The name itself brings
up visions of a vibrant city of minarets and modern
high - rise buildings. A natural and sophisticated
blend of old and new, an old 'Nawabi'
culture with a new pro-active approach and
hospitality. The teeming bazaars of the old city,
in the midst of which stands the 400-year-old Charminar,
the modern shopping complexes and ultra-modern
malls in the newer areas of the city add to the
charm of Hyderabad. The Golconda Fort, capital of the
kingdom by that name, is today very much part of the
city, as is Cyberabad (means
Cyber City), a new local area created to keep
pace with the zooming Information Technology &
Tourism sector. Pearls, bangles, silks, computer
software, handicrafts and above all a delectable cuisine
add to the splendour of this great city. What to see "
Charminar
" Birla Mandir
" Legislative
Assembly "
Lumbini Park "
NTR Gardens "Botanical Gardens "Qutb
Shahi Tombs "Salar Jung Museum "Nehru Zoological Park "Birla
Planetarium "Birla Science Museum "AP
State Museum "Mecca Masjid "Osmania University "Hi-tec
City "Laad
Bazaar "Shilparamam "Nizam's
Jubilee Pavilion Museum "Golconda Fort "Ramoji Film City "Resorts "Hussainsagar Lake "Pleasure Boating "Parks
& Gardens "Osman Sagar "Shamirpet "Food & Shopping
Places of interest
CharminarCharminar is
as much the signature of Hyderabad as Taj Mahal is of
Agra or Eiffel Tower is of Paris. Mohammed Quli Qutb
Shah, the founder of Hyderabad, built Charminar in 1591
at the centre of the original city layout. It is believed
to have been built as a charm to ward off a deadly epidemic
raging at that time. Four graceful minarets soar to
a height of 48.7m. Charminar has 45 prayer spaces and
a mosque in it.
Birla MandirThis
shimmering ethereal temple of Lord Venkateshwara, built
in sculpted white marble, floats on the city skyline,
on Kala Pahad. The idol in the temple is a replica of
the one at Tirupati. Legislative AssemblyBuilt in 1913, the building was originally
the Hyderabad State Town Hall. The architecture is
a synthesis of Rajasthani and Persian styles, with
an all white, aesthetic look. Located adjoining the
picturesque Public Gardens, a massive statue of Mahatma
Gandhi in a sitting posture is erected at the entrance
park to the Assembly. Lumbini ParkThis beautiful entertainment
park is situated on the shores of Hussainsagar lake.
The landscaping here is a visual treat. A musically
synchronized water fountain and a floral clock are
major attractions here. Lumbini Park jetty is a major
point for pleasure boating. NTR GardensA leisure and entertainment centre
adjoining the Hussainsagar lake, the NTR Gardens house
a memorial (Samadhi) of Late N.T. Rama Rao, one of
the most charismatic Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh.
The sprawling NTR Gardens, set up on an area of 36
acres, offers a serene atmosphere and yet provides
recreation facilities such as a Machan tree, Japanese
Garden, Car Cafe, Souvenir shops, Fruit Restaurant
and Children's Playing area. A monorail system takes
the visitors around the garden. Hyderabad Botanical GardensThe
first Botanical Gardens in Andhra Pradesh, spread over
120 acres when completed, will have 19 sections (Vanams).
Already open to public is the first phase, with the
completion of 5 sections. The sections include medicinal
plants, timber trees, fruit trees, ornamental plants,
aquatic plants, bamboos and so on. The Park has been
designed to have large water bodies, rolling meadows,
natural forests, rich grasslands and exquisite rock
formations - all providing visitors an unforgettable
experience. Qutb Shahi TombsThe
tombs of the legendary Qutb Shahi kings lie to the north
of Golconda, about a kilometre away from Banjara Darwaza
of the Golconda Fort. Planned and built by the Qutb
Shahis themselves, these tombs are said to be the oldest
historical monuments in Hyderabad. They form a large
group and stand on a raised platform. The tombs are
built in Persian, Pathan and Hindu architectural styles
using grey granite, with stucco ornamentation, the only
one of its kind in the world where an entire dynasty
has been buried at one place.
