The Naukhanda palace is a royal palace of the

Nizam 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 ...

s located in

Aurangabad Aurangabad ( is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarters of Aurangabad district and is the largest city in the Marathwada region. Located on a hilly upland terrain in the Deccan Traps, Aurangabad is th ...

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

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 ...

History

The palace was built by

Malik Ambar Malik Ambar (1548 – 13 May 1626) was a Siddi military leader and prime minister who became a kingmaker and de facto ruler of the Ahmadnagar Sultanate in the Deccan region of India. Born in the Adal Sultunate, in present-day Ethiopia, Malik ...

in 1616 upon the summit of a rising ground at

. The massive portal gateway leading to this, over which the Naubatkhana sounded, was called Barkal. According to one account a noble of

Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

’s court named Alam Khan, made additions to this Palace; and further additions were subsequently made by

Asaf Jah I Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi (11 August 16711 June 1748) also known as Chin Qilich qamaruddin Khan, Nizam-ul-Mulk, Asaf Jah and Nizam I, was the 1st Nizam of Hyderabad. He was married to the daughter of a Syed nobleman of Gulbarga. He ...

. An adjoining block of buildings was screened off by a partition wall for Nasir Jang. The Naukonda palace was also occupied by

Nizam Ali Khan Mir Nizam Ali Khan Siddiqi, Asaf Jah II (7 March 1734 – 6 August 1803) was the 2nd Nizam of Hyderabad State in South India between 1762 and 1803. He was born on 7 March 1734 as fourth son to Asaf Jah I and Umda Begum. His official name is ''A ...

, when he was at Aurangabad.

Layout

The palace had nine apartments, the interior buildings consisted of five zananas, a Divan i Aam, a Divan i Khas, a masjid and a kacheri, each provided with a garden and a cistern. The walls of the central part of the Devankhana, and a hamam or hot bath attached to the building, are in a fair state of preservation. However, the wood-work and the stucco plaster are all gone. The Divan i Aam is a large quadrangular structure much in ruins. The Kacheri close by contains a gadi of the

. In the throne room are placed the original paraphernalia. The Diwan e Aam was demolished when the present medical college of Aurangabad was constructed. The palace now houses The Aurangabad College for women. In the olden days Nawab Salar Jang's palace and Govind Baksh's mahal were between the Paitan and Jafar gates. It is presently owned by Prince Azmat Jah Bahadur.

References

*Gazetter of Aurangabad - H. H. The Nizam's Government 1884. (Chapter XI page 805 - 877)

External links

Maharashtra Govt.Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naukhanda Palace Tourist attractions in Aurangabad, Maharashtra Palaces in Maharashtra Buildings and structures in Aurangabad, Maharashtra Palaces of Nizams of Hyderabad