There was only a week left for the Christmas vacation to begin, and we still hadn’t decided where to go for the holidays. The flights and hotels for many places had either been already booked or were too expensive. Hyderabad was the only place which was both available and affordable.

Day 1

We landed almost as soon as we took off—it was hardly an hour’s flight from Chennai! The baggage claim didn’t take much time, and after having a cup of coffee in the airport—it was an early morning flight, so we had to stay awake for the rest of the day—we got into the cab our hotel had arranged for us. 

The roads outside the airport were excellent, with greenery lining the roads on either side. It was quite different from Chennai, where the airport is located in the city.

After a half-hour drive, we reached our hotel, the Taj Mahal, located in the Abids region. The hotel is almost a century old, having been constructed in the 1930s. The rooms were neat and pretty spacious, with one of our rooms having a separate dressing area. The restaurant in the hotel is fully vegetarian, and the food, both the a-la-carte and the breakfast buffet, was tasty.

        

 

After checking in, we had breakfast, freshened up, and went sightseeing.

 

Charminar Fort

Our first stop was the Charminar Fort. It’s a magnificent structure, constructed from limestone, mortar, sandstone, and marble, giving it a pinkish and yellowish-white appearance.

The fort has four towers or minarets at its four corners. As the fort is situated in the center of the city, the views of the city from these four minarets are spectacular. 

At the center of the arch is a flower-shaped fountain, which was used to provide water before people went to offer prayers in the nearby mosque. A huge dome is exactly on top of it. A steep, spiral staircase leads to the top, where there are corridors with arch-shaped windows, encircling the top. 

Many platform shops near the fort sell bangles, earrings, shawls, and miscellaneous items. Though we didn’t buy anything, it was nice to look around. 

 

Chowmahalla Palace

We then visited the Chowmahalla Palace, which was ten minutes away. It was another architectural marvel. We went to an ornately decorated hall with huge chandeliers and a marble throne.

A few boards had descriptions of the kings who had ruled there before. There were displays of swords and crockery of that period. 

There was also a display of vintage cars outside. The gardens outside were full of greenery and had a few lakes. As we visited the place in the afternoon, it was very sunny and hot, yet, we enjoyed our time there.

We stopped for lunch at a nearby restaurant called Swaghat. The food wasn’t great, but it was one of the few vegetarian options available. 

 

Nizam’s Museum

After lunch, we went to the Nizam’s Museum. It was quite small but had several displays of valuable items, such as gold and silver vessels, remains of pottery, a few paintings, and a big, golden throne. 

 

Salar Jung Museum

The Salar Jung Museum was humongous, with several galleries. One gallery had a display of dolls from different places, such as the traditional Kondapalli dolls of Andhra. A variety of chandeliers and colored glass objects were displayed in one room. 

There was a gallery that had items of European origin, such as paintings, sculptures, and vases. A sculpture with a man at the front and a woman at the back seemed unique. 

The clock, situated on the ground floor, is the most iconic item in the museum. Every hour, inside the clock, a man plays the drums, and a soldier comes out of the room. Though the clock is over two hundred years old, it is still in working condition. However, I didn’t find anything extraordinary about this clock. 

 

NTR Garden

Our last stop for the day was the NTR Garden.

The sun had set by the time we reached, and we could see the parliament building lit up with different lights. It’s a small park, mainly for kids, with short walking paths lined with greenery, a water fountain, and a few rides like buggy cars and a merry-go-round. A nearby park had a huge statue of Ambedkar. We weren’t allowed inside but clicked pictures of the statue from outside.

 

Day 2

We spent the next day at the Ramoji Film City. 

It’s the largest film city in the world, and it was organized like a theme park. There were shows, film sets, gardens, and a bird park, each having a bus shuttle service connecting one place to another. 

We first watched two shows. In the first show, ‘Wild West Stunt Show’, there was a desert setting, where the actors, dressed like cowboys, fought with each other, with swords or guns, and dodged mild explosives. Some actors went up and down poles, jumped from one makeshift building to another, and sometimes even fell from a height. 

The show was akin to a mini Indiana Jones show and was quite entertaining. 

The next show featured a few dances. Two were from Bahubali. One was an aerial performance with impressive acrobatics. For all these dances, there was a digital backdrop.

We then boarded a shuttle that took us on a tour through different movie sets. During the tour, the tour guide explained the movie sets highlighting the scenes and songs shot at various places. 

We saw sets where a few scenes from movies like ‘Chandramukhi’, ‘Pushpa’ and ‘Singam’ were shot. We passed a garden filled with colorful flowers, where a few songs had been shot. The tour guide told us that the colors of the flowers were changed depending on the color of the actress’s dress.

We saw sets having houses, jails, a railway station, and even an airport!

