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.
