ABOUT HYDERABAD:

• Hi-tech Hyderabad, the city of traditions and technology.
• Founded in 1591, by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth Qutub Shahi Sultan of Golconda.
• Magnificent city of minarets on the banks of the river Musi retains the medieval flavour and charm.
• It has also emerged as a major educational and industrial centre as well as one of the IT capitals of India.

 

MODE OF COMMUNICATION:

• Airport: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad (HYD), 22 kms away from Hyderabad city centre.
• Rail: Hyderabad Deccan Railway Station, Hyderabad, 3 kms away from Hyderabad city centre and Secunderabad Railway Station, Secunderabad, 8 kms away from Hyderabad city centre.
• Road: Well connected by road.

 

SIGHTSEEING AT A GLANCE:

FORT & MONUMENTS	Charminar ,  Golconda Fort  , Medak Fort
HOLY CENTRE	Mecca Masjid  , Birla Mandir ,  Balaji Temple,    Sanghi Temple , Keesaragutta,Yadagiri, Gutta   Medak , Medak Church
MUSEUM & AUDITORIUM	Naubat Pahad  and  Salarjung Museum
WILD LIFE	Pocharam Wildlife Sanctuary
PARK & GARDEN	Lumbini Park, Public Garden , Nehru Zoological Park
LAKE	Hussain Sagar   and Osmansagar (Gandipet)
OTHERS	Lad Bazaar  , Tankbund , Qutub Shahi Tombs,  Ramoji Film City, Shilparamam   The Hi-Tec City
FAIRS & FESTIVALS	Diwali The Deccan Festival Muharram Lumbini Festival Sankranti

For more information visit https://hyderabad.telangana.gov.in/tourist-places/

 

ATTRACTIONS OF HYDERABAD

 

Charminar:

• The icon of Hyderabad was built in 1591, by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah to commemorate the end of plague in the city.
• Imposing rectangular monument is built in Indo-Saracenic style.
• Stands 53 metres high and 30 metres wide, with four grand arches, facing each of the cardinal points.
• Four corners of the building are adorned with columns with exquisitely carved minarets crowned by a bulbous dome.
• Each minaret towers to a height of 48.7 metres and has double balconies.

 

Lad Bazaar:

• Oldest and most popular shopping centre of the right of Charminar.
• Studded with colourful shops, famous for traditional bangles, bridal ware, heena and cosmetics.

 

Mecca Masjid:

• Magnificent mosque near Charminar.
• Named after the holy Mecca, as it has few bricks from Mecca.
• One of the rooms off the courtyard enshrines the hair of Prophet Muhammad and other Islamic relics.

 

Birla Mandir:

• White marble shrine of Lord Venkateswara is set atop Kala Pahad hillock, towards the southern end of Hussain Sagar Lake.
• Decorated with intricate carvings depicting scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata.
• There are also several splendidly sculpted marble statues of Hindu Deities.

 

Naubat Pahad:

• Birla Planetarium and Alliance Francaise are set atop this rocky hill near the Birla Mandir.
• Sky shows are held at the planetarium.

 

Hussain Sagar:

• Huge lake was built by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali, during the regin of Ibrahim Qutub Shah in 1562.
• Atop the centre of the lake is the world’s tallest monolithic statue of Buddha, which is 17.5 high and weighs 350 tonnes.
• Boat trips around the statue can be made from Lumbini Park.

 

Tankbund:

• On the eastern site of the Hussain Sagar Lake is a popular promenade.
• Fine view of the statue can be enjoyed from here.

 

Lumbini Park:

• Well laid out park on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake.
• One of the most popular amusement sites.

 

Salarjung Museum:

• Grand museum houses an extraordinary private collection of Mir Yusaf Ali Khan (Salar Jung III).
• A great connoisseur of art and the prime minister to Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan, Nizam VII.
• One of the three national museums of India.
• It has over 43,000 art objects collected from world over.

 

Public Garden:

• Exquisite garden located in the busy Nampally area is said to be the largest of its kind of Asia.
• Oldest park of city and is dotted with several majestic buildings.

 

Nehru Zoological Park:

• Extends over an area of about 1.2 sq. kms and is one of the largest zoos of India.
• Conducted tours in protected vans are taken to the Safari Park.

