The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Timeless classics gone to seed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 05, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Timeless classics gone to seed

Staff Reporter

Five vintage cars of the Nizam are stashed away in a rundown tiled garage inside the Chiran Palace at Jubilee Hills Five vintage cars of the Nizam are stashed away in a rundown tiled garage inside the Chiran Palace at Jubilee Hills

Hyderabad: They still set hearts aflutter. They may not be gleaming, but ravishing they are. Timeless classics. Yes, five vintage cars are stashed away in a rundown tiled garage inside the Chiran Palace at Jubilee Hills.

Just a kilometre inside the sprawling palace is the old `motorkhana'. The upholstery is in tatters, the shine has faded and yet they carry the stamp of royalty. Hyderabad Collector R. Chandravadan and Director, Archaeology and Museums, Kedareswari, visited the Chiran Palace on Monday to inspect the vintage cars following the directive of the High Court.

Royal insignia

The old beauties include a Rolls Royce and a Fiat with the Nizam's `dastar' on the bonnet and his insignia engraved on the door.

There were also a Nissan, a green Buick, a jeep and a black Ford with the plaque `King Kothi' inscribed in other garages. Ms. Kedareswari detectd a silver insignia of the Asaf Jahis on a broken car. The officials took pictures of the vehicles for presenting to the court.

Securitymen prevented the Collector from entering the palace gate stating that it was private property. There was some confusion with the Divisional Forest Officer maintaining that it was Government land and the security men stating that it was not. An irate Collector asked the officials to remove the iron gate at the entrance of the palace as it was erected on Government land.

Position explained

The DFO explained that Mukarram Jah Bahadur, grandson of the seventh Nizam, had five acres in his possession in the huge palace, including 19 structures spread at different places.

Earlier, the security personnel refused to allow presspersons to accompany the officials.

It was only after intervention of their higher-ups that they relented.

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