Tipu’s Lookout, also known as Tipu Khan’s Lookout, is a historic watchtower tucked behind the Sant Nirankari Bhawan and adjacent to the IOCL petrol pump in Lakdi-ka-pul, Hyderabad. Constructed in 1850 by Nawab Tipu Khan Bahadur—an esteemed confidant and horse trainer to the sixth Nizam, Mir Mahboob Ali Pasha—the tower once served as a strategic observation point to monitor the city and any potential enemy movements.
Perched atop a granite hillock, the lookout offered commanding views of the surrounding terrain, including a direct line of sight toward the western expanse where the iconic Golconda Fort stands. Interestingly, while the structure is widely believed to have been built in the mid-19th century, some historical accounts suggest it may date back even earlier—possibly to the time of the Mughal siege of Golconda in the late 1600s. If true, this would make the tower not only a relic of the Nizam’s era but also a silent witness to one of the most pivotal conflicts in Deccan history.
Unfortunately, as Hyderabad expanded and urbanized, Tipu’s Lookout lost its strategic and civic prominence. Over the decades, encroachments have nearly buried the site—surrounded now by concrete structures such as a hospital, religious buildings, and a bustling petrol station. The once-proud tower faces potential demolition, its historical identity slowly being erased by the very city it once guarded.
Without formal heritage protection, the lookout remains largely unnoticed. Its survival now depends on the rare discerning eye of a historian or urban explorer who knows where to look. Tipu’s Lookout is more than stone and mortar; it’s a fragment of Hyderabad’s layered past, quietly fading into the margins of memory.