Salar Jung MuseumThis
museum houses one of the biggest one-man collections of
antiques and artifacts in the world by Mir Yousuf Ali
Khan Salar Jung III. The objects d'art include Persian
carpets, Moghal miniatures, Chinese porcelain, Japanese
lacquer ware, famous sculptures including the Veiled Rebecca
and Marguerite and Mephistopheles, a superb collection
of jade, daggers belonging to Queen Noor Jahan and the
Emperors Jahangir and Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb's sword and
many other fabulous items. APTDC has a Punnami snack bar
here.
Nehru Zoological ParkSpanning
300 lush green acres, the Nehru Zoological Park is a must
for nature lovers. The biggest Zoo in India, it has over
250 species of animals and birds, most of which are kept
in conditions as close to their natural habitats as possible.
This is the first zoo to create moated enclosures for
animals. The Lion Safari Park, Natural History Museum
and Children's Train are the added attractions. APTDC
runs its Punnami restaurant and an ice-cream parlour here.
Birla Planetarium/ Birla Science
MuseumBirla Planetarium
is India's most modern planetarium and first of its
kind in the country. It is equipped with advanced technology
from Japan and is built on Naubat Pahad adjacent to
Kala Pahad. And the Science Museum stands tribute to
the advancement achieved by science and technology.
Andhra Pradesh State MuseumA
visit to the Andhra Pradesh State Museum is a delight
for art lovers. Located in the picturesque Public Gardens,
the museum boasts of one of the richest repositories
of antiques and art objects in the country. Built in
1920 by the Nizam VII, the museum building itself is
a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. The museum
contains a Buddist gallery, Brahmanical & Jain gallery,
Arms & Armour gallery Numissmatics gallery, Ajanta
gallery & more. Adjacent to the State Museum is
the Contempary Art Museum. Mecca MasjidA
hundred yards southwest of the Charminar is the Mecca
Masjid, so named because the bricks were brought from
Mecca to build the central arch. The Qutb Shahis never
finished the building of the mosque, which was completed
by Aurangzeb in 1694. Mecca Masjid is poetry in stone,
with a hall measuring 67m & soaring to a height
of 54m. Fifteen graceful arches five to each
of the three sides, support the roof. Towards the southern
end of the mosque lie the graves in marble of Nizam
Ali Khan & the families of the Asaf Jahi dynasty.
Osmania UniversityEstablished in 1918, it is one of
the oldest universities in India. Named after Nizam
Mir Osman Ali Khan, the university buildings are splendid,
especially the Arts College building which is a perfect
example of Indo Saracenic architecture. Hi-tec City
One of the modern monuments of trade & technology,
it embodies the new-found attitude of Hyderabad &
finds a place of pride today. Situated on the outskirts
of the city, it is the nucleus of Cyberabad, the IT
destination in these parts of the world. Laad BazaarThis
is the famous, colourful shopping centre of the Old
City. It is tucked away in one of the streets leading
off from Charminar. Bridal wear, pearls & the traditional
Hyderabadi glass & stone studded bangles are sold
here. Shilparamam The Arts &
Crafts VillageThe latest
attraction at Madhapur beyond Jubliee Hills in Hyderabad
is the 30-acre village, which houses arts & crafts
of the country. India is an ocean of various arts &
crafts but the talents of most of the artisans &
artists goes unrecognized. To encourage them & give
the necessary boost to their art, the crafts village
hosts annual bazaars, where artists & artisans from
all over the country exhibit their talents. The Nizam s MuseumLocated
in the stately Purani Haveli, the palace acquired in
the year 1750, by the second Nizam, is now converted
as a museum with a fascinating collection. The museum
showcases the gifts & mementos presented to the
last Nizam on the occasion of Silver Jubilee Celebration
in 1937. A 1930 Rolls Royce, Packard & a Mark V
Jaguar are among the vintage cars displayed. There is
an interesting collection of models made in silver of
all the prominent buildings of the city & citations
in Urdu about H.E.H Mir Osman Ali Khan, gold burnished
wooden throne used for the Silver Jubilee Celebrations,
gold tiffin box inlaid with diamonds, gold model of
Jubilee Pavilion and a silver filigree elephant with
mahout are some of the notable items on display.
The museum is open between 10.30am & 05.00pm on all
days except Friday. Location: 2 Kms from Charminar &
1 Km from Salar Jung Museum. Ph:040-24521029.
Golconda FortGolconda is one of the famous forts of India. The
name originates from the Telugu words Golla
Konda meaning "Shepherd's Hill".
