Fawaz Ahmed

Review of Taj Falaknuma Palace

Falaknuma is a palace in Hyderabad, Telangana, Ind...

Falaknuma is a palace in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.[2] It belonged to the Paigah family, and was later owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad.[3] It is on a 32-acre (13 ha) area in Falaknuma, 5 kilometers from Charminar. It was built by Nawab Sir Viqar-ul-Umra - Prime Minister of Hyderabad and the uncle & brother-in-law of the sixth Nizam.[4] Falak-numa means "Like the Sky" or "Mirror of the Sky" in Urdu.
Sir Viqar-ul-Umra, the Prime Minister of Hyderabad, used the palace as his private residence until the palace was handed over to the 6th Nizam of Hyderabad around 1897 1898. His monogram is on the furniture, walls and ceiling of the palace.

The palace was built and furnished at a cost of four million rupees, which necessitated borrowing money from the Bank of Bengal. In the spring of 1897, the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad Mir Mahbub Ali Khan was invited to stay at the palace. He extended his stay to a week, then a fortnight, and then a month, which prompted Sir Viqar to offer it to him. The Nizam accepted but paid some of the value of the palace; the Paigah family maintains that around 20 lakh rupees was paid.

The Nizam used the palace as a guest house for the royal guests visiting the kingdom of Hyderabad. The list of royal visitors included King George V, Queen Mary, Edward VIII and Tsar Nicholas II.[5][6]

The palace fell into disuse after the 1950's. The last important guest was the President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, in 1951.

The palace was then restored after being leased by the Taj Group of Hotels; the restoration, which began in 2010, was managed by Princess Esra, the first wife of Mukarram Jah.