Hyderabad was once home to gurgling fountains and splendid gardens. But today, most of the baghs have been usurped by landsharks while the few fountains left are lying in a state of neglect
Legend has it that Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah had imagined the then new city Bhagyanagar — which later became Hyderabad — to be a replica of the Quranic concept of the Garden of Eden, replete with boulevards, palaces, gardens and fountains. Popular historical travelogues written by the likes of Abul Kasim Ferishta, Tavernier and Thevenot unequivocally declare having not seen any city as grand as Hyderabad. And even as recently as 50 years ago, the city retained that aura of grandeur.
Princess Esra Birgin recalls being “amazed by the sight of gurgling fountains, splendid gardens that dotted the city, filled with deodis and palaces, built in a mix of Persian, European and Mughal styles,” when she first came to Hyderabad after her marriage to Prince Mukarram Jah in 1959.
The pristine gardens and fountains were instrumental in accentuating the mythical aura of the city. “Like most cities rooted in Persian architectural traditions, landscaping and water are an integral part of Hyderabad right from the Qutub Shahi era. The fountain at the base of the Charminar is perhaps the oldest public fountain,” shares city historian and heritage activist Sajjad Shahid.
A little ahead in the centre of the square was the beautiful Char-Su-Ka-Hauz, which later came to be known as Suka-Hauz and now Gulzar Hauz. The erstwhile Ameen Bagh was home to the most beautiful fountain of all. This fountain, built in the Greeko Roman style with impressive figurines, now lies defunct and is infested with stagnant rainwater at the parking area of the High Court. The state of the fountains in the Bolakpur Palace that has now been turned into the Telecommunication office in Kavadiguda and Mahaboopal Manzil in Jambagh, is no different.
“All the residences of nobility had huge gardens which boasted of impressive fountains as their centerpieces. Many of those beautiful gardens have become residential localities, which have just retained their names — Basheerbagh, Baghlingampally, Kundanbagh, Sitaram Bagh…the list can go on,” laments Anuradha Reddy.
The story of the Qutub Shahi garden located in the Naya Qila tells the tale of official apathy towards heritage of Hyderabad. “The ASI and authorities concerned colluded with realtors to reduce the garden size to 10 acres to make way for the proposed Golf Course which is being developed adjacent to the Naya Qila. A 1941 map designed by the then chief archeologist Yazdan, shows the garden spreading across 28 acres. Since filing the case, the ASI Hyderabad has gone on record stating that their assessment was flawed. The plan of the Golf Course presented to ASI Delhi clearly shows four holes of the Golf Course extending in the Qutub Shahi garden area,” states Dr Jasween Jairath, Save Our Lakes, Hyderabad.
Sajjad Shahid echoes similar sentiments. “The new protocol building that came up in Horticulture department adjacent to Jubilee Hall in Public Gardens is built on what was once a beautiful fountain and reflection pool. Parts of the lovely Afzalgunj Park — which is older than the Osmania Hospital — had to be razed to make way for a VIP entrance. Such is the insensitivity the government works with. Many such beautiful parks and fountains have disappeared in just the last three to four decades,” concludes Sajjad Shahid.
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