Sir Viqar ul-Umara, Iqtidar ul-Mulk, Iqbal ud-Dowla, Secundar Jung,

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 ...

Muhammad Fazl-ud-din Khan Bahadur (13 August 1856 – 15 February 1902), was the

Prime Minister of Hyderabad __NOTOC__ This article lists the prime ministers of the Hyderabad State. In 1919, Asaf Jah VII ordered the formation of the Executive Council of Hyderabad, presided by Sir Sayyid Ali Imam, and with eight other members, each in charge of one o ...

from 1893 to 1901, and also served as the Amir e Paigah from 1881 to 1902. The town of

Vikarabad Vikarabad is also Known as Gangawaram(Ancient name) a town and mandal in Vikarabad district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Vikarabad mandal of Vikarabad revenue division. History Vikarabad was known as Gangawaram ancient ...

and Village is named after him.

Early life and ancestry

Viqar-ul-Umra was born as Muhammad Fazluddin Khan on 13 August 1856 to Rashiduddin Khan and Hashmatunnisa Begum. Viqar-ul-Umra's maternal grandmother was Bashirunnisa Begum, a daughter of

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 ...

Nizam of Hyderabad and Berar. Viqar-ul-Umra was a member of the

Paigah family Paigah is a noble family in the senior aristocracy of Hyderabad State, who were associated with the ruling Nizam since its inception and each maintained his own court, individual palaces, and a standing army of about fourteen thousand troops, b ...

. The family was hierarchically second to 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 ...

. The family members were staunch loyalists of the Nizam. The family descends from the

Rashidun caliph , image = تخطيط كلمة الخلفاء الراشدون.png , caption = Calligraphic representation of Rashidun Caliphs , birth_place = Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia present-day Saudi Arabia , known_for = Companions of t ...

Umar ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...

. One of the family's ancestor is the Sufi saint

Fariduddin Ganjshakar Farīd al-Dīn Masʿūd Ganj-i-Shakar ( ; – 7 May 1266) was a 13th-century Punjabi Sunni Muslim preacher and mystic, who was one of the most revered and distinguished Muslim mystics of the medieval period. He is known reverentially as B ...

. Another ancestor Muhammad Abu’l Khair Khan was a ''

mansabdar The Mansabdar was a military unit within the administrative system of the Mughal Empire introduced by Akbar. The word ''mansab'' is of Arabic origin meaning rank or position. The system determined the rank and status of a government official an ...

'' during Mughal emperor

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 reign.

Tenure as prime minister

During his years as prime minister, he made valuable contributions in the field of education. The education department, the engineering school, the law classes, the legislative Council and the

Asafia Library The State Central Library Hyderabad, ( te, స్టేట్ సెంట్రల్ లైబ్రరీ) ( ur, مكتبہ آصفیہ) known as the State Central Library (SCL) earlier known as Asafia Library, is a public library in Hyderabad ...

were opened under his prime-ministership. He was the fifth

Amir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

of a noble family, the Paigahs, and was the maternal grandson of

Asaf Jah III Nawab Mir Akbar Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur, Sikander Jah, Asaf Jah III (11 November 1768 – 21 May 1829), was the 3rd Nizam/Ruler of Hyderabad, India from 1803 to 1829. He was born in Chowmahalla Palace in the Khilwath, the second son of Asaf Jah ...

. Sir Muhammad Fazl ud-din built the magnificent palace like

Falaknuma Palace Falaknuma is a palace in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It originally belonged to the Paigah family, and was later owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad. It is on a hillock and covers a area in Falaknuma, from Charminar. It was built by Nawab Sir V ...

as his residence, which took 9 years to build and was completed in 1893. He also built the magnificent

Paigah Palace Paigah Palace is a palace in Hyderabad, India. It was built by Sir Vicar-ul-Umra, a Paigah nobleman. This was built after he gave the famous Falaknuma Palace to the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad state, Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI. The Palace ho ...

in the European style of architecture, after he gave the Falaknuma palace to

Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI Asaf Jah VI, also known as, Sir Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi (17 August 1866 – 29 August 1911) was the 6th Nizam of Hyderabad. He ruled Hyderabad state, one of the Princely states in India between 1869 and 1911. Early life Mahbo ...

