PAIGAH TOMBS-FINELY CARVED
MARBLE GRAVES
|
 Located
in Santoshnagar colony, the Paigah tombs are
the beautifully carved marble graves of several
generations of the Paigah nobles and their family
members. They are the finest examples of Indo-Islamic
architecture. The Paigah tombs located within a
large courtyard, attract the viewer with the sheer
intricacy and delicacy of marble work.
 The
doorways to the tombs are arched and perforated
with fanciful designs and the walls have fine engravings.
The graves are surrounded by marble pieces with
intricate designs. But the most eyecatching tomb
is Khursheed Jah’s, constructed about 110
years ago. It is very similar to Shahjahan’s tomb
- inlaid with precious and semi precious stones.
Hanging luminously over the tomb of the Amir-Kabir
is an ostrich egg considered to be a sign of royalty.
In the tomb of Sir Asman Jah, there is a
strange finely carved stone imported from Italy.
It is know as "the stone of seasons", which changes
its colour accordingly – it turns deep green when
it rains, nearly white in winter  and
yellow when exposed to the sun’s rays. The exquisite
detailing of the tomb is such that it has an internal
rainwater drain system, even the drain holes are
finely carved in marble - in the shape of flowers.
But who are Paigahs? How did they land in Hyderabad?
The history behind the Paigah family begins this
way. Abdul Khair Khan, a noble from the North
came to Deccan along with Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf
Jah I and was later made the Commander-in-Chief
of the Nizam's troops including cavalry and infantry
which formed the nucleus of Paigah. He was granted
Jagirs for their maintenance.
The splendid mausoleums are a blend of the Asaf
Jahi and Rajasthani styles and are among the masterpieces
of the world. The iron plaque at the entrance of
the complex, put up by the Department of Archeology
and Museums, gives a brief description of the lineage
of the Paigah nobles  and
the magnificence of the mausoleums erected in their
memory. Eight generations of the Paigah family made
this their final resting place in the land that
the they adopted and settled for over 250 years.
Among the nobility of Hyderabad, the Chiefs of the
Paigah always held the first rank. The Paigah nobles
were very influential and were most faithful to
Nizam. They were entrusted with the defense of the
state and subsequently it became the hereditary
function of the Paigah nobles.
Nizam Ali Khan Asaf Jah II gave his daughter
as a second wife to Fakhr-ud-din Khan and
many of his descendants  married
the daughters of Nizam V and were very close
to the royal family. The Paigah family was second
only to that of the ruling family and was allied
to it by matrimony.
According to the famous architect of the U.S.A.,
professor Harish Lalvani "the geometry found in
the Paigah tombs is unique and is not found anywhere
else in the world". True to the statement, the tombs
are undoubtedly one of the unique structures of
the world. |
|
- MAR Fareed
Photographs: Srinivas Setty |
|  |
|
|
