An evening at Falaknuma

The Falaknuma Palace

Ever since my first visit to Hyderabad over 30 years back, I have been fascinated by the imposing sight of Falaknuma Palace, sitting on top of the highest piece of land around the old city.

Falaknuma, which in Urdu means ‘like the sky’ or ‘mirror of the sky’, floats delicately on that hilltop. An Italian Palace built in the late 19^th century in the Andrea Palladio style (named after the 16^th c Venetian architect) its layout mimics a scorpion, the zodiac sign of its master, Nawab Viqar-ul-Umra, the Prime Minister of the State of Hyderabad.  The refined taste, beautiful architecture and rich furnishings cost the Nawab a handsome 40 lakh Rupees, which left him bankrupt. This money was taken out as a loan from the Bank of Bengal, which later merged with other Presidency banks to become the Imperial Bank of India, then the State Bank of India.

The lamps and sunset at Falaknuma

In the spring of 1897, Nawab Viqar-ul-Umra invited the 6^th Nizam, Mahboob Ali Pasha, to be his guest at the Falaknuma Palace. And the Nizam never left. 

Although our guide noted that the palace was gifted to the Nizam, who paid for it, circumstances and sources point otherwise. It was at best a forced gift, with the Nizam paying only about half the costs. From the end of the 19^th c till 1950, the Falaknuma Palace was used as the Nizam ‘s royal guesthouse. The last prominent guest to stay there was Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, in 1951.

Following the merger of Hyderabad State with the Indian Union in 1948 and disputes over the Nizam’s assets, Falaknuma also went through various stages of neglect and decay. I remember visiting it in the 1990s when the grounds were used for private parties and there was a ticketed tour of the palace. The architecture was naturally grand but time had taken its toll on the interiors.

The hotel rooms

In 2010 the Taj Group of Hotels took over the Falaknuma Palace, refurbished its 60 rooms and opened it in 2011 as a luxury hotel (https://taj.tajhotels.com/en-in/taj-falaknuma-palace-hyderabad/). The Palace interiors have also been restored beautifully, with a lot of taste, attention to detail and sense of history going into it.

When in Hyderabad last month, we visited the Falaknuma Palace.

The visit had its highs and lows.

We found that you could only visit Falaknuma if you were either staying there or eating in one of its three restaurants. At today’s room rate, a single night would leave you poorer by at least Rs. 25,000 or you could rent the Royal Suite for about Rs. 60,000.

You could have a Nizam-style afternoon tea at the Jade Terrace overlooking the Charminar and Makkah Masjid for about Rs. 6,000 per head, or dine on European cuisine in the Renaissance-inspired Celeste or have Hyderabadi cuisine at Adaa for a minimum charge of about Rs. 4,000 per person. And don’t forget to add about 20% in taxes. A meal for four will easily cost you Rs. 20,000. This is steep if you just want to see the refurbished Falaknuma Palace.

A third way to visit is on Saturdays and Sundays only with a Hyderabad Tourism Palaces Tour, which also costs upwards of Rs. 3,000. It is a half day tour that includes other city palaces as well with a 90-minute tour and tea at the Falaknuma Palace. See http://www.hyderabadtourism.travel/falaknuma-palace-hyderabad

Nizami lamps and the city lights

Was it worth it? The Falaknuma Palace was indeed beautiful. It is the best place to be in Hyderabad at dusk. As the sun sets on the horizon, where the Golconda Fort has stood for centuries, you can see the city lights flickering below and Falaknuma rises like an angel. The vast outer courtyard with marble statues comes alive and the light is just right for photography, even if you are shooting with just a cell phone (like me).

However, there were two disappointments. The Taj guide for our tour had poor knowledge of the history and anecdotes, and needs a serious education with his Urdu diction.

The other was the food. The presentation was good, but it stopped there. The food in the Hyderabadi restaurant was very rich (as in buttery) and seriously spicy, leading one of our party to be quite sick all of the next day.

Of course, one can hardly blame either the guide or the cuisine at a time when only the nuevo rich, with little sense of history or culture, can afford to visit such places. Our tour group mostly had young couples, interested in each other and their selfies.

Roaming through the Nizam’s office and library at Falaknuma was interesting. There was his famous table on which he used the Jacob’s diamond (world’s 2^nd largest at that time) as a paperweight. But I was more interested in what he was reading. And I was impressed by what I found on the shelf next to his table.

1. Starling’s Principles of Human Physiology, 5^th ed. This was a classic of the early 20^th c when important medical discoveries were being made in the West. I found a review of the 6^th ed (1933) and a price of $8.75. See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC537204/?page=1; Amazon is selling the 14^th ed (1968) for $ 42.97. https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Human-Physiology-Ernest-Starling/dp/070001375X

2. Harmsworth Encyclopedia, 1921/22; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmsworth%27s_Universal_Encyclopaedia

3. The System of Financial Administration in British India; PK Wattal, 1923; see https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.39896

Palace lamps and city lights

The Falaknuma Reading Room reportedly has 5900 books, including the very first account of the Titanic written by a survivor, and all volumes of Encyclopedia Brittanica. The Nizam was not just rich. He was also well read or at least pretended to be one by surrounding him with the most contemporary works of the time.

There was the usual walk through the living quarters of the Nizam – the Ladies Powder Room, where much of the royal gossip took place and the bedroom of his favorite wife. Her bathtub was the most interesting, reportedly the first to be imported from Europe and installed in India. From our guide’s description, it was not clear whether this was the wife of the 6^th Nizam (Azmat-uz-Zehra Begum) or 7^th Nizam (Dulhan Pasha Begum). Most likely, it was the latter.

 

The Dining Room and 101 seater

The Falaknuma Palace is full of European and Oriental art, which includes statues of various sizes and styles, sculptures, bowls, vases and paintings. Many are likely to have a history, which remains unexplored. The staircase going up is lined with photographs of all British Viceroys and Governor-Generals, most by Bourne & Shephard, the world’s oldest photo studio (est 1840). It opened in Calcutta in 1863, operated from there and Shimla, and finally shut shop last year after 176 years. Bourne & Shephard became famous for being official photographers for the Dilli Durbar of 1911; these pictures can still be seen at New Delhi’s Imperial Hotel.

The dining room is another highlight of the Palace. While everyone tells you about the 101-seater dining table and the Nizam’s chair (the only one with a padded armrest), there are a few other things of note in this room. The acoustics are such that talk made at one end of the table can be heard at the other. The walls are adorned with images of animals and plants, which actually show the Nizam’s menu. The gold plates and cutlery, which adorned this table are now safely locked away and replaced with imitations carrying Nawab Viqar-ul-Umra’s seal.

It is sad that this heritage is locked up behind a pay wall, being inaccessible to those who live in its shadow. Equally important are those visitors who might wander and discover the history lurking in its rooms – the furniture, books, photographs and other artifacts. If I could find interesting things in less than 45 minutes and could read back on those, many would do much better.

Open days could be organized for people in the neighborhood and other heritage lovers. There is so much for the present and coming generations to learn. It will also make the rather boring Falaknuma tour a bit more interesting. And it might help educate our young guide as well.

The Tata and Taj Groups being pioneers in business, philanthropy and conservation should pay some serious attention to this. Heritage appreciation and business don't have to be on opposite sides. They can be very effective partners.  

The lamps come alive

Night sets in at the Falaknuma Palace