Idgah was one of the earliest structures constructed by Sultan Quli (1518-1543) after establishing his court in Golconda. Its Qibla arch is flanked by three arches on each side and the entire composition defined by bastions made of fine ashlar masonry at both ends. The intricate medallions carved in stucco on the spandrels of the arches and the flourish of the floral scroll floating just above the key stone make it a class apart. The details of many of these carvings can be traced back to the Juma Masjid of Bidar. Unfortunately all these carvings were lost under the thick integuments of white wash layers applied over the last many years, twice in a year, during the festival days of Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Zuha. The team of conservation architects and master craftsmen painstakingly removed the accretions with meticulous care and precision and restored the intricate carvings to its pristine purity. The repairs carried out to the structure have given a new lease of life to the entire complex.
The team of conservation architects and master craftsmen painstakingly removed the accretions with meticulous care and precision and restored the intricate carvings to its pristine purity. The repairs carried out to the structure have given a new lease of life to the entire complex.
Restoration of the Facade and Roof Repairs
In early 2015, the Idgah Committee requested the Department Of Archaeology and Museums (DAM) and AKTC to undertake the conservation works on the monument on a priority basis.
On close inspection, it was found that several layers of paint obliterated the underlying 16th century ornamentation. The battlements on the roof edge had vegetation growth causing damage to the structure. Inappropriate repairs with cement and mud were also found on the battlements. The wooden finials on the minarets and the turrets were also badly damaged. The two bastions on the sides which originally had exposed dressed stones were covered with layers of paint.
OUTCOME:
- Careful manual cleaning of over 20 layers of paint revealed that 16th century stucco plaster ornamentations had largely survived below 20th century paint layers.
- For several months, careful removal of paint layers was carried out using soft sandpaper.
- In minor portions of the structure where the stucco ornamentation was missing, master craftsmen carefully restored this – matching the original designs.
- The damaged cement concrete from the roof was removed and lime concrete was laid with adequate slope and opening the existing rain water spouts to ensure proper draining of rainwater.
- All the missing finials of the domed minarets were restored with wooden finials after proper treatment.
- Layers of paint were removed manually from the two bastions to expose the original dressed ashlar stone masonry.
- The rear wall of the Idgah was also similarly cleaned and repaired.
IMPACT:
The restoration of the Idgah by revealing original architectural elements that had been obliterated; a sense of pride was visible amongst local communities, over 60000 of whom came to the Idgah for Eid prayers in 2015.
