Burglary and Camera

I thought I will step down from the palatial stuff to some mundane matters temporarily. But what do I see? There has been a burglary in Andhra Pradesh State Museum 2 weeks back(18th Januray 2008). I should have visited this museum before the burglary. Read about the burglary here:
Burglary at AP State Museum
Burglary at AP State Museum (The Hindu Newspaper)

And for people who have asked me why I don't carry a camera to places I visit, here is the answer:
First,few museums and palaces don't allow cameras to be taken inside
Second, in case, even if they allow, they charge exorbitant rates for it.
Third, pictures steal the show from description. If book or novel writers start substituting their descriptive writings with just pictures, it will be either distractive or take away the flow. So pictures suit only text books, where in we try to study the facts and not the beauty of the object in picture.
And the last (but not the least) reason is I dont have a camera with me(atleast in Hyd).

I am sorry if you expected something else by seeing the title and got disappointed :-).

P.S: Will be writing soon what you expected!

Hyd Explorations - 2 : Qutb Shahi Tombs and Nizam's Museum

I am currently reading "Sign of the cross" by Chris Kuzneski. It has reference to Tiberius who married Julia - about whom I have written in one of the earlier blog posts.The author's writing style has a similarity to Sandilyan's writing style. He has a secret unveiling and brought up in each chapter.

Coming to the explorations,I visited Qutb Shahi tombs near Golconda and Nizam's Museum at Purani Haveli.

Qutb Shahi Tombs
Route: Go to Nampally bus stop which is near railway station. From there, there is a direct bus(I don't remember if the bus number was 142 or 172) which drops one at the gates of Qutb Shahi Tombs.The route is Nampally - Masabtank - Humayun Nagar and on the way to Gachibowli, it takes a left turn to reach Qutb Shahi Tombs.

Entrance fee is Rs. 10 per person. Office phone number is 040-23513410

There is a museum named "Qutb Shahi tombs Site Museum".

There are many tombs and a mosque and a separate mosque built for Aurangazeb when he came to capure these parts of India. The description at the entrance of the site museum gives a concise view of the Kings (and a Queen too. Mistress of King - Bhagamathi is also buried near her King) buried in the tombs there. Except for the last Nizam, who was taken as a captive, the rest of Qutb Shahi rulers are buried here. The architecture is a blend of different cultures, with Persian and Turkish dominance. And most of the rulers constructed their own tombs before they died.

The notice outside each of the tombs intrigued me. It said : "Dwelling inside the hall (tomb) is stricly prohibited".

Nizam's Museum (A must see)
This is behind Princess Durru Shehvar Children's Hospital, Near Police Commissioner Office.
Route: It is near to Afzal Gunj bus station.

Entrance fee is Rs. 70. Museum office Phone number is 040 - 24521029

There is a very lengthy two storeyed room which has a two-storeyed wardrobe or cupboard(on both sides).The first storey contains clothes and the second storey contains perfumes,soaps(made of Jadibooti) and accessories like shoes, etc. Now, as the steps have become weak, the visitors are not allowed to climb to the second storey of the cupboard, but as the doors are made of glass, one can see the contents from the floor. It seems the Nizam won't wear the dress he wore once, again.

There is a lift operated manually by pulling ropes in working condition. It is for the King to come from ground floor to first floor to his wardrobe room. After he gets dressed, he goes down by the same lift.

There is a marble bed, a marble writing table, and a marble cupboard which the Nizam used to take it along with him when he went on hunting. They are very heavy and I wondered how tedious a task it would have been to carry it. It seems the Nizam used to stay in hunting sites for months together and hence it was worth carrying. But one should see how the iron nuts and bolts are screwed in to marble stones without cracking it to make the furnitures.

Collections of the last Nizam gifted to him in a single day(during Silver Jubilee Celebrations in 1937) are on display in this museum. The collections of his Prime minister is in Salar Jung Museum.
The collections here range from Paan dhaan, Attar Dhaan, carpets, letters of appreciation and best wishes(Dua) written on a variety of things, bidri works, letter caskets,hukkas(the utensil used for smoking) ,perfume sprayers(not like what we have - they are so beautiful). They are made of gold, silver, gold plated silver, iron, mother of pearl(Sippi. I didn't know so far that Sippi was known as Mother of Pearl). Even a vessel into which you spit chewed Paan(beter leaf) is made of gold! Jade stone vessels(For testing liquids and solid food) to find if poison is present in the food items. It seems the color of the vessel changes if the substance that is put in to it is toxic.
The throne which was used by the Nizam during the silver jubilee celebrations is also kept for display.

There are two types (classification based on blade shape) of swords on display - Abbasi(straight blade) and the other one having a curved shape. Actually there are many types of swords in the world. Visit this to know more about Swords.

There was one painting of the sixth Nizam with his crown. Not an ordinary one. They give you lens to look into it. If you see through the lens, a few spots which look like a mere design for normal eye are in reality the faces of the previous Nizams. That is, the Nizam's ancestors are painted so minutely(Like writing one's name on rice) on his crown. And the Nizam's two sons are painted in his eyes(the black retina or whatever you call it).

The curator of the museum or the officials there take care of things very well.The number of visitors is less and they patiently guide you and give a description on all displays. One negative thing is there is no proper restroom in the museum.

Princess Durru Shehvar Children's hospital that is in front of Purani Haveli was constructed in the memory of Princess Durru Shehvar who got married in to Nizam's family.