Col Philip Meadows Taylor: Dentist from California, Dr Alberto Taylor, visits India in search of his great grand father's legacy in Hyderabad Deccan

Syed Akbar
Hyderabad:  A dentist from California, USA, is in the city to travel back in time 
and relive the glory of the erstwhile State of Hyderabad, which his great grandfather had 
captured through sketches, anecdotes, chronicles and paintings about 170 years ago.

Dr Alberto Taylor, a dentist by profession and genealogist by hobby, will spend about a 
week visiting the villages and towns that once formed part of the Nizam’s dominion “to 
feel and relive” the glorious days of his great grandfather, Col. Philip Meadows Taylor. 
It was Col. Meadows Taylor, who sketched the Charminar in 1840, for the first time ever.

Col. Taylor served in the Nizam’s government in early and mid 1800 CE and at one stage 
was the administrator of the principality of Raja Venkatappa Nayaka. He acquired 
knowledge of languages and the people of Southern India, which has seldom been equaled. 
He studied law, geology, and the antiquities of India, being one of the foremost early 
experts on megaliths. He was alternately judge, engineer, artist and man of letters with 
proficiency in a number of Indian languages.

“I have always fascinated about India, its people, its history and its culture. I feel 
there is a connection between India and me. That’s why I am here,” Dr Alberto Taylor told 
this correspondent. “Research in genealogy has been my hobby and while tracing my 
lineage, I came to know that my great grandfather was in the service of the Nizam and had 
authored several books. His book, The Story of My Life, has inspired me to revisit the 
monuments, palaces, cities, towns and villages associated with Col. Taylor’s life and 
times,” he pointed out.

Asked if he would visit India more often, Dr Taylor said he felt part of the Indian life. 
“I do not feel like a tourist. I feel part of the local culture. This trip is just like 
opening the window. I have to discover a lot”.

The visit to India has motivated him to rediscover more about the times of his great 
grandfather. “We do not know where the original paintings and manuscripts are. I will 
search the British Museum and other archives for the originals. We also do not know why 
Col Taylor had died alone in Menton, Southern France. He had nine children,” he said.

Earlier, Dr Taylor addressed a gathering of city historians at Salarjung Museum, 
organised by Historical Society of Hyderabad, Intach, Hyderabad and Salarjung Museum. He 
said he got in touch with Mr Supratik Mukherji of Perth University while searching the 
internet about Col. Taylor. Mukherji did a 20-minute documentary for the Doordarshan on 
the history of Surpur Samsthan of the Nizam’s dominion. Through Mukherji, he came in 
touch with Mr Bhaskar Rao Mudbool, who invited the dentist to India. Anuradha Reddy of 
Intach introduced Dr Taylor to the local historians.

Besides historical sites in and around Hyderabad, Dr Taylor will visit the Taylor 
Bungalow built by Col Taylor in Surpur, the grave of Mary Palmer, his great grandmother 
and wife of Col Taylor, in Lingsugur, Bijapur and Gulbargah. He will be felicitated by 
Kannada University in Hampi.