The watch tower being renovated using traditional methods with Rs 15 lakh
At last, the Tipu Khan Watch Tower, also known as Tipu’s Lookout, at Lakdi-ka-pul is getting a bit of attention.The 150-year-old tower, which was established to keep an eye on the entry of strangers into the city during the Nizam era, still offers a view of the Golconda Fort, Falaknuma Palace and Birla temple.The hillock on which it is situated was the highest point in the city at that point of time and listed in the A. Claude Campbell’s book ‘Glimpses of the Nizam’s Dominions’.After being neglected for long, the monument is now being renovated using traditional methods at a cost of Rs 15 lakh by Rajaratnam Ramaswamy of Shree Venkateshwara Estate. The architecture work is being supervised by Madhira R Madhav of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and Murali Krishna, a retired civil engineering professor from Osmania University. To fill the gaps in between rocks, a process called rock stitching is being used while cavities on the monument are being filled with lime water mixture. “The entry steps to the tower were damaged and cannot be restored as the place is lying between two properties,” Rajaratnam said.
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(Wajahat Ahmed Khan is the great-grandson of Nawab Tipu Khan Bahadur. He has been actively vocal about the neglect of Tipu Khan Bridge, Tipu Khan Sarai, Tipu's Dwar and Tipu's LookOut. Nawab Tipu Khan Bahadur was a legendary Horseman and teacher of Horsemanship to the Nizam VI and Nizam VII. The tradition of Equestrianism continues in Wajahat Ahmed Khan, is involved in Equestrian sports. Wajahat Ahmed Khan is a trustee/ caretaker of Waqf-properties endowed by Late Nawab Tipu Khan Bahadur sahab— including Mosques and other religious properties .
Wajahat Ahmed Khan has publicly appealed for preservation of the heritage institutions built by his ancestor (Sarai, bridge, mosques), emphasising their historical and social value to Hyderabad.)
(To know more - Please write to wafahmss@gmail.com)
