Victoria Memorial Home

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]

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

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. TNN 24 Feb 2013, 02.17AM IST (24 February 2013). "Manmohan Singh in Hyderabad today – Times Of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  2. Special Correspondent (23 February 2013). "Manmohan to visit Hyderabad blast site today". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  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".
  6. "Hyderabad: Nizam VI considered Victoria Memorial Home ill omen". Deccan Chronicle. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  7. Khan, AuthorAsif 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. Correspondent, Legal (25 October 2017). "HC seeks clarity on Victoria Memorial Home land ownership". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  10. Oct 12, Syed Akbar | TNN |; 2017; Ist, 12:13. "Nizam's family joins the fight to save Victoria orphanage | Hyderabad News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 31 January 2020.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)


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