Catching a glimpse can sometimes be very powerful. I experienced this when I first noticed an old temple-like structure, located near the Western ramparts of the Pakka Fort.
It was a Friday; a sabbatical day for Hyderabad in Sindh, when I set out to explore this architecture that had so piqued my interest.
The crumbling structure is now almost completely concealed behind the newer buildings; you're bound to miss it if you’re not particularly looking for it.
It took me some time to finally find the exact location. But as I stood before this exquisite structure, I knew this experience would be worth the effort I had put in to searching for it.
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It was a temple indeed or the remains of one anyway.
Perhaps it was the spire at the top that I found most fascinating – an oddity among Hyderabad’s more modern buildings.
I had seen nothing like it before. There are some remains of other pre-partition Hindu temples in the city, but they are all somewhat similar; flat, four-sided ones.
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Before the partition in 1947, Hyderabad was home to Sindhi Hindus who were in a majority in the area. Their Hyderabad, the one they had built, as history and architecture suggests, was something quite extraordinary.
Their professions revolved around trade and commerce, mainly. This is where they lived and prospered, until a restless uncertainty hovered above the entire region. And eventually, increasing communal issues resulted in the exodus.
Most Sindhi Hindus of Hyderabad left the land of their ancestors after the partition.
As I stood transfixed, looking at spire, I noticed that some part of it had been damaged. However, I could still distinguish it's traditional red bricks and the architectural sculptures of deities on it, most of them still intact after all these years. There was also an open window in it, where a pigeon was sitting.
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The building, as I could see was indeed a pre-partition one. It was difficult to place it in a time frame, but it appeared to be quite old, as the architecture suggested.
The temple, being so distinct from the others I had seen in the city, made me wonder if it was indeed a Hindu temple and not a Jain one.
Before partition, there was a strong Jain presence in Hyderabad as well. Of course, I had to then contact Mr. Arjun Kumar, a fellow history and archaeology enthusiast from India, to find out.
According to Mr. Kumar, the Shikhara (the rising top, and the structure at the peak) and the iconography of deities confirmed that it was indeed a Hindu temple.
On approaching the building, I noticed the temple compound served as a residence for some.
As I took a few more steps ahead, a voice behind me told me to not proceed any further. I turned to find a man informing me that this was private property; someone’s home.
I requested if he could go seek the resident’s permission for a quick look inside. He nodded and returned in a few moments to tell me that I could now enter the house.
I eagerly stepped in, instantly noticing a stubborn old wooden gate; refusing to surrender. There was a small staircase beside it, leading to a tiny room. There was also a small verandah inside.
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The spire was above a room on the right side of the gate. I greeted the people inside, introduced myself and started taking photographs.
It was definitely a British Raj building, not just the temple section but the entire compound. I could see the small arches across the verandah.
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One of the women there asked why I was taking the photos and I told her I wanted to write about the place. I then asked her how long they had been here, and just as I had thought, she told me her grandparents had come there after partition. I inquired about her roots, and where they had come from in India, but she didn’t know.
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She then showed me one of the corridors, and told me how the roof had almost collapsed during a recent rainy season, it did appear to be rather shaky.
She further added that the lower part of the temple has undergone severe damage and the upper part of the spire could not be accessed anymore.
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Further inquires by me only led to an invitation for a cup of tea.
Unfortunately, the residents weren’t able to give me any more details about the temple. I thanked her and the others and left the compound.
Despite not being able to gain anymore insight into the history of the structure, I did find myself hoping the authorities could restore it, I also knew that that was wishful thinking on my part.
Also read:Histories forgotten: The crumbling tombs of Talpur Mirs
On way back, I looked up at the spire again. Glorious as ever under the evening sun, the deities on it appeared to come to life any moment.
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I caught myself wondering how many more relics from the glorious Hyderabad of the past were still standing, refusing to surrender to time and age. Hoping eternally for their story to be told.
References:
Partition of India: The Case of Sindh - Migration, Violence and Peaceful Sindh by Ahmad Salim