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‘We removed the jhoomar (chandelier) as the pieces of mirror started falling’
SERISH NANISETTI
HYDERABAD
The decorative mirror work on the ceiling if Maula Ali Dargah is crumbling as the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) continues to build a ramp to take pilgrims up the hillock.
The recent observance of Hazrat Ali’s birthday, which brought in a large number of devotees to the hill shrine, revealed the extent of damage.
“We have removed the jhoomar (chandelier) as the pieces of mirror started falling. We were worried that the chandelier would fall on someone,” says Mir Ashraf Ali Razvi, superintendent of Maula Ali Dargah.
Heavy machinery
“Controlled blasting is safe, but when heavy machinery is used, there will ve be minute vibrations that can travel across the rock. Perhaps, the mirror work being old is leading to the damage,” said a Department of Mines official when informed about the condition of the monument. “The structural stability of the building will not be affected,” he said.
The ramp work on the Maula Ali shrine is being carried out at a cost of ₹20 crore and will include a parking space for 50 cars and 250 two-wheelers. Currently, vehicles have to go up the first landing, which has a small parking area. The ramp work, which is going on at a rapid pace, will girdle the iconic rock formation and land near the radio tower complex. Ironically, while the road work is being done by the GHMC at great speed, the restoration work on the arches and on the main structure has been stalled over the past three years. ” We don’t know why they stopped the work. The scaffolding has become a permanent fixture. They promised to build a big dome over the main structure, but have not completed work on the arches,” says Mr.Razvi.
“The mirror work on the ceiling dates back to early 19th century and was financed by Parvarish Ali Khan of the Dawood Jung family. Much later, decorative mirror work was done in the lower portion of the building. It is truly a great loss,” said Mir Abbas Moosavi, the Mutawalli (caretaker) of Badshahi Ashoorkhana.
Many arches
The Maula Ali area is one of the oldest inhabited areas in Hyderabad and megalithic cairns were discovered near its foothill. But the Maula Ali shrine came into its own when a courtier of Ibrahim Qutub Shah (1550-1580) discovered a palm print of Hazrat Ali on the hillock. Soon, it became a revered site for ziyaarat (pilgrimage) among both Muslims and Hindus.
The hillock has many entrance arches built by benefactors for the devotees. Once the ramp is ready, visitors will be able to zip up to the top of the hillock on their vehicles without ever seeing the many arches built over centuries.(Courtesy THE HINDU)
