HYDERABAD TOURIST PLACES -A VIRTUAL VISIT - HISTORY TO MODERN HI TEC CITY BEAUTIFUL

 ANCIENT TO MODERN STORY OF HYDERABAD -CAPITAL- TELANGANA STATE

AN INTRODUCTION OF HYDERABAD.

Hyderabad ,the capital of Telangana State is in South India. It is a historic city. It is famous for its historical monuments, temples, mosques, palaces, museums ,forts ,food, pearls and many more. This is the city which has been shaped under various influences in the last 400 hundred years. It has seen ups and down since Ancient Times ,Medieval Times, Qutub Shahi's Times, Mughal's Conquest Times, the Nizams of Hyderabad Times , the British Times and Post Independence Times till now. Its monuments ,forts and palaces tell us the whole story of its glorious past.

Hyderabad  was founded by Qutb Shahi in 1591 .Charminar is the center piece of the city .It has important trading in Diamonds and Pearls. After a brief period of Mughal Rule it was conquered by first Nizam of Hyderabad in 1724.The Nizams later had alliance with British and thus the territory became Hyderabad State. No doubt Hyderabad developed during the British Times in industry, airways ,railways and modern education .After Independence in 1947 Nizams power weakened .Telangana movement also weakened the Nizams and in 1956 Hyderabad became capital of Andhra Pradesh but later Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad became the capital of Telangana. 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF HYDERABAD

Hyderabad has a golden history and a diamond and pearls present. It has the following stages of history in brief:

Ancient History Mauryan Empire Third cent.

Medieval History

Qutub Shahi 1463-1687

Mughal Conquest 1687-1724

The Nizam of Hyderabad 1724-1948

Post Independence 1948-Present

Hyderabad was ruled by the Mauryan Empire in the third century B.C. Archaeologists excavation near the city have unearthed Iron Age sites that can be dated back to 500 B.C. during the reign of Ashoka the Great. After the death of Ashoka (232B.C) Maurya Empire began to weaken and decline. Various Buddhist and Hindu Kingdoms ruled over this area of Hyderabad. Kalyani and Chalukya kings also ruled here. When Chalukaya kingdom became weaker Kakatiyas declared independence and set up their kingdom.

The Kakatiyas built the Golconda Fort in Hyderabad . After that Rani Rudramati first rebuild the Golconda Fort .The fall of Mugal Muhammad Bin Tughlug in 1321 from Delhi Sultanat  brought anarchy to the region of Hyderabad. Golconda Fort came under Qutub Shahi dynasity in 1538.It is a massive fortification of granite and extend almost 5 km. in circumference .It was the capital of Qutub Shahi dynasty until 1590 and his capital was Hyderabad. Later in 1687 Golconda Sultanate came under Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

When Aurangzeb's attention was moved by Maratha Empire Hyderabad declined and even its trade of diamonds. From 1724-1948 Hyderabad was ruled over by Nizams. Later Nizams had alliance with British and the city Hyderabad developed with modern facilities. In the 19th century  Hyderabad had its own currency, mint ,railway and postal system. Nizam amassed a lot of wealth as a result of diamond trade. Today Hyderabad has become a great Tourist attraction. Charminar, Makkah Masjid, Chowmahalla Palace, Hussain Sagar Lake, Golconda Fort, Salar Jung Museum and many other places of interest can be visited .

A FEW OF THE MOST POPULAR TOURIST PLACES OF HYDERABAD:

1.CHARMINAR:Charminar was constructed in 1591 by  its architect Mir Momin and its founder was   Muhammad  Quli  Qutb Shah .Charminar is a monument and a mosque .It is historically and   religiously  significant. It has four minarets with a height of 48.7metres.It is made of granite ,   limestone, mortar and pulverized marble. It is a site of festivals celebration such as Eid-ul-adha and   Eid-al-fiter. It is surrounded by local market. 

2. MAKKAH OR MECCA MASJID :It is a congregational mosque. It is one of the largest mosques in India. It has a capacity of 10,000 people . Mecca Masjid was built during 17th century. It is near Charminar, Chowmahalla Palace and  Laad Bazar. It is made of granite and the bricks of soil brought from Macca the holy site of Muslims. The fifth ruler of Qutb Shah's dynasty Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah ordered soil from Macca for its construction. 

3.CHOWMAHALLA PALACE: FOUR PALACES is the palace of the Nizams of Hyderabad. It was the seat of the Asif Jahi dynasty. It was also officially the residence of Nizams of Hyderabad. This Palace was built by Nizam Salabat Jung. This palace is the property of Barkat Ali Khan heir of Nizams. UNESCO has awarded it Asia Pacific Merit award on 15th March,2010.

4.GOLCONDA FORT: Archaeological Survey of India has listed it as an archaeological treasure on the official list of  monuments. It has four distinct forts. It has a 10 km. long outer wall ,eight gateways with a number  of royal apartments ,halls, temples, mosques etc. The fort also contains tombs of kings and are encircled  by beautiful gardens. Today one can see the ruins of the fort and can overview the city Hyderabad from here.  

5.SALAR JUNG MUSEUM :It is an art museum and belongs to the Salar Jung family .It was endowed to the nation after the death of Salar Jung III on 16th December 1951.Salar Jung Museum has a collection of  sculptures, carvings, paintings ,textiles, ceramics, metallic artifacts ,clocks, carpets and furniture. It is one of the largest museums in the world. These artifacts were collected from all over the world. It has a  collection of weapons and daggers of Jahangir, Nur Jahan ,Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb, Tipu Sultan , Bahadur Shah etc. Paintings belongs to Gandhara and Chola periods. Amazing imported vintage cars collection of Nizams can be seen here. It is believed that the collection is only the half of it as half was siphoned by the employees during Nizams time and also during shifting the rest to this museum.

6.HUSSAIN SAGAR LAKE: It is a heart shaped lake and was build by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah in 1563.It is spread over 5-7  square kilometers and is fed by Musi River. A large statue of Budda has been erected here in the mid of Lake. It is one of the biggest artificial lake in the world .This a very popular spot for sailing, boating and sight seeing. Necklace Road is located all along the bank of this beautiful lake. Night is the best time to go for a drive here.

7.LOVE HYD:A unique typographical structure titled Love Hyderabad was installed in the city at Tank Bund. It is a place for amusement and recreation for all in Hyderabad.

8.LUMBANI GARDEN OR PARK :It is a small park adjacent to Hassan Sagar. It is located in the center of the city Hyderabad. Lumbani  Garden is also close to other tourist attraction of the city. It is near Necklace Road and Birla Mandir. Boating is the best part of this park and one can go to the Buddha idol placed in the center of the tank       

IKEA HYDERABAD SHOPPING MALL:IKEA is one of the best shops in Hyderabad .They have around 400+stores all over India. It is an  awesome place to buy various  products and to relish food. Prices are logistic .Management is superb.

NIMRAH CAFE AND BAKERY: It is a very popular Irani Restaurant which is located near and just in front of Charminar .One can enjoy tea and snacks in this restaurant .It is also famous for its biscuits, veg. puffs and egg puffs.