Hyderabad by Walk - Taramati Baradari

 Deccan Archives announced this walk on their site and I signed up because the last time Sunnie and I/me had gone there one fine morning, the gates to Taramati's baradari were shut tightly at 830 in the morning and we had to be content to walk up to the amphitheatre and take some pics. Similarly the Premamati mosque was shut as well. So I decided to join the walk and headed off to join them at 5 pm sharp. (Rs. 300 bucks for the walk)

Steps leading up to Taramati baradari

Taramati baradari

There were a few people already waiting for the walk to start and I recognised Uma from the last trip to Golconda Khazana museum where she had come with Malini (Sadhana's daughter). We waited with a bunch of others because Sibghat (short for Sibghatullah Khan) had to come and kick off. He is quite knowledgeable, makes it fun and interesting, says just enough and allows you to soak it in with silences. He writes well too as I found out in some  of the Deccan Archives articles. Sibghat is a practicing architect and a good role model to showcase Hyderabad.

Premamati mosque on the left and Golconda fort on the right

In the middle of the baradari

View of the new city from one doorway

Anyway Sibghat showed up in time and led us up the steps to Taramati baradari. I was worried since a board somewhere there said it shuts at 5 pm but obviously it is a misleading board to get rid of people like me who take these boards seriously. I also remembered that one of the lasting memories of this place was being part of the Hyderabad Lit Fest's second edition many years ago which is when I met Krishna and Chitra (we were on the same panel with Vamshi and it was moderated by Meena Alexander).

View from another doorway

Somewhere in that green is the Musi quietly flowing

Sibghat explained the steps leading up - one was wider and protruded on both sides and there were steps in the middle - the wider granite steps were original and the middle steps were made by the tourism people to facilitate easier climbs for tourists. The old steps were good enough for horses to climb which is probably how the nobles would go up there. 

These arches always make a pretty picture

The main hall

Once up there, the beautiful baradari presents itself, standing in the middle of a square platform, simple and minimal.  From the baradari one could see the Golconda fort (its about 2 kms away) and the Premamati mosque. Legend is that Taramati and Premamati were sisters, courtesans of exceptional talent and grace, so much so that the Sultan of their times, Abdullah Qutb Shah had their tombs built within the Qutb Shahi tombs complex. Taramati they say could sing in the baradari and the Sultan would listen to her voice being carried across by the wind. With the Persian architecture I feel anything is possible - especially in the area of acoustics.

Signs of deterioration - needs maintenance guys

The baradari from behind

Now the baradari itself was built in 1560 or so, in the times of Sultan Ibrahim Qutb Shah. They call it a sarai but it looks too beautiful to be just a sarai (most likely Sibghat's version that it was a summer palace looks closer to the truth). It's built on the bank of the Musi river which flows silently and invisibly behind. It was part of a Persian style garden named Ibrahim Bagh which extended all the way from across the road and in which there was a lake (don't know if it still exists) called Ibrahim Cheruvu. Ibrahim used it for whatever purposes but Abdullah, the seventh Qutb Shahi ruler, named it after his favorite courtesan Taramati.

Resting rooms?

Old summer palace now used as Main Kitchen

We walked in the inside of the baradari, its many doors (a baradari is supposed to have 12 doors, this one had about 20), enjoying the ventilation, the breeze flowing through, the sights of the distant hills and roads. Sibghat explained that this was the road that led to Bidar and that there was a bloody battle fought here, I do not remember between who.

Golconda fort

New city - filled with people as fish in a river (overflowing rather)

We took some pics and then we walked down from the side towards some ill maintained open to air rooms below, one of which is being used as the Main Kitchen for parties at the Taramati baradari. The idea was that this was where the Sultan would rest in summers and enjoyed the cool breeze.

We walked down from there. There is a story of how the place is haunted - the gates apparently bang at night by themselves - mostly Taramati wanting to go in but shut out by our Tourism chaps. They make no exceptions looks like. One can book rooms in the resort that adjoins the baradari but I wonder if many would if they feel it is haunted.

A distant shrine

Now, onwards to Premamati mosque which is across the road, some 1 km away. The Taramati baradari could do with a little maintenance - pieces of the walls were falling off despite it being restored recently. There were some couples who were looking for some inspiration or perhaps just some quiet.

All in all, glad I joined.