Qutb Shahi Tombs museum case is abuse of judicial system: Aga Khan Trust CEO

In an interview with Siasat.com, Ratish Nanda, CEO of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, said that the case halting works on the site's interpretation centre or museum, is a "misuse" of the judicial system.

Hyderabad: When it comes to protecting its heritage and historical monuments, Hyderabad isn’t exactly best known for it. One can easily lose track of the number of monuments that have been demolished or others that have simply collapsed due to neglect over the years. However, one site in the city that has given heritage lovers something to cheer about is the Qutb Shahi Tombs complex.

The 106-acre site near the Golconda Fort, where the founding dynasty of Hyderabad is buried, has been restored to its former glory over the last decade. The site today has witnessed a turnaround thanks to the painstaking restoration called out under Ratish Nanda, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC).

Since 2013, the AKTC has been working on the site in association with the Telangana government, with over 80 monuments, which include tombs, garden enclosures, baolis (stepwells), etc, slowly and carefully restored. The work also included restoring the tomb of Sultan Mohammed Qutb Shah (the fifth Golconda king) with tilework (still underway), which leaves visitors in awe.

Siasat.com sat down with Ratish Nanda, who was in Hyderabad last week for a talk on the AKTC’s restoration work. Excerpts from the interview:

Most of the work is completed at the Qutb Shahi Tombs complex, but work on the interpretation centre is yet to be completed. What is causing the delay?

Ratish Nanda (RN): The interpretation centre (museum) space here is bigger than the one in Delhi at Humayun’s Tomb. The principal challenge has been the sheer scale of the site and the constant litigation by a local lawyer. It is a great project supported by the Government of India, but, unfortunately, caught up in the abuse of the judicial system.

Why is the interpretation centre so important to the site? Can we expect a similar one with important artefacts like the one at Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi?

RN: The tombs are on the tentative World Heritage Site and UNESCO has mandated that all such places should have visitor facilities. That could also be a museum, among others. The idea behind the Qutb Shahi Interpretation Centre is that visitors to the tombs and to Hyderabad are able to understand the cultural context of the Golconda dynasty, which founded Hyderabad.

The interpretation centre at the Qutb Shahi Tombs complex is a modern-day museum, but it goes beyond a typical museum as it will have tools that can be used to enhance visitor understanding.

What can we expect at the new interpretation centre? Where are the artefacts being sourced from?

RN: First is the building itself, and the other aspect is the permanent exhibition. The museum will have a gallery with architectural models of the whole site, on the Golconda Sultans, on the tombs and on Hyderabad itself. And, finally, there will be temporary collections on display.

There is enough from the state’s museums in terms of artefacts and we have a fantastic partnership with the Department of Heritage. In Delhi, we also bought items from International and national auctions, but here that won’t be necessary. 

The AKTC is also restoring the Baadshashi Ashoorkhana and the Paigah Tombs as well. The former is the second-oldest monument of Hyderabad and one of the few remaining with original Persian tiles. By when we can expect work on this to begin?

RN: At the Ashoorkhana, the focus is to ensure that the building structure is stable. There have been water leakages. The rest will follow after that. Work on the Paigah Tombs is already underway and we will finish that by the end of this year.