Telangana: MAUD department to restore Nizamia Observatory
Hyderabad: The Nizamia Observatory at Japal Rangapur in Rangareddy district will be restored by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) department. The instructions to restore it was given by MA&UD Minister KT Rama Rao following the request made by Ravi Sambari from Greater Hyderabad Active Mobility Foundation, (cycling community).
He also posted a picture of the Nizamia Observatory, which was decades ago popular for its celestial events and observations of terrestrial. This place also had one of the country’s biggest telescopes.
Presently, the observatory that is spread over 200 acres in Ranga Reddy district has a 48-inch telescope, two 12-inch telescopes and one astrograph. However, the 48-inch telescope has been defunct for many years. The construction of this Nizam-era observatory with a special dome to house the 48-inch telescope commenced in 1963 and the telescope was installed in 1968-69 upon the completion of work.
The history of the observatory dates back to 1907 and it was established as Nizamia Observatory by Nawab Zafar Yar Jung Bahadur, the then Defence Minister for Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, the Sixth Nizam, at Phisalbanda in 1907. The research work and data obtained from the observatory were published in national and international journals.
