Love, betrayal, killings, rebellion and destruction, the Koti Women’s College or the erstwhile Residency building has seen it all.
On Thursday, when an MoU was signed among four parties, including the Department of Archaeology, it marked a turn for the better for the grand colonial building that saw indifference and neglect for decades after Independence.
Visitors are leaving behind rave reviews of the conservation effort that includes restoring the papier mache ceiling of the Darbar Hall. Conservation architects discovered that it is not exactly papier mache but compressed paper that was used and had to create a workaround to match the same design, pattern and texture.
“They hand-painted and replicated the process. There were challenges at every stage. But executing the finish was the real challenge,” informed Sharat Chandra, a conservation architect associated with the project.
The wooden flooring has also been restored matching the pattern that was there earlier. Then, there were structural cracks on the ceiling which the restorers fixed by using stainless steel clippings for crack-stitching.
“Thrilled. I worked hard to help it get it off the ground. It took forever,” said author William Dalrymple after being shown the photographs of the restored building.
The Residency building completed in 1806 on the other side of the Musi river was the first stamp of British authority in the affairs of Hyderabad. It remained so till 1947 when the British left and there was an interregnum where the Indian agent-general in Hyderabad K.M. Munshi wanted to move in to the building.
The Razakar leader, Qasim Razvi, threatened to destroy the building and throw its bricks into the Musi if it came to pass. And Munshi moved into the Bolarum Residency, which is now known as Rashtrapati Nilayam.
The building was also the site of intense battle on July 17, 1857, during India’s first battle of Independence. Led by Maulvi Allauddin and Turrebaz Khan, the citizens of Hyderabad marched from the Mecca Masjid to the Residency building after the Friday prayers. The attack failed as Madras Sappers fought overnight to secure the building.
While most people agree that it shares inspiration from Kiddlestone Hall (1765), architect Sibghat Khan echoes the noting by historians that the building resembles White House in some aspects. The Residency had a scaled miniature in the rear of the building which was assumed to have been built by Col. Kirpatrick for Khairunnisa who observed strict purdah. The scaled model was destroyed in 1978 after a tree fell on it.
While Khairunnisa could not access the building, it is the domain of women now as it is part of OU Women’s College. It was Miss Linnel, the principal of OU (1947-55), who managed to secure the grand Palladian edifice for women students of Hyderabad.
