150-year-old temple near Charminar attracts patrons

You might have visited Charminar, but did you happen to notice the Mahadev Mandir close to it? If not, then you needn’t worry, you’re not the only one. The temple is hardly 100 meters away from the historic monument right behind the police station. It was tucked away from the public eye and has now come to light.

The temple has idols of nine different Gods and Goddesses. It radiates graciously in the night, when it gleams in all white, enhancing the beauty of the area.

The temple can go unnoticed if one doesn’t actually look for it, due to its location. “It is difficult to point out even if one passes by the area everyday. I discovered that a temple had come up near Charminar when I visited the coffee shop that is located opposite the temple”, said Radhika, a student who travels on the same route everyday.

The temple complex is separated from the Charminar Police Station by a dilapidated wall. It belongs to the jewellers and Sarafa Association. According to them, the temple was built around 150 years ago. The management noted that atleast 400 to 500 people visited the temple everyday.

The premises of the Mahadev Mandir was small earlier which has now been extended to about 1,100 square yards. It was built by members of the Sarafa Association, who mostly belong to the Marwari community. The association comprises of owners of 80 jewellery shops, located in and around the Charminar.

The Mahadev Mandir that earlier had five small temples, now has three more added to it. People from different areas like Balapur, Begum Bazaar and Maheshwaram etc visit the temple on a regular basis apart from the regulars, who reside in and around Charminar.

The association undertook massive expansion work of the temple, which also has a hall on the ground floor that can accommodate around 200 people. The temple serves a lot of people during religious events. This Diwali, the temple witnessed a crowd of around 15,000 devotees. Thousands who visited the temple on that day were served free food.

“The temple was too small earlier, but with increasing patronage, the association members decided to add new temples to the existing one and bought the surrounding land. There were many obstructions and problems faced in the construction and beautification of the temple. Objections were raised by authorities. But we fought and won the case and finally the temple is here after three years”, said Ajay Kumar, treasurer of the temple.

How jewellery business thrived in Charminar

The stretch from Charminar to Machli Kamaan comprises of the biggest jewellery markets in the city. Business on a daily basis runs into crores of rupees. Most of the shop owners are Marwaris who reside in areas like Mitti-Ka-Sher, Patel Market, Urdu Gali etc.

There is an interesting story as to how Marwaris settled in that area and ran the lucrative business in gold, silver, diamond and pearl jewellery. After Aurangzeb conquered Golconda, he shred the city to a large extent and destroyed the Qutub Shahi palaces located near the Seher-e-Baatil Kamaan (Agra Hotel). During the reign of the fifth Nizam, Marwaris from Rajasthan were invited to the city to setup shop, which made the place, a hub for trade and business activities. They were given land earlier across the bridge but were later allowed to move closer to the Charminar, as the ruler was told that it would bring good luck to him if he would have sight of the precious stones and pearls while passing through the Charminar.