Goshamahal Baradari (Freemasons' Hall) is a building constructed in 1682 located in

Goshamahal Goshamahal is a suburb in Hyderabad City, Telangana, India. The Goshamahal Baradari is probably the only well preserved palace built by the Qutb Shahi rulers, as almost all their palaces were destroyed during the long siege of the kingdom by Au ...

, a suburb of

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is a well-preserved baradari that originally served as a palace during the

Qutb Shahi dynasty The Qutb Shahi dynasty also called as Golconda Sultanate (Persian: ''Qutb Shāhiyān'' or ''Sultanat-e Golkonde'') was a Persianate Shia Islam dynasty of Turkoman origin that ruled the sultanate of Golkonda in southern India. After the coll ...

. It was donated for use as a

Masonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to Fraternity, fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of Stonemasonry, stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their inte ...

hall in 1872 by the

Nizam of Hyderabad The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

, and has held the distinction of the oldest structure serving as an active

masonic lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

in India since 1933. The Goshamahal Baradari is considered by the Freemasons as a precious monument with its massive, majestic balustrades, walls adorned by portraits and photographs of Freemasons in their regalia and an equally lavish banquet hall, all being awe-inspiring sights. Now the oldest Masonic temple in the country, the Baradari has nine Masonic lodges and chapters meeting inside its imposing interiors.

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, said to be among the "world's oldest secular fraternal societies," is based on the "principles of fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man" and has a member list that boasts of names like Justice Devender Gupta, several

nawab Nawab (Balochi language, Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi language, Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian language, Persian, Punjabi language, Punjabi , Sindhi language, Sindhi, Urd ...

s of the Nizam's era, Nawab Salar Jung Bahadur,

Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad Maharaja Sir Kishen Pershad Bahadur Yamin us-Sultanat (1864 – 13 May 1940) was an Indian noble who served as Prime Minister of Hyderabad twice. He was a childhood friend of the Nizam and was a staunch Nizam loyalist throughout his life. In ...

Raja Bahadur Venkatarama Reddy Raja Bahadur Venkatarama Reddy (22 August 1869 – 25 January 1953) was a police officer who served as the Commissioner of Police of the Hyderabad City Police. He was the first Hindu Kotwal of Hyderabad State, as in the late 19th and early 20 ...

and several others. The walls of this building are adorned with portraits of many freemasons including the 7th Nizam -

Mir Osman Ali Khan Mir Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII (5 or 6 April 1886 — 24 February 1967), was the last Nizam (ruler) of the Princely State of Hyderabad, the largest princely state in British India. He ascended the throne on 29 August 1911, at the age of ...

. In 2015, an elevator was added to the structure's east wing.

References

{{Reflist 1682 establishments in Asia Buildings and structures completed in 1682 Freemasonry in India Heritage structures in Hyderabad, India Masonic buildings Tourist attractions in Hyderabad, India