HYDERABAD: There is hectic activity going on at the Mahtab Mahal of Chowmahalla Palace. Inside the freshly painted gigantic mahal, staffers are busy unloading an array of timeworn books from the huge wooden trunks of the Asaf Jahi period. These books, neglected for over four decades, were recently shifted from the Nazri Bagh and Chiran Palace to Chowmahalla, their new home. Palace officials said that in about two months Mahtab Mahal will transform into a library with a rare and valuable collection of books belonging to the Asaf Jahi Nizams who loved literature and were poets themselves. They said that research scholars will now be able to turn the pages of history, literally.
The huge collection has been pooled in from the three Asaf Jahi palaces including Chowmahalla, Nazri Bagh and Chiran and belongs to the VI Nizam Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, VII Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan and the titular Nizam Mukarram Jah. Manuscripts in Urdu, Arabic, Persian as well as an enviable collection of English books, a chunk of them from the United Kingdom, figure in the collection. Several volumes of Mir Osman Ali Khan's poetry are also a part of the assemblage. Officials said that the books are from all over the globe and that conservation works started about four months ago.
If the official estimates are to go by, there are 5,000-6,000 books covering diverse subjects but a considerable chunk deal with history, art and culture. Several Islamic books are also part of the massive collection.
Till a few months ago, much of the royal furniture adorned the Mahtab Mahal. Through this part of the palace, the conservationists had made an attempt to depict the opulent life of the Nizams.
It had a dining hall, living room, an English and Indian darbar apart from a bedroom. "The mahal has been converted into a library. This royal library is coming up in the palace with rare books dating back to the 16th century. A web directory is also being created," said G Kishan Rao, director, Chowmahalla Palace. Research scholars can make use of the facility, he added.
While there was a large collection of books at Falaknuma Palace as well, it has been converted into the Palace Library, a replica of the one at Windsor Castle, on the same premises.
Even this library at Falaknuma Palace is home to the rarest of manuscripts, books and one of the most acclaimed collections of the Quran in the country, all of which were selected by the Nizam himself.
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