The proposed new Secretariat complex, the design for which was approved by the State Cabinet recently, draws inspiration from a few major temples in the State.
The ideas and inspiration of the domes on the façade of the imposing new complex are drawn from major temples — the Neelakanteshwara temple and Hanuman temple at Sarangapur in Nizamabad district, and the thousand pillars temple at Hanamkonda and the Wanaparthy Palace.
The architecture firm, Oscar and Ponni Architects, which prepared the design for the new Secretariat, said the overall design philosophy and the exterior architectural character were fusion and synthesis of diverse cultures and heritage of dynamic history of Telangana.
“We have extensively studied temple architecture and prepared the design with architectural styles predominantly of Deccan Kakatiya style,” Ms. Ponni Concessao of the Oscar and Ponni Architects told The Hindu.
According to Ms. Ponni, the planning concept was entirely vaastu-compliant and the design inspiration was two-fold, the cultural and architectural style of Telangana and the other was Lord Siva with specific reference to the Neelakanteshwara temple.
Opposition criticism
The statement assumes significance in the light of the criticism mounted by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party that the design was aimed at appeasing a particular section of society. Ms. Ponni said the thousand pillars temple was a statement of finest arts of the Kakatiyas. The dome and allied architectural features were inspiration from temples dedicated to Lord Siva and an example of Hindu Deccan Kakatiya architecture.
The exterior podium cladding, according to Ms. Ponni, would be red sandstone and the central tower would be with Rajasthan’s beige Dholpur sandstone cladding.
The beige color psychology was reliable, dependable and flexible while the colour beige was neutral, modern, urbane, calm and relaxing.
Meanwhile, Oscar Concessao of the architecture firm has been holding discussions with officials, including senior police officers about the security aspects of the new complex.
“We are in discussions with different departments and police over the security features that should be incorporated into the new complex.
The government is firm that the latest in security and surveillance technology should be deployed for the complex,” he said.