, where he spent his life. He built

Vikhar Manzil Vikhar Manzil was a mansion of the Paigah nobleman and former Prime Minister of Hyderabad State, Sir Viqar-ul-Umra. He was amazed by the Hussain Sagar Hussain Sagar (alternatively referred to as Tank Bund; ) is a heart-shaped lake in Hydera ...

, near

Hussain Sagar Hussain Sagar (alternatively referred to as Tank Bund; ) is a heart-shaped lake in Hyderabad, Telangana, built by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah in 1563. It is spread across an area of and is fed by the River Musi. A large monolithic statue of the Gau ...

lake.

Architecture

Viqar-ul-Umra commissioned the

Spanish Mosque The Spanish Mosque, also known as ''Masjid Iqbal Ud Daula'' or Jam e Masjid ''Aiwan-E-Begumpet'', is a mosque within the Paigah Palace, Begumpet, Hyderabad, India. The construction of the mosque was started by the fifth Paigah Amir, H.E. Nawa ...

(original name: Jama Masjid Aiwan-e-Begumpet) at

Begumpet Begumpet ("Begum's Place") is a part of Secunderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Begumpet is named after the daughter of the sixth Nizam (Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI), Basheer Unnisa Begum, who received it as part of her wedding dowry when ...

, Hyderabad in 1887. He started its construction after getting inspired by

Spanish architecture Spanish architecture refers to architecture in any area of what is now Spain, and by :Spanish architects, Spanish architects worldwide. The term includes buildings which were constructed within the current borders of Spain prior to its existenc ...

during one of his trips to Spain. It is built in the

Moorish architecture Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture which developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus (on the Iberian peninsula) and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia (part of the Maghreb). The term "Moorish" com ...

style and has

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

horseshoe arch The horseshoe arch (; Spanish: "arco de herradura"), also called the Moorish arch and the keyhole arch, is an emblematic arch of Islamic architecture, especially Moorish architecture. Horseshoe arches can take rounded, pointed or lobed form. His ...

es and influences of

Roman architecture Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered on ...

. Viqar-ul-Umra constructed the

in 1893. Later Nizam

Mahbub Ali Khan Mahbub Ali Khan ( bn, মাহবুব আলী খান; 3 November 1934 – 6 August 1984) was a Bangladesh Navy rear admiral and the Chief of Naval Staff from 1979 till his death in 1984. He is known for his heroic actions done for hi ...

bought this palace. This palace was built with a blend of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

and

Tudor architecture The Tudor architectural style is the final development of Medieval architecture in England and Wales, during the Tudor period (1485–1603) and even beyond, and also the tentative introduction of Renaissance architecture to Britain. It fo ...

and the ceiling is adorned with

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

s. It also has the world's largest dining wall in which chairs made of

rosewood Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. True rosewoods All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus ''Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated in ...

are present. Currently, it is a hotel, leased to

Taj Hotels Taj Hotels is a chain of luxury hotels and a subsidiary of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, India. Incorporated by Jamsetji Tata in 1902, the company is a part of the Tata Group, one of India's largest business conglom ...

. Notable dignitaries to stay in this palace include

Czar Nicholas II Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

, Queen Mary,

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

and

Ivanka Trump Ivana Marie "Ivanka" Trump (; born October 30, 1981) is an American businesswoman and the first daughter of Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. She was a senior advisor in his administration, and also was the ...

