After three centuries , a kingdom once size of France has been reduced to a few hundreds of acres and some countable palaces . Slums have sprung up in the pleasure gardens where the Nizams once flaunted their wealth. On the banks of river Musi, is this cyber hub of India, Hyderabad .The city with absolute blend of ancient and modern times where the sixteenth century Fort of Golconda and the skyscraper of the Cyber-tower lies in contemporary to the present.
Ruled by the Sultanate of Qutub Shah Dynasty till 1724, and then By the Nizams of Asaf Jahi Dynasty from 1724 to 1948, Hyderabad has seen the days of glory rise and fade. Founded in 1591 by Muhammad Qutub Shah for his favourite Wife Bhagmati , a Hindu, the city was originally called Bhagnagar, but was later renamed Hyderabad, after Bhagmati's Muslim name Haider Begum. Later conquered by The Nizams, Viceroy of the Mughal Empire in Deccan.
Today Hyderabad offers an exquisite way into its historic past through its monumental palaces and forts. Rising 130 meter above the surrounding plain, the fort of Golconda remains the potent symbol of what was once the wealthiest and most powerful princely state in all of India. In the seventeenth century it boasted eight gates, 87 bastions and 42 escape tunnels, and was protected by five sets of crenellated walls some 10 kilometres in circumference.
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| The Golconda Fort Photo credits : Photography|giri. |
For 300 rupees a tourist guide will clap his hands at a certain guard post and for a promise of 10-rupee tip a man at the foot of the fort will respond to demonstrate how warnings were sounded at the times before telephony. the guide will explain how toilets were flushed three centuries ago, how Golconda granaries and water tanks enabled it to withstand a year-long sieges and how a tunnels wide enough for two horses to gallop abreast connected the fort to the city of Hyderabad and could be used to bring additional supplies and reinforcements.
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| The Seven Tombs, Hyderabad Photo credits : Photography|giri |
Towards the old city, the centre of the Hyderabad is marked by its famous monumental identity, The Charminar. Built by the Qutub Shah sultan to mark the eradication of plague. It stands amidst a very busy marketplace and is one of the busiest roads in the city.
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| Charminar , to the left is the Laad Bazaar from where one can go to Chowmahala palace Photo credit : Photography|giri |
Surrounding Charminar one can find shopping bonanza of jewellery of lac studded with glittery stones. Hotels such as the Nimra and the Rumaan in the vicinity are famous for the Irani Tea.
The surrounding market is called the Laad Bazaar. At the end of the Laad bazaar, for a left turn you will find the Chowmahala Palace , The Throne of Nizams. The First three Nizams ruled the kingdom from Fort Golconda but the Fourth Nizam Salabath Jung was paranoid of the Fort and found it threatening. Due to which he built the Chowmahala Palace, and the succeeding Nizams continued to rule the state from here.
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| The Khilwat Mubarak Mansion, part of the Chowmahala Palace,Hyderabad. Photo credits : Photography|giri |
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| The Court of Nizam, inside Chowmahala Palace, Hyderabad. Photo credits : Photography|giri |
The Chowmahala Palace , as the name suggests is a bunch of four Mansions- Khilwat Mubarak which houses the court of Nizam, Aftab Mahal , Afzal Mahal and Tahniyat Mahal. It was restored by Princes Esra , the First Wife of the eight Nizam, Mukharram Jah, and was opened for tourist in the year 2003. It has the Hall of Fame and Hall of Artefacts which gives its visitors the glimpse of the good-times of the bygone Nizam era.
On the eastern side along the banks of Musi river, one can also find the famous Salarjung Museum. It holds the huge collection of Antiques collected by the Prime minister of the Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, Nawab Yousuf Ali Khan Salarjung III. Salarjung III was a very fond of antiques and had collected the artefacts over a period of 35 years from around the world.
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| The Late Nawab Salarjung III. Photo credits : Photography|giri |
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| The Museum Building. Photo credits : Photography|giri |
The most famous antique being the two faced wooden statue which is carved with the body of man on one side and a woman on the another side. besides this it also has a enormous collection of military weapons including swords, armours, guns, pistols, daggers etc. It also holds a collection of most unique walking sticks, ivory artefacts and various artefacts from over the world including England, France, China, Japan, Egypt etc . An also the favourite among the visitors, the 16th century Mechanical Clock from England.
To the South of the Charminar, is the Zoological Park. Nehru Zoological Park. It ranks among the top zoos in Asia . Variety of Species of Fauna can be seen in here. White Tiger , Royal Bengal Tiger, One-Horned Rhinoceros, African Giraffe are the most entertained. The Reptile section and Night Birds section are its speciality .
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| The White Tiger At Nehru Zoological Park. Photo credits : Photography|giri |
Besides everything Hyderabad is also famous for its lush green gardens. Lumbini Park , NTR Gardens , Indira Park , Priyadarshani Park are some of the gardens most common among visitors. Lumbini Park is adjacent to the Hussain Sagar Lake, Where one can find a huge Statue of Buddha . Ferries are available to reach the foot of the statue. Surrounding area of the lake is Known as Necklace Road. From Lumbini park at walk-able distance one can also find The Birla Temple.
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| Hussain Sagar Lake with the Huge Statue of Buddha at the midst of the lake. Photo credits : Photography|giri |
The Birla Temple is a magnificent temple made of White Marble with intricate carving of Ramayana and Mahabharata. But unfortunately the use of camera is restricted in the temple premises so I could not get a photo of it. As the temple is situated on a hill the surrounding regions are clearly visible from the temple premises . Especially during late evenings one can see the entire Hussain sagar lake and the Necklace road twinkle with colourful lights.
Hyderabad has a lot to offer and everything cannot be listed here in one article so I am dividing this article into two. Another part of the Travelogue Hyderabad would be soon published.
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