What is the history of Goshamahal Baradari? How did it become a Freemasons Hall? How was it used before?
Goshamahal Baradari in Hyderabad was constructed in 1682 by Sultan Abul Hassan Tana Shah, the last ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, as an article on the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India's website records. The structure originally functioned as a palace pavilion for royal ladies during the Qutb Shahi period. Following the Mughal conquest of Golconda in 1687, the building was repurposed to house Emperor Aurangzeb's administration and hosted the engagement of his son, Shah Alam, as the article notes.
The Nizam of Hyderabad donated the building to the Freemasons in 1872 to establish a permanent home for the fraternity, making it the oldest building used as a Masonic Temple in India, according to an article on the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India's website.
Today, the Goshamahal Baradari Masonic Building acts as the Freemasons' Hall for Hyderabad. Under the Grand Lodge of India, it provides a meeting place across multiple branches, housing Craft Lodges, Mark Lodges, and Royal Arch Chapters, as the Grand Lodge of India's website confirms.
what was it gifted to the Freemasons of Hyderabad?
The transfer of the Goshamahal Baradari to the Freemasons of Hyderabad is reported under two distinct dates in available historical accounts.
According to the Regional Grand Lodge of Southern India, the property was donated to the Freemasons by the Nizam of Hyderabad in 1872. Conversely, reporting by The Hindu records that the building was gifted to Freemasonry by the Nizam in 1933.
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