Hyderabad: A plaster plant in Charminar was damaged from one of its spires when heavy rain slammed the city on Thursday. It lands on the sheets of the Bhagyalakshmi Temple. The temple was not damaged, no one was injured.
The ornament in the shape of lotus petals made of gypsum fell on the third balcony of the southeast spire above the temple. It is said to be from the Nizam era, not part of the original monument.
Police said the incident occurred around 4 p.m. and said there were not many people around due to heavy rain. “This piece fell on the edge of the temple’s shed, but it would not cause any damage to the temple. Visitors are not in Chamin because it is raining,” said a police officer from Chamin Police Department.
“Sometimes the hairline cracks absorb water and increase weight. This leads to separation,” said an official from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The work is an external gypsum layer, not a structural part of Charminar, the official said.
“This is a minor problem. The recovery will be done soon,” the official added.
Charminar’s plaster tablets are nothing new. In 2010, the same lotus petal ornament fell from the same southeast spire. No one was injured, and ASI authorities claimed the work was not a structural part of Charminar and said repairs would be carried out within a week.
The ASI authorities said the history of the ornamental layer dates back to 1924, when Nizam re-stitched the monument. “In the past decade, there has been only some plastering work, not the entire Charminar.”
Officials say the full recovery of the iconic structure is scheduled to begin in April or May 2025.
