Domakonda Fort conferred UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage Conservation Award

The Domakonda Fort project, Kamareddy, Telangana, India, has been conferred the UNESCO Asia – Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation – Award of Merit for 2022.

13 projects from 6 countries were selected, by UNESCO from a total of the 287 entries they received this year.

The UNESCO representative at the awards ceremony said that the Domakonda Fort is a private initiative that has successfully restored cultural space for the community and the project has generated appreciation for creating community pride.

For the conservation of Domakonda Fort, Conservation Architect Anuradha Naik, B.Arch. (Hons.), M.Arch., RIBA, RIAS, FRSA, FRAS, was appointed chief consultant.

The project is a private initiative undertaken by Anil Kamineni one of the descendants of the erstwhile Domakonda Samasthan family, and his wife Shobana, with the required permissions of the Archeological Department.

Naik commenced work at Domakonda Fort in 2011 and has completed most of the work by 2022. Local craftsmen were trained to a high level of proficiency and locally sourced material used to the greatest extent. Naik said that “the past decade has charted a challenging but very worthwhile journey and this recognition by UNESCO is inspirational”.

“The conservation work is an ongoing process which was started a few decades ago by my father K Umapathy, and there is still work to be done”, according to Anil Kamineni. “The process is truly sustainable with linkages between arts, crafts and culture, which is being promoted through our Domakonda Fort & Village Development Trust”, said Shobana Kamineni.

Anuradha S. Naik

• Anuradha Naik is a conservation architect and has been based in Hyderabad since 2009, and is Principal at her practice, Anuradha Naik Associates. She completed both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh University. Anuradha is a chartered member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), a chartered member of the Royal Incorporation of Architects of Scotland (RIAS) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London (FRSA). She is also a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, London (FRAS).
• Anuradha has worked on several prestigious projects both in the UK and in India. In the UK, working for Purcell Miller Tritton LLP, her projects included the Palace of Westminster and the British Houses of Parliament, the Canterbury Cathedral and Choir House and several other National Trust Properties.
• Her most recent award is the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation, Award for Merit, 2022 for her work at the Domakonda Fort. Anuradha led the conservation of the Domakonda Fort, currently the largest private conservation initiative in Telangana. She restored the buildings within the 30-acre fort, helped revive local crafts and skills, conducting training workshops for craftsmen as required. She has also designed the interiors at the Fort, using local crafts and Deccani colour palettes, commissioning bespoke furnishings and custom-made furniture.
• Anuradha has been closely associated with the Chowmahalla Palace, and was a part of the team of the UNESCO Asia Pacific Merit Award winning project. She has curated and designed several galleries and since 2016, has also been involved in the restoration of buildings within the palace complex, including the Khilwat- durbar hall and most recently the Palace Clock Tower.
• Anuradha also advises the Taj Falaknuma on heritage related matters and restoration works. She has also worked at the Purani Haveli Palace in Hyderabad, where she was appointed by the Nizam’s Jubilee Pavilion Trust (NJPT) to curate and design the City Museum of Hyderabad, the only one of its kind, dedicated to the city and its people.
• Anuradha has curated the Interpretation Centre at the erstwhile British Residency for WMF (World Monuments Fund, India). She has several publications including chapters in books, journals, and architectural magazines. Anuradha was commissioned by the President of India’s Secretariat and the IGNCA and authored chapters for book titled “the Presidential Retreats of India” which was released by the President and Prime Minister at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2015. She is currently authoring a publication commissioned by WMF, New York, on the former British Residency in Hyderabad, to be published by SCALA, UK.