Hyderabad - Welcome to the land of the Nawabs!

Charminar - The heart of Hyderabad

Standing at the top of the crowded Charminar(Four Towers) , with a 360 degree view of Pearl shops and a sea of people swarming about , you feel somewhat lost in the current crowd, the endless graffiti by ignorant and idiotic Indians on the historic walls and yet immersed in your guides rambling of the history books. For example, its unbelievable that 400 years back, there was a tunnel build from the Golconda fort to the Charminar(Four Towers) as an escape route!

The grandness of the Golconda Fort

If a place defines the grandeur of Hyderabad's history, its Golconda fort! Situated 11 Km west ofHyderabad, the construction of Golconda fort started around 1364. The city of Golconda was build for defense from the Mughal rulers from the North, who always had their eyes for it. Golconda Fort boasts of some mind boggling Acoustical Innovations.For example, a clap at the fort's entry gates(the Grand Portico) will resonate that same sound 91 m(300 Ft) high to the top of the citadel. Since I hired an experienced guide(they come for 250-300 bucks for 1-2 hours - Negotiate Hard!), I actually tried this myself.

Try listing this

I got a great example of the strength of yesteryear's soldiers physical abilities. The stone block that you will see in the photo above is 1 Quintal(approximately 100 Kg's). It took me, my guide and a third person to lift it up and move it 5 steps. The folklore is that these stones used to be transported by a single soldier from the base to the top. Hard to believe... isn't it?

The view from the top of the Fort

Today if you land up at the Golconda fort at about 9 AM(which is recommended as both the Sun and the crowd grows on you with time passing by), a view from the top of the fort will show you a ghost city, with broken minars and damaged roadways. But if you close your eyes for a minute, you will see the Golconda city of yore, bustling with a busy market and a cheerful commotion!

What remains of the Royal Palace at Golconda today

To tell a little more about the Acoustical wonders of the Fort, get a load of this. The photo above is that of the royal palace where the king had his harem of 50+ wives. while the king and his chosen wife for the night(Envy such a king:-)) were there on the top floor, the the royal guards wanted to be sure that there was no revolution brewing among the guards in the below basements.

Whispers turn into loud voices at Golconda

Thus the basement walls were made in such a way, that actually Whispers resonated into a booming sound. The age old saying 'Even the walls have ears' actually come true practically as the guide whispers 'My name is Saurav' and 20 feet away, I can hear it as crystal clear.Unbelievable!

At one of the 7 Qutb Shahi Tombs

Golconda can easily be a 3 hour visit as there are many places to see inside it. One must also visit the magnificent Qutb Shahi Tombs(7 of them), just a stones throw away from the Golconda Fort.The tombs are located amongst heavily landscaped gardens, called Ibrahim Bagh and is constructed with beautiful carved architecture.

Hyderabadi Biryani @ it's best - at Shadab

All this roaming around can take a toll on ones stomach, for sure! In Hyderabad, there is a popular saying - 'eat breakfast like a king, have lunch like a prince and have dinner like a pauper'. Since I had breakfast at my Vegetarian Guest House, I did want to eat like a prince! Ask anyone about eating inHyderabad, and the first thing they will say is 'Paradise ka Biriyani'. Well! I have never followed the herd, so I decided to follow the Lonely Planet - India edition:-)

Qubani ka Meetha - at Shadab : A recommended sweet dish

So I went to Hotel Shadab, packed with old town families and good vibes,to the 1st floor where the main restaurant is(The ground floor is a coffee/breakfast shop and a little shabby - to put it mildly). Once you are at Shadab, sit comfortable and order the Hyderabadi Mutton Biriyani(See picture above). It comes with a bowl of Gravy(or Tari as we call in India) and Raita(Onion/Tomatoes cut in curd). The Biryani is awesome and it costs a meagre 180 bucks.Once you have finished the Biryani, have the special sweet dish called 'Qubani Ka Meetha'. An Indian dessert made out of dried apricots, its absolutely awesome!

The double statue at Salarjung - source : www.salarjungmuseum.in

One of the must see places when in Hyderabad is the Salarjung Museum. I personally found it a daunting task to go through the endless repositories of yesteryears wonders in 1-2 hours. TheSalarjung Museum has over 43000+ art objects and over 50000 books and manuscripts. Located on the southern bank of the Musi river, the artifacts kept here are the lifelong efforts of Nawab Mir Yusuf Ali Khan aka Salarjung III(1889 - 1949). The museum boasts of South Indian Bronzes,Ivory objects from all over the world, Arms and Armour of the Salarjung Kings, A Jade Gallery, A Bidri Gallery and hundreds of Far Eastern and European Art objects.

But the artifact that blew me away was the above one in the picture. This double statue made of a single block of wood is called Mephistopholes and Margaretta. The artist is still unknown and you must see this from upfront. Photography by the way is strictly prohibited inside the museum hence had to borrow this from the official Salarjung Museum site.

Chowmohallah from outside and the Durbar Hall

From the tourist packed Salarjung museum, I made my way to the beautiful ChowmohallahPalace. Located at the southwest of the Charminar, this palace was build in 1750 by Asaf Jahi.Chowmohallah means 'Four Palaces' and it consists of Khilwat Mahal, Aftab Mahal, Tahniyat Mahal and the Durbar Hall.

The amalgamated architechture of the Chowmohallah

The architechture at the Chowmohallah is a curious blend of Ottoman, Persian and Indian style reflecting the origins of the city and it's rulers - both Qutb Shahi dynasty and the Nizams. Once you are inside such places, you tend to think that with so much technological advancement, buildings like these still cant be imitated.

Hussain Sagar Lake at night

While going to the airport for my journey back to Mumbai, I also visited the Hussain Sagar lake. This 24 square km lake was build in the 16th century by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali for the irrigation needs of farmers, and a 18m monolithic statue of Gautam Buddha was erected on the middle of the lake in 1992. While you are there, try out the Kebabs at Bade Miya which is a stones throw away and you wont be dissapointed.