Restoration of the Cemetery at the British Residency (Hyderabad, Telangana)

The grounds of the British Residency at Hyderabad house many features that form intrinsic parts of the Complex. One such distinctive group is located at the south-western corner of the grounds and comprises three distinct features:

• The Model of the Residency
• The Rang Mahal Gardens
• The Cemetery

The Cemetery within the Residency is located to the West of the Model. Demarcated by a low compounded wall, it houses about 42 tombs dating from 1807–1916 across an area of about 2 acres. The first inventory of the tombs was conducted in 1941 and a proposal for restoration of the cemetery complex was initially prepared in 2010 for The British Association for the Cemeteries of South Asia (BACSA).

Finding the cemetery in a state of great neglect, overgrown with vegetation and rendered almost inaccessible by the undergrowth, the DHF, in partnership with BACSA, decided to undertake the restoration of the cemetery in three phases:

• Phase 1: Clearing of vegetation, excess soil deposits and preparation of an estimate for complete restoration (completed in 2016-17)
• Phase 2: Restoration of the compound wall and a few critically deteriorated graves (proposed 2017-18)
• Phase 3: Restoration of the remaining graves (proposed 2018-19)