Southward – [AP] – III

Hyderabad was the last destination of our tour itineraries. After two days at Vizag and a day in Araku Valley we took Godavari Express from Visakhapatnam. As Visakhapatnam is very close to the Orrisa and Chatrisghar border, Hyderabad is share the border with Maharashtra and Karnataka. Distance between Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam is about 620 Kilometer and by train it is almost ten hours journey. We reached Hyderabad in the morning and lodged in a hotel very near to the station. The day was given for resting but we passed the day for little shopping. Next day, we left for some local sight seeing like Golkonda  Fort and Birla Temple in the morning and in the evening we were at NTR Garden and Lumbini Park. Adjacent Hussein Sagar Lake was very disappointing one as it was very dirty and not at all well maintained but Light and Sound Show, a Laser Show at LUMBINI PARK was OK. After two days third day we supposed board the train at evening from Seccunderbad  station. In the morning we were at Salar Jung Museum and to Charminar and sorry to say the place was very dirty and not at all projected as a tourist attraction. I don’t know how such place represents the face of the city. When we talk about other cites like India Gate in Delhi or Gate of India in Mumbai or Victoria Memorial in Kolkata, all are tourists delight. During our tour ten days tours, the tour operator provided us a luxury bus for the local sight seeing, therefore there were not much hassle-bustle for us. It was an average tour but as everything was taken care by the tour operator so it was quite relaxing. Hyderabad Hyderabad was established in 1591 CE as Bhaganagar by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah. The city remained the princely state's capital from 1769 to 1948, when the Nizam signed an Instrument of Accession with the Indian Union at the conclusion of Operation Polo. The 1956 States Reorganisation Act established the modern state of Andhra Pradesh, with Hyderabad as its capital. Hyderabad means "Hyder's abode" or "lion city". One popular theory suggests that Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the founder of the city, named it "Bhagnagar" after Bhagmathi, a local nautch girl with whom he had fallen in love. She converted to Islam and adopted the title Hyder Mahal. The city was renamed Hyderabad in her honour Golkonda  Fort The most important builder of Golkonda was Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah Wali, the fourth Qutub king of the Qutub Shahi Dynasty. Ibrahim was following in the spirit of his ancestors, the Qutub Shahi kings, a great family of builders who had ruled the kingdom of Golkonda from 1512. Their first capital, the fortress citadel of Golkonda, was rebuilt for defense from invading Mughals from the north.
Golkonda  Fort
Birla Mandir The temple is built on a 280 feet high hillock called the Naubath Pahad on a 13 acres plot. Though the chief deity is Lord Venkateshwara, the temple has pan-Hindu character with deities of Shiva, Shakti, Ganesh, Hanuman, Brahma, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Saibaba. The selected teachings of holy men and Gurbani are engraved on temple walls.
NTR Garden NTR Gardens is a small, but popular, public, urban park of 55 acres adjacent to Hussain Sagar lake.
Lumbini Park Lumbini Park is a small public, urban park of 7.5 acres adjacent to Hussain Sagar.
Light & Sound Laser Show A state-of-the-art facility built with German help, the Laser show is well worth but can be better.  Along with the laser animation, you also can see the fountains dancing to the music. It also shows the city's history over 400 odd years.
Hussain Sagar Lake Hussain Sagar Lake,  built by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali in 1562, during the rule of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah. It was 5.7 square kilometres built on a tributary of the River Musi to meet the water and irrigation needs of the city. There is a large monolithic statue of the Gautam Buddha in the middle of the lake which was erected in 1992.	Salar Jung  Museum This museum houses one of the biggest one-man collections of antiques and artifacts in the world by Mir Yousuf Ali Khan Salar Jung III
Charminar The Charminar, built in 1591 CE, is a monument. The landmark has become a global icon of Hyderabad, listed among the most recognized structures of India. The Charminar is on the east bank of Musi river To the northeast lies the Laad Bazaar and in the west end lies the granite-made richly ornamented Makkah Masjid.
!!!The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. - Marcel Proust!!!