Hyderabad: Conservation architects had anticipated finding a lime floor when they had directed the removal of the 20th Century slabs from the floor of the hamam area at the Qutub Shahi tombs.
However, two feet beneath the rubble, they found a layer of dressed granite. The old flooring, a part of which has been dug up, makes the monument look grander.
Dressed granites are hand-chiseled blocks, which appear fine on the outside but are left intact and coarse on all other sides.
“Each of these granite blocks is 1.5-metre long; what is interesting is that these blocks were originally used in coping (covering) the arcs inside the hamam enclosure, but were later buried,” said K.K. Muhammed.
“Over time, during the reign of the Qutub Shahi dynasty, several layers of flooring might have been added. While adding one such layer, they might have used the granite blocks to raise the height. We need to spend some time on research to understand the purpose,” Mr Muhammed added.
Several artifacts like 16th Century bricks and small cannon balls were unearthed during digging.
In addition, scraping off the 20th Century cement plaster from the arcades has revealed intricate designs underneath.
“Restoring the molding across the facade would require plastering in lime mortar — giving a ‘new’ appearance for a few years until rainfall and climatic conditions bring back the patina of age,” added Mr Ratish Nanda, projects director of AKTC.
