Hyderabad City tour – as you look out at your plane window, during your descent at the wondrously built new international airport, beautifully lit city of HYDERABAD greets you like a twinkling coral reef in the sea of darkness. Here’s how we Indian Safaris brief for Hyderabad tour was simple 36 hours of pure, unadulterated sightseeing and savouring its flavours.
Day One
A breakfast of Vada with hot spicy Sambhar and steaming idles with coconut chutney, washed down with filter coffee saw us ready for our rendezvous with the city. The Qutub Shahi culture of Golconda (Golia-Konda), Hyderabad was one of the five off-shoots of the Bahmani Kingdom. At Golconda Sultan Quli constructed the inner fort which was subsequently expanded by Ibrahim Qutub Shah and others down the royal lineage. The credit to lay the foundations of the City of Hyderabad in 1591, necessitated as the population inside the Fort grew to unmanageable numbers, however, goes to Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah, who named it after the forth “Haider” (City of Haider). Planned as Safahan-I-Nawi (New Isafahan) it soon acquired an exalted status.
There are lots of wonderful places to stay in Hyderabad to suit all tastes and budgets. Our favourite is Taj Falakuma Palace for its excellent service and overlooking the twinkling City of Pearls, this enchanting palace hotel.
Frankly speaking, 36 hours is hardly the time one would be able to do justice to a city as muti-culturally rich as Hyderabad. For connoisseurs of art Salar Jung Museum is sufficient enough to keep the most cynical of visitors occupied for days – if not months. Spread over three massive floors, it is a fantastic spread of art and artefacts and porcelain, arms, armour and ammunition, period furniture, tapestry, utensils, coins and toys, Mughal miniatures, carpets, a superb collection of jade besides daggers belonging to Queen Noorjehan, and the Emperors Jehangir and Shah Jehan, Inshort, with over 43,000 pieces of art and over 50,000 books- it qualifies as probably the largest private collection of priceless antiques in the world-result of the passion of one man-Mir Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III, the Prime Minister to the NIzam.
The Chow Mohalla Palace complex was our next stop. Meaning “Four Palaces” each of this group of palaces was built in phases between 1857 and 1869 by the NIzam and used for State receptions held for entertaining the Viceroys, Ministers and other dignitaries.
A Rickshaw was the ideal transport to drive to the hotel. Time consuming, yes, but ideal to soak the ambience and flavours of the melting pot of all that a culturally rich civilization can offer. We promptly hailed one, and so must you.
Passing through the bazaars we realised why Hyderabad was the `Pearl City`. Pearls and pearl shops everywhere – in the lanes, streets, bazaars and swanky malls, inside and outside the Science Museum, star hotels, even pavements! We could spot “Sale” banners, hoardings, handouts, screaming `Real Pearks, Hyderbadi Pearls, drop pearls, Basra Peals, Chinese pearls (whatever that meant), Rice pearls, Round Pearls coloured ones and of course the pristine white varieties in mind blogging shapes sizes and arrangements offering `discounts` and `sale`. With Jagdambika Pearls and Krishna Pearls and Jewellers at Punjagutta being the more trusted ones for craftsmanship and variety we picked up a few pieces. Satisfied for having spent the day well we called it a day, return to the hotel.
Day Two
2nd day of tour Hyderabad tour, you pre-booked chauffer arrived and was to take you to away from the city, 45 kms to be precise, for a tour of the largest film city in the world to the Ramoji Film City. A Rs. 1200 per head ticket take you through the portals of a magnificent city located in the absolute wilderness of the Deccan Plateau.
With over 96 themes parks ranging from Mughal to Chinese and every other imaginable concept under the sun, the well maintained parks and fountain, water bodies, replicas of famous monuments and landmarks from across the globe constitute the best the film world has to offer across the world. The saying goes that “all that you need when you enter the city is story and money and you can walk out with complete film”. The 1000 acres “dream world” has continental landscape and cityscapes made in cardboard and wood.
The visit to the Film city cost us a half a day and we were back in Hyderabad by early evening. We then moved to visit the famed city emblem the Charminar. Built in 1591 by the founder of the city it is to Hyderabad what Taj Mahal is to Agra. With four graceful minarets soaring to a height of 49.7 m above the ground, the magnificent edifice has 45 prayer spaces and a mosque in it. We could view its architectural splendour from inside.
The complex of Charminar and Mecca Masjid in its vicinity is beehive of frenetic , old city activity. The second largest mosque in India, it can accommodate over 10,000 worshipers at a time. In its vast expanse we felt humbled. Around Charminar and Mecca Masjid are the lanes where Hyderabad life continues to ebb and flow, as it was centuries ago. The lanes deal in foot wear, and ubiquitous peals and jewellery, Pathani suits, and fruits. As we walked through the centuries old Laad Bazaar Reddy pointed out to profusion of colourful display of bridal war, Hyderabadi glass and stone studded bangles. Haggling, of course is the order of the day. We indulged.
With the sun setting behind the plus and upmarket Banjara Hills we landed up at Paradise-a literal one for the gastronomically inclined. Known for its out of the world Biryani, leaning Hyderabad without tasting one would have been blue murder.
Enroute to our hotel we made a brief stopover at the Hussain Safar Lake – a milled of the town rendezvous for the city folks. Excavated in 1562 AD by Hussain Wali Shah it probably accounts for the world’s tallest monolithic statue of Buddha mounted on a pedestal on the Rock of Gibraltar int eh centre of the massive lake.
Our sojourn with Hyderabad tour was nearing and leave late evening. However, we made time and squeezed a visit to Golconda Fort which gave India and the world famed Koh-i-Noor diamond and Qutub Shahi Tombs.
You will see so much and yet there was so much to be explored…
If you’d like to explore the Hyderabad tour in combination with a trip to South India, please do get in touch. As our experts in private, customized voyages through this territory we can assist you with exploring this clamoring city in a simple yet energizing manner, with outings and encounters to suit you.