The origins of the fort can be traced back to the
Yadava dynasty of Deogiri, and the Kakatiyas of
Warangal. Golconda was originally a mud fort, which
passed to the Bahmani dynasty and later to the Qutb
Shahis, who held it from 1518 to 1687 A.D. The first
three Qutb Shahi kings rebuilt Golconda, over a
span of 62 years.
The fort is famous for its acoustics, palaces, factories,
ingenious water supply system and the famous Fateh
Rahben gun, one of the cannons used in the last
siege of Golconda by Aurangzeb, to whom the fort
ultimately fell. APTDC Special:
Sound
& Light Show at Golconda Fort Ocean Park
Ocean Park is located at Gandipet,
15 Kms from Hyderabad, on 20 acres of landscaped gardens.
It provides a number of amusement rides, water rides
and multi-cuisine restaurant. Open from 11 am to 7.30
pm Ocean Park offers a thrilling family outing. (040-23225660/23223824)
Treasure Island
A picturesque holiday spot, Treasure
Island, located on 60 acres of landscaped area at Gandipet,
offers a variety of leisure and fun-oriented activities
- horse riding, billiards, dancing at the disco, go-karting,
swimming pool and so on. Night stay facilities are available
for Members (040-23323330)
Dhola-ri-Dhani
This is a typical village recreated
with the rustic ambience and charm of an ethnic Rajasthani
village, situated at Kompally village on Medchal Road.
Camel rides, puppet shows, folk dances, authentic Rajasthani
cuisine give you the taste of the desert State. A large
swimming pool, a lake for boating, an open-air amphitheatre
for plays and entertainment programmes, add to the ambience.
Conferencing and night stay facilities available. (040-27721586/92832086)
Pragati Green Meadows
& Resorts Spread over 26 acres and an hour's
drive from Hyderabad, Pragati Resorts offers facilities
like swimming, boating, children's park, coffee and
snack bar, restaurant, conference hall, uniquely designed
cottages for overnight stay. Pragati Sparsh, part
of Pragati Resorts set in the sylvan surroundings,
offers a complete range of Ayurvedic treatment and
medicines in association with
Santigiri Ashram of Kerala in coordination with the
Department of Tourism. (040-23744594/23748745/23743411)
Dream Valley Resorts
Nestled amidst lush green environs
and located at Gandipet, Dream Valley Resorts is a water
theme park with waterslide, cascading waterfalls, water
squirts, a 9-hole golf course and go-kart track. (Phone:
040- 26590894/23394588)
Runway 9
Located 9 Kms. from Secunderabad, Runway
9 is perhaps the first, largest and the only international
Go-Karting centre in India with a length of 711 metres,
lit up by 50,000-watt power white metal halide lamps.
Facilities include Go-Karting, pool & snooker, archery,
shooting, and roller skating, children's play area,
fast food restaurants, conference facilities and exclusive
party areas. (Phone: 040-27537700 Fax: 040-27548021)
Aalankrita-the Ethnic
Gateway Spread over an area of 10 acres,
Aalankrita blends the convenience of a 5-star resort,
the ambience of a heritage site and the ethnicity
of the times gone by. Located about 16 Kms from Secunderabad,
the facilities here include an air-conditioned conference
hall, well- side restaurant, a pyramid shaped meditation
centre, a covered swimming pool for day and night
use, a sunken dancing floor, air-conditioned cottages,
an antique shop, exhibition hall, walkways and a sprawling
open air theatre that can accommodate about 3000 people.
(Ph: 92847464) Hussainsagar LakeConstructed in 1562 A.D. by Hussain
Shah Wali during the reign of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah,
this promenade by the lake is a busy thoroughfare
today. Boating and water sports are a regular feature
in the Hussainsagar. One of the world's tallest monolithic
statues of Buddha stands on the 'Rock of Gibraltar',
right in the middle of the lake. Added to all these, is providing
new and better facilities like speed boats, motor
boats, 48 seater launch etc. Starlit on-board dinners
and private parties also can be arranged on the launch. Osmansagar Lake Osmansagar, better known as Gandipet,
on the outskirts of Hyderabad is an excellent picnic
spot. Osmansagar is one of the two lakes on the city s
periphery that supplies drinking water to the great
metropolis. The lake is a reservoir created by a dam
across the Isa, a tributary of the River Musi. Abutting the lake & the bund
are lush gardens that provide the ideal ambience for
an outing. Overlooking the lake s the heritage; Sagar
Mahal, builts as a resort by the Nizam of Hyderabad
& converted now into a lake resort. ShamirpetLocated 24 Kms to the north of Secunderabad,
Shamirpet has a beautiful lake & a deer park.
