King Kothi Palace, Hyderabad

History

The palace was constructed by Kamal Khan, and sold to Nizam once he expressed his desire for the palace. The young Nizam moved in when he was only 13. After his accession to the throne in 1911, he continued to stay at the palace and did not move to Chowmahalla Palace where his father lived. Initially, Kamal Khan constructed this palace for his personal residence: Thus, the main gate, passerby corridors, windows and doors were engraved with the sign of "KK". Later when Nizam purchased this palace, the young Nizam felt against his pride to have the abbreviations of other nawabs; he passed a firman and changed the abbreviation "KK" to "King Kothi," meaning king's mansion. Thus the name King Kothi came into existence.In the sprawling palace, various kinds of expensive items were stored in steel trunks, fastened with English-made padlocks. The palace has three main buildings, divided into two groups. It also has a huge library used by the last Nizam.The eastern half, now occupied by a state government hospital, was used by the Nizam for official and ceremonial purposes. The western half, which is now walled, has the main residential buildings known as Nazri Bagh or Mubarak Mansion and still belongs to the Nizam’s private estate. The main entrance to Nazri Bagh always had a curtain draped across it, so it has come to be known as the purdah gate. When Nizam went out of the palace, the purdah was lifted to indicate the king was not home. The gate was guarded by Maisaram Regiment, police and Sarf-e-Khas Army bearing lances. The Nizam lived here until his death in 1967.