Hyderabad, June 14 (IANS). Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Sunday described the Salar Jung Museum as the soul of Hyderabad and a living symbol of religious harmony and secularism. He attended the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the museum and the 137th birth anniversary of its founder Salar Jung III Mir Yusuf Ali Khan.
Many dignitaries including Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, AIMIM MLA Mir Zulfekar Ali were present on the occasion.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that he was a visionary who cherished the essence of world civilization. He said that while people forget even small things, Salar Jung III preserved an entire civilization by collecting about 43,000 rare artefacts.
He told that this collection was not just a collection of objects but was the result of his deep devotion towards art. These rare objects purchased from his personal resources have today become public heritage.
Vikramarka said that the museum has bronze statues of Hindu gods and goddesses, copies of the Quran, Madonna statues of Jesus Christ and Buddhist artefacts under one roof, which is a wonderful example of religious unity.
He also mentioned that there are ritual artefacts depicting the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu combined with verses from the Quran, which is a living example of ‘Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb’.
Describing Musi river as a stream of memories of Hyderabad, he said that the state government is planning to clean it and develop it as a modern river-bank project like London’s Thames and Paris’s Seine.
He said that the Salar Jung Museum would be developed not just as a building but as a cultural heritage, which would be the major attraction of the revitalized river bank.
The government is also planning to link the old city’s tourist destinations Charminar, Golconda Fort, Qutub Shahi Tomb, Chowmahalla Palace and Falaknuma Palace with the Salar Jung Museum.
Along with this, it was said to promote night tourism, guided tours and better transport facilities. Vikramark said that Hyderabad is not limited to history and Charminar only, but it has also become the global center of cyber towers and modern technology.
–IANS
SAK/DKP