HYDERABAD ( ASMAN GARH PALACE )

ASMAN GARH PALACE

•  The palace was designed by him personally, perhaps influenced by the castles he had seen during his European jaunts. It became so popular that the hill-top villa came to be known as Asman Garh Palace.

• Built in 1885, the palace has some unparalleled architectural features, for which it finds its name in the list of heritage buildings meant for conservation. A staunch believer of making his creations look different, Sir Asman Jah, chose the Gothic style with pointed arches supported by small Corinthian pillars and stretched arrow-slit windows to build this cosy resort.

• Then he topped the building with castellated battlements. All these features contributed to the illusion of a fortified castle perched atop a hillock at the edge of what was once a large wooded area.

                                       

•   A flight of steps leads to a platform from where the staircase branches off on either side, giving it an interesting wrap - around appearance. Another peculiar feature, the gateway at the entrance, which is in the shape of the royal turban of the Seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, was added much later in 1925-26. In the years gone by, this gateway too could be seen from a distance.