There were a few huge, white buildings, where indoor scenes, like a song in ‘Matka’ and movies depicting religious stories, had been filmed. 

The sets didn’t seem as impressive as they looked in the movies, and it was hard to believe that iconic movie scenes had been filmed here! 

We went into a room that showed how motion sensors and green screens are used in movies.  

We then spent some time in a Japanese garden, filled with greenery and structures with Japanese architecture. 

There were food stalls at every bus stop. As we didn’t have time to stop and search for a proper restaurant, we had a samosa and a brownie for lunch.

 

We then spent some time in a butterfly garden and a bird park. There were a few exotic species such as black swans and ostriches. There was also a Bonsai Garden and a small artificial cave that had a few sculptures. 

A separate area was dedicated just for the Bahubali Set. This included the movie set where, in the movie, Devasena had been chained, the final fight between Bahubali and Ballaldeva had taken place, and the statue of Ballaldeva. 

The last stop for the day was a show in which the use of green screens and sound generation in movies were demonstrated. It was fascinating to learn that some everyday objects like mixies and sand are used to generate sounds like that of a motorbike and rain! 

In my opinion, the film city is Hyderabad’s best attraction and a must-see for anyone who visits. 

 

Day 3

On the last day, we visited the Golconda Fort and the Statue of Equality.

 

Golconda Fort

The Golconda Fort was constructed about five centuries ago by the Kakatiya Dynasty.

There were a few places where one could hear an echo if they clapped. In one room, if someone whispered something in one corner of a room, it could be heard in the opposite corner! This room was designed in such a way that the king could learn about any conspiracies of foreign rulers when they came to stay. 

A passage that has now been sealed, connects the Golconda Fort with the Charminar Fort, which is almost 10 km away!

At the top, there’s a small temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. 

The architecture of the fort was splendid and the view from the top was just breathtaking. 

Hyderabad is famous for pearls and we saw some jewelry made of pearls, though we didn’t buy anything. 

 

Statue of Equality

The Statue of Equality is a 121-foot statue of Ramanujam. Surrounding this statue situated on a pedestal, are the replicas of the 108 divya-desams, which have been so beautifully made, each having a unique gopura on the top. Audio guides explaining each divya-desam were available for a nominal cost for those requiring detailed information. The whole atmosphere was very peaceful and calm. Cellular phones were not permitted inside and clicking pictures inside the temple was strictly forbidden.

There was a canteen inside, where we had lunch. The veg thali was sumptuous yet pocket-friendly. There was also a jewelry shop, where we again saw many beautiful sets but didn’t buy anything.

We then headed to the airport, which was a twenty-minute drive from there. We had more than three hours for our flight and roamed the airport to kill time. The Hyderabad Airport is filled with different kinds of shops, and window shopping kept us busy for a while. 

The three days we spent in Hyderabad were fun-filled and were the perfect way to end the year. 

 

*****

 

3 Day Itinerary

Day 1 

•    Charminar Fort
•    Chowmahalla Palace
•    Nizam’s Museum
•    Salar Jung Museum 
•    NTR Garden
•    Hussain Sagar Lake*

Day 2

•    Ramoji Film City

Day 3

•    Golconda Fort
•    Hyderabad Pearl Shopping
•    Statue of Equality

(* Boating in the Hussain Sagar Lake was on our itinerary, but we couldn’t go due to a packed schedule.)

 

Travel Tips

• I would recommend the ‘Taj Mahal’ hotel we stayed in if you’re looking for a budget-friendly hotel with a good vegetarian restaurant. The travel desk at the hotel ensured that we covered all the attractions in the city and provided us with a cab. 
• The Charminar Fort has a spiral staircase leading to the top, which is quite narrow and steep. One must be careful while ascending and descending these stairs.
• The Ramoji Film City requires a whole day. Tickets can be booked online, one or two days in advance. No outside food is allowed here. I would recommend eating a heavy breakfast before coming here. There are food stalls at every bus stop where snacks and drinks can be bought. There are one or two restaurants inside, but if they’re situated far from where you are, I would suggest eating something in a nearby food stall, so that you have time to cover all the spots. I feel one day is enough to spend in this film city, but if you want to spend two or three days here, there are three hotels inside the film city itself.
• The Statue of Equality can be visited just before going to the airport. A proper dress code must be maintained while visiting this place; women should not wear T-shirts and pants, and men must not wear shorts. Preferably, traditional wear can be worn. Phones are not allowed and must be deposited before going inside. An audio guide is available which gives detailed information about each divya-desam for 2-5 minutes. However, the priests at each temple explain about the temples, and there are also books about the divya-desams available. If you go to the temple in the afternoon, you can have lunch at the temple canteen, which offers delicious Satvik South Indian meals.

 

*****