Osmania University Arts College

360° Panoramic Views
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If you stand in the centre of the foyer and look up, a strikingly grandiose dome greets you. Islamic in conception and double-decked in structure, the dome’s first deck looks circular to view but has sixteen sides and the second deck, a downward extension of the first, has sixteen inched windows corresponding to each of the sides of the first deck. Three flights of banistered stairs, one to the left of the foyer, another to the right and a third overlooking the foyer lead to the first floor which is a replica of the ground floor plan with minor departures.

This floor has four balconies, all with parapets forming a huge square making the foyer look like a well. “The arcades around the open courtyard, the ornate parapets of the first floor, all of the same dimensions and of Moorish variety give a mirror like effect, again a characteristic of medieval Islamic architecture,” says Sharma who has made a deep study of the Arts College architecture.