and images for reference, the building itself began to reveal the layers of history. This is because when new residents took over, they continued to renovate the building. These designs may have been taken from pattern books by Indian craftsmen. Translated into a building. The oval banquet hall was originally not an oval, but a rectangle. The circular staircase does not exist."

In addition to Darbar Hall, the building has seven rooms on the first floor and nine rooms on the first floor, in addition to a basement (originally designed as the first floor). Although the classical facade on the north side has huge columns, marble stairs and two lions on both sides as guards, forming a rich porch, the original entrance of the building is through the basement on the south side, and the circular porch faces the Musi River Opposite the old town. The conservation team added: “For a long time, we thought that the dome was a masonry structure, but when we inspected it, we found a wooden frame inside. Even four years later, the reveal of the historical hierarchy occurred. Once. We opened a wall and found a wooden staircase behind the wall."

Another unique feature of the building is the pulp ceiling of Darbar Hall, which may be the only remaining ceiling of this kind in India. This is almost 60% damage, and it will take several years to repair this alone. The team stated that each challenge will lead to changes in the decision-making process for appropriate protection interventions while keeping in mind the future of the building.

More work to be done

In addition to 150 years of colonial history and its impact on the region, the Interpretation Center will also showcase the role of OUCW in the education of women in the state during the seven years after independence.

Anuradha Naik, the conservation architect who will manage the center, said the concept is to use archive footage, photos and old maps to disseminate information about the building, its history, and Deccan’s politics and conservation projects at the time.

According to OUCW President Professor Vijjulatha Manga, the building and center are scheduled to be completed in January. “But we must also repair the Rang Mahal gate, the wing and the garden. It will take several months. HMDA expressed its willingness to support the repair of the wing, and the Pleach India Foundation expressed its willingness to repair the Rang Mahal gate and the garden,” the principal said.

Naik is currently writing a book about life and stories about living in the UK. "The building itself is a gem we have," she said.

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