Hyderabad travel guide

The capital of Indian state Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, is a beautiful city located on the banks of the Musi River and the Deccan Plateau. Also dubbed as Bhagyanagar or Istanbul of India, Hyderabad is a city rich in history, culture and tradition. The city provides a perfect glimpse of its 400 year old history and is also an epitome of the current developments especially in the field of information technology (IT) taking place in India.
The land that has given birth to popular Indian personalities such as the former skipper of Indian cricket team Mohammad Azharuddin, the Goddess of Indian tennis, Sania Mirza, Hyderabad has several fascinating places that attract the young as well as the old. Some prominent lures of the city are its forts and palaces that are a paradigm of classic Indian architecture. The city is famous for the magnificent Char Minar (Four Minarets) that has immense historical and architectural significance. Char Minar is often compared with the Arch the Triomphe and its four sides are designed to serve different purposes. One side is for palaces, second for emirs and nawabs, third for common people and fourth for businessmen. Char Minar stands in the middle of a busy road and is therefore surrounded by the hustle and bustle of market life.

The 16th century Golconda Fort is another major attraction. Golconda was the capital of the Qutb Shahi kingdom and a flourishing center for diamond trade. The English speakers too used ‘Golconda’ to refer to any particularly rich mine and to a source of wealth later on. The Falaknuma Palace built by Nawab Viqar al-Umra is another wonderful and stunning piece of Indian architecture. Built in 1872, the palace was one of the most opulent of the Nizam’s palaces. At present Falaknuma has undergone renovations and the Taj Group is converting it into a luxury hotel.

Other big attractions of the Hyderabad city include the Chowmahalla Palace, the Qutb Shahi Tombs, the Paigah Tombs, the Public Gardens, the AP state museum, the Purani Haveli, the Salar Jung Museum, the Archival Museum, the H.E.H Nizam’s Museum, the Purani Haveli Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Qutb Shahi Tombs Site Museum and the Nehru Zoological Park.

For the art aficionados, there are some world class art galleries such as Kala Bhavan, State Gallery of Art, Alankrita Art Gallery, Le Café De Art, Pegasus Art Gallery, Gallery Space and Shilparamam.
Hyderabad is a paradigm of unity in diversity. On the one hand there are huge mosques like the 400 year old Mecca Masjid, 300 years old Toli Masjid, Moula Ali Dargah, Hussain Shah Wali Dargah, Shahi Masjid and Begumpet Mosque, on the other hand there are magnificent temples of the Hindus viz. Birla Mandir, Hare Rama Hare Krishna Temple, Shyam Mandir, Keesara Gutta, Sanghi Temple, Chilkur Balaji Temple and the Nagmata temple etc. There is also the great St. Josephs Cathedral which is a big attraction for the foreign tourists.
The city of Hyderabad can be easily reached through road, rail or air depending upon the distance and expense. Getting around the city is simple. It can be done through bus, autorickshaw, taxi, train or car. Though Hyderabad is swarming with tourists all round the year, but the best time to visit the place is during Numaish- an exhibition that runs in the months of January and February every year and showcases various items made across India.