Hyderabad

Hyderabad, a royal city having an inherent style in its age old culture, is a delight to visit. From the magnificent food to the majestic monuments, from its terrific landscapes to a populace steeped in respect and tradition. Made of twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, Hyderabad is also the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh. The only city in the south, where the major language spoken is Urdu. Inhibited by the world's richest royals, the Nizams, Hyderabad is also the center of folk arts like shadow puppetry and kuchipudi.

Having a rich history, Hyderabad owns some of the fine examples of Qutab Shahi architecture - the Jami Masjid, the Mecca Masjid, Toli Masjid and of course, the immortal symbol of Hyderabad, the Charminar. Down the ages, Hyderabad was the largest princely state in India, it owned its own flag, currency, railway, and postal system, before being included into the Indian nation.

The Charminar's structure is square, each of its side measures upto 100 feet, with a central pointed high arch at the center. The monument contains numerous small decorative arches arranged both vertically and horizontally. This unmatched piece of architecture, stands tall and proud of its great legacy. The Mosque's upper courtyard was used as a school and for prayers. The minarets, their domed finials, rise to 180 feet from the ground.

By Air - Hyderabad is also an international airport, Lufthansa, Silk Air, Air India, Emirates and Air Lanka operate direct flights.

By Rail - Hyderabad is well connected to all major Indian cities. There are number of daily express trains from Hyderabad to other cities of India.

By Road - Hyderabad can also be reached by road as it is well connected with other parts of the country.

The Galleries Of Charminar - The Charminar has two galleries in it, one over another. These galleries are charming and exotic, giving the Charminar its majestic look. The Charminar has a market in its surrounding area, having some 14,000 shops, an extraordinary oriental bazaar. The Charminar market is crowded with shops of glass bangles in multicolors.

The Mecca Masjid - The Mecca Masjid, whose construction started by Muhammad Qutb Shah in 1617 and completed by Quranzeb in 1693, is just nearby the Charminar. It is majestic figure with a huge courtyard can accommodate nearly ten thousand men at prayer. The Jami Masjid and the Toli Masjid-are the other two mosques, having small and modest structure.

Other tourist places are The Falakuma palace, the Chowmukha palace and the Regency Mansion, built in 1803. The Husain Sagar Lake, Naubat Pahad, the Birla temple, Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar, the Nehru Zoological Park and the Salar Jung museum are some more tourist places inviting tourists from world over.

Pearls - Favorite of the Qutub Shahi rulers and the Asaf Jahi Nizams, pearls, were wore by them as well as used as beauty aid. Thus, the pearl work flourished in Hyderabad. Osman Ali, believed to be the richest of the Nizams stocked pearls and diamonds in sacks in basement chambers. Therefore the trade of pearls is one of the most pulling factor for tourists.

Bidriware - The famous Bidriware of Hyderabad, is a kind of encrusted metalwork where one metal is impressed on another. Having similarity with damascene work (koft gari)of gold or silver, it originated from Bidar. The beauty of this work lies in the contrast created by the imposed metal-gold silver or brass against the black background.

Kat Saris - The Kat saris are the traditional saris of Hyderabad which is hot favorite among women. Siddipet, Dharmavaram, Narayanpet and Gadwal are the other famous saris. Important and famous scenes of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are hand painted on fabric also called the Kalamkari and Nirmal painting, using dyes.

The Charminar market is a happening shopping area in Hyderabad. It is a crowded market having shops of glass bangles.