News and Updates

The Ranga Mandapa of the Kota Gudi Temple, also known as the Ganapeshwara Group of Temples, Ghanpur, Telangana

The DHF’s Deccani Studies Program is in full swing — a four-week, on-site exploration of the Deccan’s layered history, art, and architecture. A collaborative initiative of the DHF with the Harish & Bina Shah Foundation (HBSF), Ashoka University and the University of Mysore, the program brings together students, scholars, and conservation practitioners.

We’re thrilled to share field notes from curator and art historian Dr. Marika Sardar in this month’s newsletter.

Professor M. Pandu Ranga Rao lecturing in the Ramappa Temple on the use of the ‘sandbox’ foundation technique that is unique to the Kakatiyas

We started with the 12th-13th century heyday of the Kakatiya dynasty in Telangana and were toured by the local experts – Professor M Pandu Ranga Rao, Professor GSV Murthy, and BV Papa Rao (IAS, retired and DHF India board member) – who were behind the inscription of the Ramappa Temple as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We saw the Ramappa Temple (at Palampet), the 1000 Pillar Temple (at Hanamkonda), the Kota Gudi (at Ghanpur), and the Warangal Fort. Over these two days we learned about Kakatiya building and engineering methods, as well as the extensive research, documentation and political juggling that goes into the process of nominating monuments for UNESCO recognition.

To learn more about the architectural legacy of the Kakatiyas, explore our guidebook Heritage of the Kakatiyas: Hanamkonda, Warangal, Palampet, Ghanpur

Some of the tilework on the exterior of the madrasa of Mahmud Gawan, Bidar, Karnataka

We then moved on to the Bahmani dynasty of the mid-14th to early-16th centuries. DHF founder Dr. Helen Philon led us through their capital city Bidar including the madrasa of Mahmud Gawan, a number of palace structures, and the impressive tombs at Ashtur. Throughout, Dr. Philon emphasized the composite culture of the Bahmani court and the unique fusion of visual iconographies that they sponsored. This, as she explained, reflects the individual personalities of the Bahmani sultans and also the composite nature of the audiences (neighboring states, their courtiers and the local population) they wanted to communicate their power to.

Discover more in our guidebook on Gulbarga, Bidar and Bijapur

Group photo at the Qutb Shahi tombs just north of Golconda Fort, Hyderabad, Telangana

The next stop was in Hyderabad, home of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. We started at the fort of Golconda where the dynasty rose to power, looking at the various layers of occupation from the Kakatiya period in the 14th century, through the Bahmani and Qutb Shahi eras in the 14th-17th centuries, and up to the present day, as a shrine at the top of the citadel has come into worship and shapes visitor engagement with the site. We then continued to explore the hidden 16th century heritage of bustling Old City of Hyderabad, visiting the Charminar monument, Jama Masjid, Mecca Masjid and Badshahi Ashurkhana, examining how their layout in the city connects to the symbolic layout of the Kakatiya capital of Warangal, while at the same time expresses the Qutb Shahis’ Shia identity.

Explore the layered histories of Golconda and the Qutb Shahis in our guidebook Hyderabad and Golconda

Bansilalpet Stepwell, Hyderabad, Telangana

A highlight of our time in Hyderabad was two sites that provide great models of restoration and reuse. The first was the Bansilalpet stepwell, overseen by The Rainwater Project, and now providing clean water to the surrounding neighborhood. The founder Kalpana Ramesh gave the group a great overview of how the restoration was undertaken and how they’ve gained community support for the well’s upkeep since it opened.

At the former British Residency, Sarath Chandra, conservation architect, shared the work undertaken by the DHF to restore a model (dollhouse) of the building, along with the Rang Mahal gardens, Rang Mahal Gate, British cemetery, and a stepwell on the premises. We also visited the main Durbar Hall building, restored by the World Monuments Fund, which now includes an interpretation centre on the history of the Residency up to its present-day use as Veeranari Chakali Ilamma Women’s University.

We look forward to bringing you more field notes from the next leg of the Deccani Studies Program in Karnataka, including some of the latest updates about our ongoing restoration projects in Mysuru and Sudi.

To support the DHF’s restoration and conservation efforts, consider making a donation by clicking the button below.

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