Heritage Revival: Aga Khan Trust restores Saidani Ma Tomb's Baoli on Tank Bund

Hyderabad: Along with steps taken for the conservation of the age-old Saidani Ma Tomb on Tank Bund Road, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture has also successfully restored a baoli (stepwell) within its compound. It is the 9th stepwell conserved by the Aga Khan Trust in India.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, in partnership with the Department of Heritage Government of Telangana, has initiated efforts for the conservation of Saidani Ma’s Baoli. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) provided Rs 13.30 lakhs for the project and the trust also spent its funds towards the conservation of the Baoli. Muhammad Akbar Ali Khan–the mutawalli of the tomb supported the conservation efforts.

In memory of Hazrat Saida-bi-Ma Sahiba

Speaking to NewsMeter, chief conservator of Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Ratish Nanda said that Saidani Ma’s Baoli is said to be built in the memory of Hazrat Saida-bi-Ma Sahiba, famous as Saidanima in the middle of the 19th century. It was earlier used for the upkeep of the place. The age-old well, used to be unique and popular in those days, decorated with a lighting lamp in it with water other than oil or ghee, he added.

“It has not just been unused for years, but that it is in dire need of repairs. We began the conservation works of the baoli in July 2023. The west wall of the stepwell had completely collapsed and dozens of master craftsmen worked for several months to reconstruct the collapsed portion and restore the structural integrity of the step well,” he said.

130 tonnes of debris and garbage removed

Informing the other conservation measures taken by the trust, Ratish Nanda said that the measures included reconstruction and underpinning masonry walls, strengthening the stone masonry joints with lime mortar and adding protective plinth protection with granite slabs all around the structure.

“Being one of the important heritage structures in Hyderabad, the baoli has become a convenient dump for debris and garbage by the people living nearby the stepwell. Over 130 tonnes of sludge accumulated over the years was manually removed from here and the stepwell was restored to its original depth of 55 feet,” Ratish Nanda said.

Reconstructing damaged water channels

Ratish Nanda also said that the conservation effort of Saidani Ma’s Baoli also helped the trust in reconstructing the damaged water channels and water tanks on either side of the ramp projection of the stepwell. This project follows the conservation of six stepwells at the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park that won the prestigious UNESCO Award of Distinction for the conservation effort, he added.