. After Nizam bought the Falaknuma Palace, Viqar-ul-Umra built the

(originally known as Aiwan-e-Viqar) for himself. The Zenana Mahal in it was built with a blend of

Neo Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

Indo-Saracenic Indo-Saracenic architecture (also known as Indo-Gothic, Mughal-Gothic, Neo-Mughal, or Hindoo style) was a revivalist architectural style mostly used by British architects in India in the later 19th century, especially in public and government ...

and Mughal architecture. A part of the palace houses the

U.S. consulate The United States has the second most Diplomatic mission, diplomatic missions of any country in the world List of diplomatic missions of China, after Mainland China, including 166 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, as well as obse ...

and a part of it is inhabited by his descendants. By , he built scores of monuments, public buildings, Dams, water reservoirs, artificial lakes, and about 21 palaces and mansions in the state of Hyderabad including the palace of

also known as Aiwan-e-Begumpet. Viqar-ul-Umra founded the city of

in present-day

Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...

state, India. This town is named after him. In this beautiful town with a mini hill station of Ananthgiri hills, he constructed the Sultan Manzil for his son Nawab Sultan-Ul-Mulk, post-office, police station, Hospital, Sanitarium, Vikarabad Bazar, Kotpally dam, Vikarabad lake and a hunting lodges imported from London in 1882.

Personal life

In , Viqar-ul-Umra married Jahanderunnisa Begum. She was the fourth daughter of Nizam

Afzal ad-Dawlah, Asaf Jah V Afzal ad-Dawlah, Asaf Jah V Mir Tahniyath Ali Khan Siddiqi (11 October 1827 – 26 February 1869) was the ruling Nizam of Hyderabad, India, from 1857 to 1869. Realm Asaf Jah V's realm was divided into five subahs and sixteen districts; each su ...

Tahniyath Ali Khan and a sister of Nizam

Mahboob Ali Khan Asaf Jah VI, also known as, Sir Mir Mahboob Ali Khan Siddiqi Bayafandi (17 August 1866 – 29 August 1911) was the 6th Nizam of Hyderabad. He ruled Hyderabad state, one of the Princely states in India between 1869 and 1911. Early life Mahboo ...

. After Nawab Viqar-ul-Umra Bahadur was knighted, she took the title Lady Viqar-ul-Umra. Their son Sultan-ul-Mulk was born on 3 November 1875. He later became the Amir-i-Paigah-Viqar-ul-Umra (Amir-i-Paigah of Viqar-ul-Umra branch). They also had a daughter – Liaqatunnisa Begum. In 1878, Viqar-ul-Umra married Munirunnisa Begum, the daughter of Nawab Hamza Ali Khan Bahadur. Their son Waliuddin Khan was born on 13 March 1880. He later served as the

. They also had a daughter – Taharaqunnisa Begum. Although Viqar-ul-Umra's previous marriages were

arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...

, he fell in love with Dr. Gulbai Viccajee, a Hyderabadi

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

. They first met at

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. In 1900, they married. As she was a

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...

by faith (colloquially known as

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

), she converted to Islam to marry him. She took the name Nur Jahan Begum. After marriage, she left her medical profession and lived in ''

purdah Pardah or purdah (from Hindi-Urdu , , meaning "curtain") is a religious and social practice of female seclusion prevalent among some Muslim and Hindu communities. It takes two forms: physical segregation of the sexes and the requirement that wom ...

'' at

. Viqar-ul-Umra died while hunting at Yalghadap - Khanapur (in present-day

Nizamabad district Nizamabad district is a district located in the north-western region in the Indian state of Telangana. The city of Nizamabad is the district headquarters.It was known as " Indur " which was supposed to have originated from the name of the King ...

) on 15 February 1902. He is buried at the

Paigah Tombs Paigah Tombs or Maqhbara Shams al-Umara, are the tombs belonging to the nobility of Paigah family, who were fierce loyalists of the Nizams, served as statespeople, philanthropists and generals under and alongside them. The Paigah tombs are among ...

Polo

Viqar-ul-Umra was an avid player of

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

. He discovered the sport during a tour to Europe and later brought it to

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 ...

. He went on to popularise the sport amongst the

nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...

of the state. He also constructed polo grounds in the state and organized polo tournaments for the royal families.

References

External links

Feature on a palace he built

Hyderabad State 1856 births 1902 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Indian knights Recipients of the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal Prime Ministers of Hyderabad State {{Royal-stub