Why ‘Hyderabad’ Is Also Called The ‘City Of Clocks’?

In Hyderabad, time calculation and importance played a significance role as history reveal ancestors, rulers of Hyderabad built several clocks across the city. Time management and time value was the prime motto of erstwhile Nizams ruling agenda. The historical clock towers constructed by bygone kings in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad have been serving as one of the best tourist attractions for years now.

In today’s tech-savvy world where we constantly look at our phones or wristwatches, a clock may not be a sough-after gadget, but the heritage value of clock towers remains the same. In the years gone by, people used sundials, sand clock, water clocks and movements of stars to measure time. The clocks did not arrive in India until the 19th century.

Later, separate towers with a turret clock or clock were constructed facing its exterior walls. In those days clock towers were the sole means through which people got to know the time. Now, many of these clock towers are among the prominent monuments in the city.

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  Secunderabad
  Secunderabad Clock Tower, a 120-foot high clock mechanical tower, was declared a heritage structure in the twin cities. It was constructed in 1896 on 10 acres of land and was inaugurated on February 1, 1897, by Resident Sir Trevor John Chichele Plowden. The clock was donated by Maharashtra-based businessman Dewan Bahadur Seth Lachmi Narayan Ramgopal.
• Charminar
  The 150-year-old British clock adorns four sides of the famed Charminar monument. The clock was brought to Hyderabad from London in 1889 during the reign of Mir Mehboob Ali Khan, the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad.
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  Mahboob Chowk
  Located on the west of Charminar, near Laad Bazaar, Mahboob Chowk or Murgi Chowk Clock Tower has a history of 126 years. It was built in a small garden in 1892 by Nawab Asman Jah Bahadur, then Prime Minister of Hyderabad. This five-storey architectural clock tower has four Turkish-style clocks on each side which enable the time to be seen from any direction.
• Sultan Bazar
  The history of the clock tower at Sultan Bazar near Badi Chowdi dates back to 1865. At midnight on August 14, 1947, this was the place where the Indian National Flag was first hoisted by valiant locksmith Narasimhulu.
• Fateh Maidan
  Fateh Maidan Clock Tower was built in the Nizam’s government in 1903 by Nawab Zafar Yar Jung Bahadur, the youngest s0n of Sir Khursheed Jah Bahadur.
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  St George Church
  Inaugurated on April 10, 1867, the clock tower at St George Church was designed by chief engineer George William Marret.
• Chowmahalla Palace
  Chowmahalla Palace Clock Tower houses Khilawat clock above the main gate of the monument.
• Mozamjahi Market
  Mozamjahi Market and the tall tower which houses the clock were built in the year 1935 by H.E.H. Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan, Nizam of Hyderabad, entirely of stones. The market provides all kinds of goods, groceries and fruits.
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  Monda Market
  Clock tower at Monda Market, which was established over 100 years ago to serve resident British Army units, adorns the entrance.
• Secunderabad Railway Station
  The clock installed atop the Secunderabad railway station by Ramesh Watch Company in 1992 is among the newer ones in the city. It looked after the Signal and Telecommunication wing for years.
• Falaknuma Palace
  The clock tower at Falakuma Palace, which has won several prestigious awards to date, is installed at the 2,000-foot high hilltop of the palace.
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  James Street Police Station
  James Street Clock Tower was constructed in 1990 by Diwan Bahadur Ramgopal Seth, a Rajasthani financial trader.

As a few clock towers among the 12 in the city have been stuck in time, the State government is taking suggestive measures to revive the structures. #KhabarLive

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