Rock Formations of Hyderebad

            Rock Formations of Hyderebad

‘Bear’s Nose’, ‘Mushroom Rock’, ‘Cliff Rock’, ‘Monster Rock’, ‘Tortoise Rock’, ‘Obelisk’, etc., are names that have been given to these natural beauties. These formations can be found in various pockets of the city and beyond, like the Central University Campus, in and around Hi-Tech City and Gachibowli, Old Bombay Road, near Nandi Hills and Mahindra Hills, close to Durgama Cheruvu, Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills. All it takes is a trip around the place with a two-wheeler in tow to rediscover the rocks, which are a part of Hyderabad’s unique topography.

Places of worship too have existed in or on the rocks. One can find innumerable shrines, from small one-stone places of worship to big temples and dargahs in and amongst many rocks. India’s hottest rocks, beyond diamonds and emeralds that belonged to its kings and queens, are these billions-of-years-old rocks. These rocks are home to many birds and smaller animals. To quote Late Siraj Taher, President Emeritus of A P Birdwatcher’s Society, here, “Rocks are not just barren and lifeless monoliths with only an aesthetic or sentimental value, but contain a plethora of life forms. Geckos and mongooses live among them, and Great Horned Owls, Spotted Owlets, vultures, mynas and swifts nest in their crevices and openings. What a wealth of wildlife, and we thought the rocks were ‘dead matter’!”

Add caption

                   List of Heritage Rocks and Sites
The Government must play an important role in the preservation of the Deccan’s stunning granite formations. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has taken the first step by including rock areas in Regulation No. 13 of the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) for the protection of Heritage Buildings and Precincts. Hyderabad is the only city in India where rocks are protected as a natural heritage. HMDA, the Municipal Corporation and the Tourism Department have already started to develop rock gardens in the city.

The first 9 Formations proposed by the Society in 1997 and protected under Regulation 13 of the HUDA Zoning Regulations 1981 are as follows:
1. Rocks around Durgama Cheruvu

Durugum chereuvu

2. Rock Park
3. Bear’s Nose
4. Mushroom Rock, Hyderabad University
5. Cliff Rock
6. Monster Rock

Add caption

7. Tortoise Rock
8. Toadstool Rock
9. Obelisk

The Society had again proposed a list of 20 Rock Sites to be notified under the HUDA Heritage Regulations, on 22nd May 2006. Out of these sites, 15 have been notified as Heritage Precincts by the Government of AP, G.O. 68, on 3rd February, 2009:

gachibowli

1. Sharmirpet
2. Moula Ali and 2 adjacent Hillrocks
3. Sentinel Rock, near Moula Ali Hills

 Sentinel Rock, near Moula Ali Hills

4. Pahar-e-Shareef
5. Skull Rock
6. United-we-Stand, Urdu University
7. Pathar Dil, Urdu University
8. Hamburger Rock, NITHM
9. Fakhruddingutta

Fakhruddingutta

10. Rocks behind Malkam Cheruvu
11. Ghaar-e-Mubarak, near Taramati Baradari
12. Peeran Shah Rocks, near AP Police Academy
13. Rock on which Dattatreya Temple is situated  
14. Allabanda Hill
15. Gangabowli ka Pahar

Three sites had been proposed in the Secunderabad Cantonment area, and since they are not under HMDA Jurisdiction, they have to be protected by the Cantonment administration.

            Integrating Rocks in Your Life

The need of the hour is to protect what is existing and ensure that it remains protected. And the only way to save these rocks is to integrate them into the fast-changing landscape of the ever growing city. Narendra Luther could be considered a pioneer in this regard. But he himself draws his inspiration from the late Nawab Mehdi Nawaz Jung who built himself a house with minimal disturbance to the existing rock scape.

“The STSR [society to save the rocks] has strived to canvas public and government support, but there has been more interest from foreigners in our rocks. Scientists discovered the ecological value of these rocks. And because of their position, the drainage of the Deccan region has been determined by these rocks. When it rains, it goes down and settles to the lowest level and lakes are formed. Now even lakes have been destroyed. One of the earliest lakes to be destroyed was the Picket Lake in Secunderabad which stretched from Secunderabad Club to St. John’s Church! Others like Masab Tank, Vengal Rao Lake (now a park) have also disappeared,” Many others have been encroached upon and destroyed by people. The ecological importance of these rocks has not been appreciated properly. Some rocks have been declared protected. But what steps are taken to protect them, is the question. We are not getting anything more than lip service, as of now

Luther’s house in Banjara Hills has a rock face wall in the living room and another room on the first floor. Rather than destroying the rocks, building houses around them is the best way to maintain a balance between development and environment.

Fortunately, some private developers also are now showing interest in constructing around the rocks at least for their aesthetic appeal, if not for environmental purposes. Also, more and more landscaped rock gardens are emerging near company and corporate buildings that are aware of the great asset they possess in the beautiful natural rock scapes around them. With the Tourism Department developing rock gardens in the city, many individuals too are trying to emulate them, albeit, in a much smaller way in their gardens.

The Rock Museum and Rock Heights at Shilparamam are indeed nature’s poem; where the natural formations stand un-swayed in a scenic form providing one with the needed refreshment and rejuvenation, away from the crowd. Others that have managed to be at peace with the gigantic spectators are the ITC Kakatiya (the rock is the main feature in the garden here); the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy (KBR) Park (which has an entire walkway over the rocks without disturbing the layout); the Naubat Pahar (a 100 m high hill of flowing rock shapes whose summit is said to have been used, in the Qutb Shahi and Asif Jahi times, for the beating of the naubat (drum) before royal proclamations); the Birla Planetarium (which occupies the top of the hill); Birla Mandir (this twin peak of Naubat Pahar is known as the Kala Pahar); Gibraltar rock in Hussain Sagar Lake; Falaknuma Palace (built on a steep hilltop, which now though, has not many rock formations left); and a handful of houses in Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and Mahendra Hills that have incorporated the rocks as part of their home.

“Rocks cannot be duplicated. Under the UNESCO law, rocks come under physical heritage and it needs protection Out of the rocks that must have existed earlier, less than 40% must be existing today These mute rocks are being done away with mercilessly. “In the name of development, rocks are getting rid of. First, in the name of globalization, colonization and then modernization. Both can co-exist;           
 Rocks can be incorporated into the houses that people build, and more has to be done to protect these nature’s beauty, as it says in the Bible that the foundations of the earth are the mountains and the rocks
We all can do our bit by spreading awareness of the Deccani rocks. We can approach property owners, architects and builders and make them aware of the treasure of rocks in their lands and educate them to use those as a part of their design without destroying them. We can become a member of STSR and help them in their initiatives like rock walks, exhibitions, concerts, film screenings and lectures in schools and colleges.

The rocks have survived a few billion years; let us hope they survive human greed too! Let’s do our bit, before it is too late!