Historic pigeon houses in Hyderabad shelter thousands of birds, attract daily visitors

For nearly 200 years, people in Hyderabad have gathered each morning to feed pigeons at historic Kabutar Khanas in Hussain Alam and Sultan Bazaar. These community-run pigeon houses shelter thousands of birds and preserve the city’s age-old tradition

Hyderabad: It’s early morning and the skies are a bit cloudy. The pigeons flap around, buzzing, breaking the silence of the morning.

A group of elderly people toss grains on the ground as pigeons pick them up. This scene has been repeating day after day for almost two centuries at the Kabutar Khana of Hussain Alam in the Old City, a place where a pigeon house was constructed long ago.

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Every morning, scores of people feed pigeons out of the belief that it brings blessings from their ancestors. The Kabutra Khana accommodates over 1000 pigeons. It was constructed nearly 200 years ago by Siddiq Ibrahim Shah, who belonged to the Qutb Shahi Dynasty.

“It was constructed on roughly 100 square yards by Ibrahim Shah due to his love for birds. The upkeep of the pigeon house is taken care of by his descendants,” said Syed Sadiq, a local resident.

Due to its location in a residential locality, people belonging to all faiths visit the place in the morning and feed the birds.

Another big pigeon house is located at Sultan Bazaar, behind the Gokul Chat Bhandar. It was constructed by the Sultan Bazaar Traders Association and Hashmathgunj residents.

This pigeon house accommodates around 2000 pigeons and due to space crunch, the birds take shelter in the nearby buildings.

A local trader said that throughout the day, people visiting the place keep on feeding the pigeons after buying grains from a local hawker.

In some North Indian communities, feeding pigeons is considered an act of piety. Hence, one finds more pigeon feeding points in areas populated by the North Indian communities.