From Town Hall to Museum to State Legislature
Restoration work in progress in the inner hall of the old Assembly building.
Photo Credit: Serish Nanisetti
Media Source: The Hindu (India)
Date: 13 October 2025
Nearly 120 years after it was commissioned, Hyderabad’s Indo-Sarcenic landmark — Mahbubia Town Hall — has been conserved and restored by the government with the help of Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). Inside the Mahbubia Town Hall or the old Telangana Assembly building in Hyderabad, craftsmen use one-inch brushes, 1-cm…
Nearly 120 years after it was commissioned, Hyderabad’s Indo-Sarcenic landmark — Mahbubia Town Hall — has been conserved and restored by the government with the help of Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC). Inside the Mahbubia Town Hall or the old Telangana Assembly building in Hyderabad, craftsmen use one-inch brushes, 1-cm trowels and a keen eye to bring symmetry to their work. Perched on a scaffolding, hanging by ropes, the craftsmen chisel out the repetitive geometrical patterns on the lime stucco of the rows of pillars, revealing designs that were hidden for years. In a building that used to be rows of offices with furniture, books and ACs for legislators of Telangana Assembly is now a workspace for craftsmen who go about their task with precision. “When we took up the work, the roof was leaking as if there was no roof. They even laid a tin sheet to keep out the rainwater. There were layers and layers of 20th century interventions added to the roof which affected the drainage and led to seepage,” says Ratish Nanda, CEO of AKTC, which carried out the conservation work.