Tue May 13 08:51:35 UTC 2025: ## 1934: Hyderabad Nizam Grants Hindus Six Months’ Pilgrimage Leave
**Hyderabad, May 13, 2025** – Newly unearthed archival documents reveal that in 1934, the Hyderabad State government under the Nizam granted Hindu employees six months of paid leave for religious pilgrimages, mirroring a pre-existing benefit for Muslim employees.
The decision followed a petition by a Hindu employee, Ram Swaroop Tandon, who requested similar leave to that afforded to Muslim colleagues for pilgrimages to Mecca, Medina, and other Islamic holy sites. The government’s internal review, detailed in files at the Telangana State Archives and Research Institute (TSARI), highlighted the need for equitable treatment across faiths within the diverse Hyderabad State.
While Muslim employees already received six months’ leave for pilgrimages to sites like Mecca and Medina, the practicality of granting similar leave for Hindu pilgrimage sites within India presented a challenge. The file notes the difficulties of reaching locations like Badrinath, Puri Jagannath, and Rameshwaram, citing limited railway access and arduous journeys. The lengthy travel times, often involving extensive walking over difficult terrain, were extensively discussed. Even the pilgrimage sites of Gangotri and Yamunotri were considered in the deliberations.
The government, under then-Prime Minister Maharaja Kishen Pershad, ultimately amended the Service Rules in July 1934. This amendment officially granted Hindu employees six months of paid leave with advance salary for religious pilgrimages. The decision underscores the complex interplay of religious diversity and administrative policy in pre-independence India.
First Piper 