Article by EIH Researcher and Writer
Shamiksha Mallick
Hyderabad is not only known to be the city of Nizams but for a myriad of things. Starting from the savoury Hyderabadi Biryani to the Hyderabadi pearls, Hyderabad is a city to look out for. One very intriguing thing about Hyderabad is the official flag of the Nizams. Interestingly, the flag of the Nizams is ornamented with a Kulcha like outline in the centre of the flag. Behind this peculiar illustration lies an interesting tale.
The Asaf Jahi dynasty, originally a turkic dynasty, laid its foundations in the 18th century under the reign of Nizam Mir Qamar-ud-Din Khan in Hyderabad. The Nizam subsequently got appointed as the Subedar-e-Dakhan, literally meaning, the governor of Deccan. Once, when the Nizam visited the northern part of the subcontinent, the famous sufi saint and his spiritual guide Hazrat Nizamuddin invited Qamar-ud-Din for a meal before he was returning back to Deccan. The saint served him Kulchas in a bright yellow cloth and the Nizam devoured around seven of those Kulchas. During the meal, the saint made an ambitious prophecy regarding the Nizam and stated, “You and your descendants will rule over the Deccan for seven generations.” It was astonishing that Nizam and his successors of six generations ruled successfully in Deccan, justifying the prophecy made by the Sufi Saint.
Post the collapse of the Mughal rule, the Asaf Jahi Dynasty rose to prominence under the autonomy of Qamar-ud-Din Khan and freed itself from the influence of Delhi. The seventh descendant of the Nizam, Nawab Sir Osman Ali Khan joined hands with the Indian Union bringing an end to the Nizam rule and further verifying the prophecy to be true. Reminiscing the prophecy of the saint, the flag of the Nizams had an illustration of a Kulcha in the centre and colour of the flag was decided to be yellow. The top of the flag read: ‘Azmut ul-Illah’ meaning ‘The Greatness of God’ with the name of the Nizam printed beneath it. This delicious crispy bread etched onto the flag was a token of gratitude for the saint who prophesied a successful reign of the Nizam over a meal of Kulcha. With each of the seven generations successfully passing by, the name of the Nizam on the flag kept changing; however, the prophecy remained unchanged and kept proving itself right. This bread also became the official symbol of the Nizams and the pips worn by the police of Hyderabad on their shoulders exhibiting their ranks were also in the shape of a kulcha.
The historical validity of this tale is yet to be trusted as some historians claimed the figure in the nucleus of the flag to be a moon rather than a kulcha. One reason for the assumption behind it being a Kulcha is the prominence of culinary affairs and the luxurious food preparations that were as popular and well known as the administration of the Nizams, suggesting that the people of Hyderabad attached a lot of meaning to food. Regardless of how historically valid this story is, this is how this simple bread got immortalised in a flag.
REFERENCES:
Food Story: How Naan and Kulcha became India’s much-loved breads
India On A Plate: Find Out Why Hyderabad’s Official Flag Pays A Special Tribute To Kulcha!
Here’s Why ‘Kulcha’ Was Given a Special Place on the Official Flag of the Nizams of Hyderabad
The Days of The Beloved
By Harriet Ronken Lynton, Laura Riding Jackson
The Asafia flag of Hyderabad. The script along the top reads Al Azmatulillah meaning “All greatness is for God”. The bottom script reads Ya Uthman which translates to “Oh Uthman“. The writing in the middle reads “Nizam-ul-Mulk Asif Jah”
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Coat of Arms of Hyderabad state
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizam_of_Hyderabad#/media/File:Hyderabad_Coat_of_Arms.jpg
Asaf Jah I (ruled 1724-1748), founder and first Nizam of Hyderabad state (today India)
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Kulcha
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