Victoria Memorial Home
North view of the Victoria Memorial Home
General information
TypeOrphanage
Architectural styleHyderabad Deccan
LocationHyderabad, Telangana, India
Completed1903
OpenedFebruary 14, 1905 (1905-02-14)
Height32 feet
Technical details
Floor count2

Victoria Memorial Home or Yateem Khana-e-Victoria, officially known as Victorial Memorial Home Residential High School is a historic school and orphanage located in Saroornagar in Hyderabad in the Indian state of Telangana.[1][2]

It is housed in Saroornagar Palace, a palace of the Nizam of Hyderabad. The building is located 70-acre campus, located close to the Victoria Memorial metro station.

History

The Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahboob Ali Khan, had drawings made for a hunting lodge as early as 1882.[3] The building was completed in 1903. However, the Nizam abandoned the palace on account of a superstition, as he fell ill soon after visiting the unfinished palace.[4][5] The building remained deserted for a some time.

In 1904, on occasion of the death of Queen Victoria, the British Resident asked the Nizam to set up an institute in her memory.[6] The latter issued a royal firman to set up the Victoria Memorial Orphanage at the Saroornagar Palace.[7] The orphanage opened officially on 14 February 1905.[3] In 1953, the word "orphanage" was replaced by "home" due to a request by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.[6]

In 2017, the government announced a plan to hand over a part of the orphanage to house the Rachakonda Police Commissionerate.[7] This resulted in widespread controversy and a case was filed in the High Court against the government.[8][9] Several activists including Mir Najaf Ali Khan protested against the shift.[10]

Building

The building is rectangular in shape, with a length of 420 feet and breadth of 285 feet.[6] It has two floors. It is surrounded by thick greenery. It has an arched entrance, and high-ceilinged large rooms.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Manmohan Singh in Hyderabad today". The Times of India. 24 February 2013. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  2. ↑ "Manmohan to visit Hyderabad blast site today". The Hindu. 23 February 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Khalidi, Omar (2009). A Guide to Architecture in Hyderabad, Deccan, India (PDF). p. 201. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  4. ↑ "Celebrating 425 years of Hyderabad: Places to explore in city". Deccan Chronicle. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  5. ↑ "Heritage vantage point from Metro". The Times of India. 25 September 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 "Hyderabad: Nizam VI considered Victoria Memorial Home ill omen". Deccan Chronicle. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  7. 1 2 Khan, Asif Yar. "Victoria Memorial Home to house commissionerate". Telangana Today. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  8. ↑ "Don't cut trees at Victoria Memorial Home: Hyderabad High Court". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  9. ↑ "HC seeks clarity on Victoria Memorial Home land ownership". The Hindu. 25 October 2017. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  10. ↑ Akbar, Syed (12 October 2017). "Nizam's family joins the fight to save Victoria orphanage". The Times of India. Retrieved 31 January 2020.

17°21′22″N 78°32′00″E / 17.3561°N 78.5333°E / 17.3561; 78.5333


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.