Hyderabad: A visit to the historic Paigah tombs is certainly an architectural delight, but an added bonus at the site always was the evergreen hereditary caretaker Mohd Rahmatullah. Alas, that will no more be the case as the 64-year-old passed away last month after health complications.
Rahmatullah, whose family has been residing in the Paigah Tombs premises as they are hereditary caretakers, is survived by his daughter and grandchildren. Known for his jovial personality, he would often help out tourists and other visitors while clicking pictures.
The former caretaker was in fact also very well-versed with the history of Hyderabad and the Phisal Banda area where the dargah of Barhane Shah Baba is also placed. “He passed away on June 16 after he was admitted at the hospital due to health complications,” said Inayat Khan, his grandson.
The Paigah Tombs complex is also an interesting site historically as it houses the dead from the only other family to have its own necropolis of the Paigah nobles. (The other one belongs to Hyderabad’s founding dynasty – the Qutb Shahis or the Golconda kings). Even the Nizams of Hyderabad do not have their own tombs complex. The first Nizam is buried in Aurangabad, while the second to sixth lay in the Mecca Masjid and the last one is buried in the Judy masjid beside his mother.
Thanks to the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), the Paigah Tombs is being painstakingly restored, with its fine jalis also being redone (in association with the Telangana government).
Who were the Paigah nobles of Hyderabad?
The word Paigah stands for pomp in Persian, and its nobles were pretty much the first in line within the nobility, and second only to the Nizams of Hyderabad. The Nizams of Hyderabad came into their position in 1724 as governors of the Deccan under the Mughals. The first Nizam Qamruddin Khan, took over after killing an existing governor named Mubariz Khan in Aurangabad.
The family’s founder was Abu’l Fateh Khan Tegh Jung, but it was his son It was Fakhruddin Khan who was regarded as the head of the Paigah family in the late 18th century. He was also married into second Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam Ali Khan’s family. (1762-1803). The family was tasked with the job of raising an army for the Nizams of Hyderabad.
