Blasé tourists scratching their names on fort walls, trashing heritage sites, playing loud music near lakes is passe. A new generation of tourists/visitors are creating spotless memories on Instagram, Twitter and other social media platforms. The result: a surge in footfalls in places of history and heritage. Even unknown places are becoming the haunts of the SM influencers. “People know this as Bhoot Bangla. In the daytime people come and request me to allow them inside for photographs. They are willing to pay money, but it is risky,” says the caretaker of an old disused masjid in Malakpet area. Search for Bhoot Bangla on the Internet leads to a dozen sites in Hyderabad with the one in Begumpet and Banjara Hills coming up on top.
“Yes. There is quite a lot of interest because Instagram has much to do with aesthetics than intellect, creators go on searching for these places and make TikTok videos and Insta Reels. In comments, people ask for location, and then go there trying to find out about its history or just to make more videos. Either way, these buildings get attention,” says Sibghat Khan, who conducts heritage walks in the city.
Interestingly, even at the height of COVID-19 pandemic, heritage walks were being conducted with protocol to ensure social distancing. Heritage sites which almost fell off the public memory are now busy sites with youngsters thronging them from morning to evening. While the Paigah Tombs have been popular with history buffs, now a renewed interest has led to the place being thronged by groups of youngsters clicking selfies with the jalis of the necropolis or photographing the resident cats through the lattice work.
The staid Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage in Hyderabad too has adopted to the social media with regular posts of sites in and around Hyderabad and Telangana. The moment a post becomes viral, the location and access are the first questions to be asked.
As Hyderabad marks International Day for Monuments and Sites, the raised profile of some sites is surely due to social media playing a key role.
