Hyderabad, a history still alive…

 Text and Photograph 

By

Sitasri De

Sitasri is a final year English Literature student from Kolkata who has traveled across wide portions of the country from a very tender age. As a hardcore travel-lover, she has visited several places around the nation which has in turn generated in her the love for writing. An amateur photographer and freelance writer by choice, she has an aspiration for traveling around the globe and seeing every nook and corner of the world.


Prologue: 
If the great Shah Jahan could have built a wonder like the Taj Mahal for his beloved, Mumtaz, the nizam of Hyderabad dedicated an entire city to his love, Hyder Mahal. Hyderabad, thus, literally means the city of Hyder which was initially named Bhaganagar.

Hyderabad, famous for its delicious and mouth watering biriyani and haleem, is a city of immense historical significance that has changed its course over the past 400 years. It is the capital of the south Indian state of Telengana and the de jure capital of Andhra Pradesh and has a twin city named Secunderabad. Originally it belonged to the Nizam, but later came under the Indian Union after the Nizam was overthrown in ‘Operation Polo’ and the city was annexed by independent India. Popularly known as the “city of pearls” or the “city of Nizams”, it is one of the busiest cities in our country owing to its rich cultural heritage that makes it a common-place tourist hotspot among travelers from all the country and abroad.

Hyderabad is a historic city noted for its monuments, temples, churches, masjids and bazaars that are clearly indicative of the fact that the city welcomes people from all races and religions without any discrimination. These vividly portray the traditions and old-age charm that the city never fails to hold on to.  Established in 1591 by Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah, the city was under the rule of the Qutub Shahi Dynasty for nearly a century until the Mughals took over.

Hyderabad has lots to offer to anyone who cares to dive deep into its history. In the long span of 400 years, from a Muslim Nizam naming it after a Hindu woman to countless wars being fought and numerous lives being lost for its possession, from being the capital of one state to gaining the unique identity of being the capital of two states, Hyderabad has seen it all. And for all the people out there who are looking for a change from their usual mundane lifestyles, Hyderabad, I assure you, is the place for you.

Most Notable places in Hyderabad:

Golkonda fort:

Golconda, also spelled as Golkonda or Golla Konda (shepherd’s hill), is situated 11 Km west of Hyderabad. It was first built by Kakatiya dynasty as part of their Western defenses along the line of the Kondapalli fort.It is 120 mt high and is surrounded by massive battlements. The fort was rebuilt and strengthened by Pratapa Rudra of the Kakatiyas. The fort was further strengthened by the Musunuri Nayaks who defeated the Tughlaqi army occupying Warrangal. The fort was ceded by the Musunuri chief Kapaya Nayak to the Bahmani Sultunate as part of the treaty in 1364.After the Collapse of the sultunate,the fort became the capital of Qutb Sahi dynasty. The fort finally fell into ruins after a siege and its fall to the Mughal Empire under Aurangzeb in 1687.

After the collapse of the Bahmani Sultanate, Golkonda rose to prominence as the seat of the Qutb Shahi dynasty around 1507. Over a period of 62 years, the mud fort was expanded by the first three Qutb Shahi sultans into a massive fortification of granite, extending around 5 km in circumference. It remained the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty until 1590 when the capital was shifted to Hyderabad. The Qutb Shahis expanded the fort, whose 7 kilometers outer wall enclosed the city.

The fort is now under the care of the Archaeological Survery of India. The whole complex of the fort is apread across a total area of 11 kms and seeing every nook and corner of the fort is an arduous task. We enter the fort by the Fateh Darwaza, which reflects the engineering marvels of the era.  A hand clap at a certain point below the dome at the entrance reverberates and can be heard clearly at the 'Bala Hisar' pavilion, the highest point almost a kilometer away. This worked as a warning note to the royals in case of an attack.

The view of the city of Hyderabad from the top of the fortress is spectacular as is evident in the picture below.

Other attractions -

A light and sound show is held for the tourists everyday (except Monday) from 7pm to 8pm. I would recommend carrying “odomos” as mosquitoes are a problem in the place at night. The cost of the tickets is Rs.130.

Entry fees and timings-

The entry fees for Indian tourists are a minimal amount of Rs.5. Special tickets costing Rs.25 are to be bought if one wishes to click pictures. It is open on all days from 9 am to 5.30 pm.