Its peaceful environs make it a great picnic spot.
AP Tourism offers comfortable cottages facilities
for accommodation (under private management), while
the forest lodge can be booked with the AP Forest
Department office at Saifabad. Yatri Nivas (under
private management)
AP Tourism s Yatri Nivas at Secunderabad has elegant
& comfortable accommodation facilities. It provides
32 tastefully designed rooms on the first floor. Yatri
Nivas has all the modern facilities including plush
beds, multi-channel TV, etc. It also has restaurants
(indoor & open air), a children s playground,
sophisticated communication network, entertainment/sports/games
& ice-cream parlour, all of which are centrally
air-conditioned. Its facilities & service have earned
it a 3 star category status. Public GardensHyderabad has several beautiful gardens, one of the
most popular being the Public Gardens, which also
encloses the State Legislature, State Archaeological
Museum, Jubilee Hall, Jawahar Bal Bhavan and Telugu
Lalitha Kala Thoranam, an open-air theatre.
Boating: AP Tourism operates pedal boats in Public
Gardens pond. KBR National Park One of the largest parks within the
city KBR National Park is a Southern tropical deciduous
forest and the last vestigial representative of the
endemic flora of Hyderabad region, with over 100 species
of birds, 20 species of reptiles and 15 species of
butterflies. Mrugavani National
Park (Chilkur) Located 25 Kms. from Hyderabad, the
park contains the endemic flora of Hyderabad and is
an urban refuge for small mammals like Wildboar, Jungle
Cat etc. and birds. Mahavir Harina Vanasthali
National Park Located 15 Kms. from Hyderabad, the
park has more than 350 black bucks, 400 cheetals and
a number of wild boars, small mammals, reptiles and
over 100 species of birds. Food & ShoppingNurtured by the Moghal magnificence
in the heart of South India, the cuisine combines
the very best of Moghlai foods, such as Haleem and
Mutton Biryani, with the hauntingly aromatic, spicy,
tart and pungent seasonings of the South. The kitchens
of the Nawabs, Rajahs and Jagirdars combined the Moghal
influence with the predominantly Hindu subculture
to cook up a cuisine that is the ultimate in fine
dining. Inseparable from the Moghal culture,
but yet as different from the Hyderabadi cuisine as
day from night, the sumptuous spread of Andhra delicacies
which form a most satisfying repast include the southern
foods like the typical Dosa (rice Pancakes), Pesarattu,
yet another variety of rice and lentil and pancake
with onion garnishing, the fire hot Rasam or spicy
lentil and Tamarind soup, and the versatile Sambar,
or thick lentil and vegetable stew, that is the ideal
adjunct to all southern meals. Snack time could mean
onion Pakoras, or Vadas, savoury doughnuts dipped
in piping hot Sambar. And for the non-vegetarian, Andhra
cuisine serves up tongue tingling recipes like the
tangy "chapala pulusu (sour & hot fish stew),
flavourful "mutton Pulao, delectable prawn and
crab curry perked up with lots of spices for that
tantalizing taste that typifies Andhra feasts. And
round off the meals with a sweet note - Double Ka
Meetha, Qubani Ka Meetha or you can pamper yourself
with the syrupy Kakinada Kajas (pastry with treacle
filling), paper thin "pootharekalu" (cream
and sugar sandwiched rice flour wafers), scrumptious
"Bandar Laddus", the exotic 'Ariselu' (sweet
pounded rice and molasses pancakes) and many more
specialties to satisfy your sweet yearnings. Hotels and restaurants in Hyderabad
rank among the best in the state, with highest standards
that are geared to meet the most exacting demands.
Most hotels have state-of-the-art facilities such
as fitness centres, swimming pools, squash courts,
pubs and multi-cuisine restaurants where tourists
can avail the best of comforts. How to reach Hyderabad: Well connected
by air, rail and road with all major cities of India.
Direct flights connect the city with Singapore, Kuwait,
Dubai, and Sharjah apart from connections to major
cities overseas. Where to stay:
Hyderabad boasts of several luxury star hotels and
other hotels to suit every budget. APTDC accommodation
is also available. |
