Conservation work begins on landmark tomb of the city
The Hindu
The tomb of Saidanima is being restored by the State government and AKTC.
There is a sense of urgency among workers and supervisors as the profusely decorated tomb of Saidanima undergoes a conservation effort mounted by the State government and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC).
“We want to clean the drainage system and vegetal matter on the roof before the outbreak of monsoon,” says Rajpal Singh of AKTC, who clambers up about 60 feet on the scaffolding to see the requirement. What looks like a heap of pigeon droppings from below shows itself as a badly-damaged floral pattern that covers the dome.
The upper portion of the dome is covered by a layer of pigeon droppings. The limestone stucco decoration in the upper portions of the tomb that look perfect from below, crumble at a touch. “Some of it has been damaged due to mixing of limestone and cement. They don’t go together and that’s why there is so much damage,” informs Mr. Singh about the tomb that is a landmark that sits between Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
The decorative limestone stucco work inside the tomb is delicate and appears as if it has been chiselled with a scalpel with vegetal and geometric patterns.
Saidanima was a Sufi woman who was a revered figure during her time. It was her son Abdul Haq titled Sirdar Diler Jung who constructed the tomb at a place which was quiet as per his mother’s wishes in 1883.
“The building is quite prominently sited and would become an interesting place along with the well once we finish the work,” says CEO of AKTC Ratish Nanda.
“This is a model project where the government and not the Department of Archaeology is involved and shows the importance of heritage as it is being driven by the HMDA,” said Mr. Nanda. The Department of Archaeology will provide oversight to the conservation effort.