Unesco award for Chowmohalla Palace

HYDERABAD: The majestic Chowmohalla Palace from where the Nizams ruled Hyderabad state for over 200 years has been selected for the Unesco Asia-Pacific Heritage Merit Award for cultural heritage conservation.
Director of the palace Kishan Rao told a press conference that the award was given in recognition of the conservation and restoration work taken up by Prince Mukarram Jah some 10 years back.
The award carries a citation which says `Chowmohalla Palace in Hyderabad, India has been recognised with an award of merit. "The restoration work of the palace has rescued it from years of neglect and has enabled it for contemporary use as a private museum," analysts pointed out.
Chowmohalla Palace was given the award in the merit category along with Fulong Taoist temple in Sichuan, China and the old houses in the World Heritage Fort of Galle in Sri Lanka.
The Palace was built by Salabat Jung, third son of the first Asaf Jah, Nizamul Mulk Mir Qamaruddin Ali Khan who served as the Moghal subedar (governor) of the Deccan region. The palace was the venue for the coronation of many Nizams. The investiture of Prince Mukarram Jah as successor to his grandfather Mir Osman Ali Khan was held in this palace in 1967.
Vijay Shankar Das, senior counsel to Prince Mukarram Jah, said that steps have been initiated to open the rare religious relics, housed in one portion of the palace for the public. The Nizam's silver jubilee pavilion Museum which is operating from Purani Haveli will also be shifted to Chowmohalla palace. "We are working on the consolidation of the Chowmohalla palace where most of the things belonging to the Nizams would be displayed", he said.