Urdu scholars and academicians have once again come out to claim that the idea of Bhagyanagar as the earlier name for the city is mere folklore which is not backed by substance.

Scholars at the four-day international seminar on “400 years of Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah” which was organised at the department of Urdu at University of Hyderabad, said that no available manuscripts, epigraphs, literature or even coins of that era suggest that the name of the city was Bhagyanagar. One among them even feared that with Telangana being formed, there might be a demand to rename the city as Bhagyanagar.

Noted city-based historian and managing trustee of Deccan Heritage Trust, Mohammed Safiullah, rubbishing the concept of Bhagyanagar, said that some historians with vested interests were behind the imaginary stories of Bhagyanagar and said that no concrete proofs suggest that the city was called Bhagyanagar. “Bhagmati could have been a Rajasthani courtesan like Taramati and Premamati. But, even the first available coins of Hyderabad dating to 1603 have the legend as Dar-ul-Sultanate Hyderabad.”

According to him, the title Hyder, meaning lion, has never been given to any woman across the world. “Qutb Shahis were ardent Shias. The city was named after the corner stone of Shia fate, Hazrath Ali, who was also called as Hyder-e-Karrar,” he said. He further said that Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah was a great poet who mentioned many women in his collection of poetry and it was unfair to pick just one of them as his lover.

Echoing similar views, Prof Ahmed Shareef, retired professor of architecture, JNAFAU, said that Bhagyanagar could have been the jagir of Bhageerathi Bai, the Vijayanagara princess, who married Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah, but there were no proofs available. “It was in the late Nizam era that the concept of Bhagyanagar came up and that was because of the rising atrocities against Hindus by the Nizam. One should put down all such gossip and look forward to a livable environment for all,” he added.

According to him, it is more important to preserve the historical texts, manuscripts, epigraphs, architecture, literature and culture of Qutb Shahi rulers for a better understanding of our past.

Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth king of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, who ruled the region for 32 years, was the founder of Hyderabad Deccan in 1591-92. He was also considered to be the first Urdu poet and lived between 1565 and 1612. Contemporary to Ibrahim Adil Shah the 2nd and Mughal emperor Akbar, his period is regarded as the golden age for the Deccani culture. “The Deccani culture and heritage has been so neglected that only a very small portion of it is studied and researched upon. There are many major contributions of the Qutb Shahis, but only poetry is given importance in Urdu departments. We call for further research, critical review and examination of art, culture, architecture, jewelry, music, etc,” said Habib Nisar, associate professor and coordinator of the seminar, department of Urdu, UoH.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express /Home> Cities> Hyderabad / by Express News Service – Hyderabad / August 24th, 2013