Jinnah Tower

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Jinnah Tower
Native name
జిన్నా టవర్
Urdu: جناح مینار
 (Telugu)
Jinnah tower guntur.jpg
Jinnah Tower after being painted in the colors of the Indian flag
Location Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
Coordinates 16°17′36.5″N80°26′51″E / 16.293472°N 80.44750°E / 16.293472; 80.44750
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Location of Jinnah Tower in Andhra Pradesh
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Jinnah Tower (India)

Jinnah Tower is a landmark monument in the city of Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. It is named after the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and is located on Mahatma Gandhi Road of the city.. [1]

Contents

Structure

The tower was erected on six pillars which open to a dome, typical of the then Muslim architecture in early twentieth century. The tower is currently in a state of neglect and crumbling. According to the State Archaeology Department, the tower could be brought under the list of protected monuments if it has history of more than 60 years. [2]

Origins

About its origins, one story is that a representative of Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan, visited Guntur in the pre-Independence era. Khan was felicitated by Lal Jan, the grandfather of the former Rajya Sabha member, S. M. Laljan Basha and current advisor to the Government of Andhra Pradesh Minorities welfare department, S. M. Ziauddin. He is said to have built a tower to commemorate the leader of the Muslim League. [2] [3]

According to another narrative, two Municipal Chairmen, Nadimpalli Venkata Lakshmi Narasimha Rao and Tellakula Jalayya were responsible during their respective terms of office for the construction of the tower — as a symbol of peace and harmony. [2]

Some leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have called for the structure to be renamed, criticising the naming of an Indian landmark after the founder of Pakistan, who they perceive to have split the country. [4] [5] In 2022, the mayor of Guntur stated that "there is nothing wrong with the name of Jinnah Tower", claiming the BJP had wished to politicize the tower for their gain. [6] After Hindi Vahini members attempted to hoist the Indian flag and were detained on Republic Day that year, the tower was painted in the flag's tricolour scheme and a flagpole was set up nearby by MLA Mohammad Musthafa, who similarly criticized the BJP for attempting to disrupt communal harmony. [7]

References

  1. Ajay Mankotia (20 May 2015). "Finding Kamala Nehru in Pakistan, Jinnah in Guntur". NDTV.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "Tower of harmony in Guntur". The Hindu . 7 September 2003. Archived from the original on 27 October 2003.
  3. Staff Reporter (19 March 2011). "Jinnah Tower in a state of neglect". The Hindu .
  4. "BJP seeks renaming of Andhra's Jinnah Tower". Hindustan Times. 31 December 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  5. "Andhra BJP president calls for Guntur's Jinnah Tower to be renamed". The News Minute. 6 August 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  6. ""Nothing Wrong With Jinnah Tower Name", Says Andhra Official, Slams BJP". www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  7. Pandey, Ashish (2 February 2022). "Jinnah tower on MG road in Andhra's Guntur painted in tricolour by MLA Mohammad Mustafa". India Today. Retrieved 30 August 2025.