Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Nizam’s table big draw at Chowmahalla

— Photo: Mohd. Yousuf

Royal splendour: The writing table of the sixth Nizam at the Mehtab Mahal in Chowmahalla Palace.

Hyderabad: One never knows what important ‘firmans’ were issued from here. Or the heart warming ‘shayeri’ penned.

But nearly a century later it looks every bit royal and awe inspiring. A cursory glance shows that its owner has just gone out for a smoke.

Yes, the writing table of the sixth Nizam, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, sets off such thoughts.

It is a big attraction in the stately Chowmahalla Palace, more precisely in the Mehtab Mahal situated on the western side of the grand fountains.

The study of the Nizam has a writing table, chair and his personal stationary. In a corner is placed the vintage typewriter with Urdu keyboard. And on one side is a bookcase. The antique table of the Nizam also sports an inkpot and other such objects of interest.

Visitors to this picturesque palace are amazed at the painstaking effort gone in recreating the drawing room, dining hall, living room and study of the Nizam.

“The whole thing has been sensitively done giving a peep into the lifestyle of the erstwhile rulers,” says Mahesh Kumar, a visitor from Mumbai.

Mahboob Ali Khan was known for his lavish lifestyle and fascination for clothes and cars. Period furniture and sparkling chandeliers add to the grandeur of the Mehtab Mahal. Two beautifully carved ‘howdahs’ (elephant seat) at the entrance of the place shows the effort gone in their restoration.

Want to get nostalgic and know how the Nizams lived? Then head for the repaired and refurbished palace.

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