Hyderabad: Rare photos of 8th Nizam on display at Chowmahalla Palace

Hyderabad, Oct 6 (IANS) The splendid Chowmahalla Palace, the royal seat of the Asaf Jah dynasty (Nizams) and now a tourist attraction, has added a new photo gallery with rare and unseen photographs of Mukarram Jah Bahadur, the titular eighth Nizam of Hyderabad, who passed away in 2023.

On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mukarram Jah Bahadur on Monday, the special exhibition was inaugurated by his son and present titular Nizam Azmet Jah.

Mukarram Jah’s first wife and Azmeth Jah’s mother, Princess Esra, sister Shehkar and some other family members were present.

The exhibition is an evocative visual journey through rare and previously unseen photographs, tracing the life of Mukarram Jah, grandson of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur.

Mukarram Jah was coronated on April 6, 1967 and was recognised as the Nizam of Hyderabad by the Government of India, until the abolition of the privy purses in 1971.

The exhibition has photographs of Mukarram Jah’s childhood, youth, coronation, marriages and rare documents including his correspondence with India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

These include a letter written by Mukarram Jah in 1962 requesting the Prime Minister to allow him to serve the country at the border. The Nizam was made an honorary lieutenant and later an honorary colonel by the President of India.

Amongst his many official roles, the titular Nizam was the pro-chancellor of the Osmania University. He founded several charitable trusts, including the Mukarram Jah Trust for Education and Learning.

Designed and curated by Anuradha Naik Associates, the gallery brings together over 250 photographs, several of which are from the private collections of the family. Also on display are priceless objects and rare documents from the Chowmahalla Palace Archives.

The collection includes a gold Dastar (head-dress) from his childhood, a Mughal sword from the Asaf Jahi family, and a 28-foot family tree chart tracing the Asaf Jahi and Ottoman lineages.

Mukarram Jah passed away in Turkey on January 14, 2023. He was 89.

In accordance with his wishes, he was buried at the Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad, the resting place of his ancestors.

--IANS

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