No such details available: ASI on Hyderabad – Bhagyanagar name
Earlier in June, the ASI also said there is no evidence of ancient mosques under its jurisdiction in Telangana having been built on Hindu religious sites.
Hyderabad: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) here said it has no information on Hyderabad being named Bhagyanagar. It also said that it has no details of historical records of the Bhagyalaxmi temple at the Charminar too.
The ASI’s response on the Bhagyanagar name for Hyderabad and the Bhagyalaxmi temple was given to activist Robin Zacheus. The activist posed a bunch of questions to the ASI’s Hyderabad circle, under which the Charminar and Golconda fort come. Robin asked for records or historical evidence on these matters through a Right to Information (RTI) query.
What he asked
The ASI, in its response dated August 4, said “No such details are available with this office”. Here is what Robin sought from the ASI:
- If Hyderabad was ever named Bhagnagar, Bhagyanagar, and later rechristened.
- If as per ASI records, which year (if it happened) was Hyderabad named Bhagyanagar or Bhagnagar.
- Asked to share historic evidence such as an inscription, coin or miniature of the period mentioning the name of Bhagmati or Bhagyanagar.
- Whether the ASI has any records of former Deputy Prime Minister Sardar Vallabhai Patel proposing for changing Hyderabad’s name.
- Asked to furnish the year in which the Bhagyalaxmi temple at Charminar was constructed.
- Whether ASI Hyderabad has any records or evidence that Bhagyalaxmi temple (or any) temple existed where the Charminar stands.
- If ASI has any evidence like a coin or miniature coin from the period mentioning the name of Bhagmati or Bhagyanagar.
The ASI’s response to Robin on Hyderabad comes at a time when the right-wing chorus is growing to change the city’s name. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has time and again called for renaming the city to Bhagyanagar. BJP chief Bandi Sanjay recently also exhorted his followers to ”dig up mosques” and search for Shiva Lingas earlier.
‘No ancient mosques built on Hindu sites in Telangana’
Earlier in June, the ASI also said there is no evidence of ancient mosques under its jurisdiction in Telangana having been built on Hindu religious sites. The response then too was to an RTI query by Robin, who is based in Hyderabad. He asked for evidence ”pertaining to the Ancient\ Mosques” that were supposedly built on Hindu religious sites, or temples.
The response came from the ASI’s Hyderabad circle, under which Telangana falls.
The ASI Hyderabad circle has about eight monuments under it. It includes the Charminar and the Golconda fort in Hyderabad. In its reply, the ASI stated, ”None of the monuments/sites under the jurisdiction of Archaeological Survey of India, Hyderabad circle in the Telangana state has any evidence of ancient mosques been built on Hindu religious sites.”
Charminar History – Bhagmati’s existence in question
The Charminar is Hyderabad’s foundational monument. Built in 1591, it was constructed to mark the city’s establishment by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, the fourth ruler of the Qutb Shahi (or Golconda) dynasty. Prior to the Charminar being built, the Golconda fort (in Telangana) was a walled city, from where the first three kings Qutb Shahi kings had ruled.