 

ATTRACTIONS AROUND HYDERABAD

 

Golconda Fort:

• 12 kms away from Hyderabad city centre.
• Glorious remains of this once impregnable fort sprawl over a hill side about 1,000 feet above the surrounding countryside.
• Forts name derived from the Telugu word “Golla Konda” meaning “Shepherd’s Hill”.
• Originally, it was a mud fort built by the Kakatiya kings of Warangal in 1143.
• Qutub Shah Dynasty held it from 1518 to 1687.
• First three Qutub Shahi kings rebuilt Golconda over a span of 62 years.
• Grandeur of this mammoth fort can be experienced from the top of the citadel.
• Within the fort – an armoury, palaces, the store, courtyards, fountains, mosque, public and private meeting halls and temple.
• Fort is noted for its magnificent acoustics, the structural grandeur of its palaces, factories and ingenious water supply system.
• A sound and light show is held here in the evening.

 

Qutub Shahi Tombs:

• Graceful group of Qutub Shahi tombs, about 1 km north of Golconda Fort’s Banjara Darwaja.
• Built by the Qutub Shahi dynasty.

 

Ramoji Film City:

• Located near Hayathnagar on the Hyderabad – Vijayawada Highway, 25 kms from Hyderabad city.
• The largest, most comprehensive and professionally planned film production centre of the world.
• Film city sprawling over an area about 2,000 acres was conceived and developed as a ‘one stop shop’ for a film market.
• It has better facilities than the best studios of Hollywood.
• An excellent stop for entertainment, food and shopping.

 

Shilparamam:

• 14 kms away from Hyderabad city.
• Crafts village at Madhapur nestles amidst beautiful rocky formations by the hillside with natural slopes and wild vegetation.
• Set-up to preserve the dying art forms as well as to bring together the crafts persons and artists from every sphere.
• Annual festivals of arts and crafts are held in March.
• Cultural activities are organised during Dussehra festival (October/ November) and Sankrant Sandadi (January).

 

Osmansagar (Gandipet):

• 21 kms away from Hyderabad city.
• Charming Lake covering an area of 46 sq. kms.
• Built by Mir Osman Ali Khan in 1920, by barricading the water of Musi River.
• Boating facilities are available here.

 

Balaji Temple:

• Famous shrine of Lord Balaji Venkateswara is located at Chilkur near Himayatsagar at Gandipet.
• Five hundred year old and is built in Kakatiyan style.

 

Sanghi Temple:

• 25 kms away from Hyderabad city.
• Majestic temple complex dedicated to Lord Venkateswara.
• A favourite gateway point for the tourists visiting Ramoji Film City.

 

Keesaragutta:

• 35 kms away from Hyderabad city.
• Hindu pilgrim centre is known for Ramalingeswara and Lakshminarasimha shrines.
• According to mythological legends, Lord Rama came here during his exile and was captivated by its natural beauty.

 

Yadagiri Gutta:

• 68 kms away from Hyderabad city.
• Famous for the shrine of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy perched atop a hillock.
• Presiding deity is believed to cute the incurable diseases of the devotees.

 

The Hi-Tec City:

• Located at Madhapur on the outskirts of Hyderabad and 20 kms away from Hyderabad city.
• Hi-tec or the “Hyderabad Information Technology Engineering Consultancy” City is a symbol of Hyderabad’s leadership in the field of Information Technology (IT) in the country.
• A fully integrated, ultramodern techno township that provides infrastructural facilities like office space, production areas, communication facilities, shopping centre, hotel convention centre, recreational zones and club houses.

  

Medak:

• 96 kms away from Hyderabad city.
• Historic site and famous Christian pilgrim centre.
• Name after ‘Methuku’, which means a particle of cooked rice.
• The town is now well known for its magnificent cathedral.

 

Medak Church:

• The single largest diocese in Asia and second largest in the world after the Vatican.
• Built by Rev. Charles Posnett in gratitude for the end of a famine that lasted for three years.
• Construction stared in 1914 and was opened on 25^th December 1924.
• Imposing structure in Neo-gothic style is 173 feet high, while the length and width are 200 feet and 100 feet respectively.
• Tiles used here were brought from Italy, while the sound proof roof of the church is built of sponge material.
• Church is also noted for its stained glass windows depicting various Biblical and Christmas celebration scenes.
•  It can accommodate about 5,000 people at a time.

 

Medak Fort:

• Originally built in typical Hindu style during the regin of the Kakatiyas.
• Later constructed by the Qutub Shahis in Muslim architecture.
• Fort has wide ramparts with several natural bastions carved out of the boulders and rocks on the hillock.
• The huge Mubarak Mahal within is worth visit.

 

Pocharam Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Covers an area of 130 sq. kms, about 15 kms from Medak and 120 kms from Hyderabad.
• Low hills and small water pools attracts large flocks of migratory birds.
• Animals seen here are panther, sloth bear, wild boar, cheetal, nilgai, hyena etc.
• Best season to visit is from October – May.