How to get to Golconda-

It’s a pretty easy route to Golconda. By car it takes around 44 minutes via Fort Rd (12.8km), around 49 minutes via NH7 and Fort Rd (12.7km) and around 48 minutes via Langar House Road and Fort Rd (11.8km). The times taken may vary depending on the traffic conditions. Also a number of bus services are available from the Koti bus terminus.

Charminar:
The charminar means the “four towers”. Constructed in 1591 CE, it is a monument and a mosque situated on the east bank of the river Musi. The Laad Bazaar lies to the west and the Makkah Masjid to the southwest. It is listed under the ASI as a “list of monuments”. The landmark has become a glocal icon of Hyderabad.The fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, built the Charminar in 1591 century. After Shifting His capital from Golkonda to Hyderabad, he built this awesome structure of Charminar. The Old City of Hyderabad was designed with Charminar as its centerpiece. Popular folklore says that during the Mughal governorship between Qutb Shahi and Asaf Jahi rule, the southwestern minaret "fell to pieces" after being struck by lightning and was repaired soon after.

The clock of Charminar is a special attraction for people. Tourists are allowed to take the stairs and enjoy the splendid view of the city from the top of the monument.

Entry fees and timings-

One can visit the place between 9am and 5.30pm on all days of the week. The amount payable for entering the premises of the Charminar is a bare minimum amount of Rs.5.

How to get to Charminar-

By car it takes around 20 minutes to cover a distance of 4 kilometres via NH 9, around 21 minutes (3.7 kilometres) via Maharani Jhansi Rd and around 24 minutes (4.2 kilometres) via Chanderghat Rd. if someone wishes to take the bus, several buses leave for Charminar from the Koti bus terminus and Women’s college.

Other places of tourist attractions are -

The Birla Mandir- which is a Hindu temple, built on a 280 feet high hillock called Naubath Pahad on a 13 acres plot in 1976 by Swami Ranganathananda of Ramakrishna Mission with the cooperation of Birla Foundation.

The Lumbini Park- it is a small public, urban park adjacent to Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad, India. Since it is located in the center of the city and is in close proximity to other tourist attractions, such as Birla Mandir and Necklace Road, it attracts many visitors throughout the year. It was constructed in 1994. It was one of the targets of the 25 August 2007 Hyderabad bombings that killed 44 people.

A musically synchronized water fountain and a water clock are major attractions here. The Lumbini Park jetty is an ideal place for pleasure boating. The laser show is a thing to see here.

The Hussain sagar Lake- it was built by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali on 1562 during the rule of Ibrahin Quli Qutub shah. It is spread across an area of 5.7 sq km and fed by the water of river Musi

The Salar Jung Museum- it is an art museum located at Darushifa, on the southern bank of the Musi river. It is one of the three National Museums of India.

 Ramoji film city- this is the largest integrated film city in the world spread across an are of 2000 acres. It was founded by Ramoji Rao in 1996.

The car museum-It is the first and only wacky car museum in the world. Sudha car museum is the brainchild of Mr. K. Sudhakar, a Guinness World Record holder for building the world’s largest tricycle that actually functions.

The Chowmahalla Palace- is a palace of the Nizams of Hyderabad state. It was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and was the official residence of the Nizams of Hyderabad while they ruled their state.  The palace remains the property of Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah, heir of the Nizams.

Falaknuma Palace- is one of the finest palaces in Hyderabad, It belonged to Paigah Hyderabad State, and it was later owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad. It is situated at a distance of 5 km from Charminar. It was built by Nawab Vikar-ul-Umra. Falak-numa means "Like the Sky" or "Mirror of the Sky" in Urdu.

 And to conclude, I’d like to urge my readers to take time out of their busy scheduled lives and pay a visit to this beautiful city called Hyderabad. I can claim with utmost authority that anyone who cares to spend a little time in the city will not be disappointed. 

  

  

Panchet Dam

                                   Text and Photograph 

By

Subhra Bhattacharya

Subhra is a software developer by profession and always keen to visit places for a rendezvous with nature. As his early days were spent in living across India, from northeast to east and south sharing classrooms with his both rural and urban friends , hence multicultural environments are his preferences.

 It was end of August, rains were over except few unalarmed shower at any moment, we decided to visit Panchet Dam to celebrate annual day of our company We all set out for Panchet Dam, most of us had their families with them, managers were not managers rather a free soul and that’s it, a perfect start for a nice well deserved trip. Objective was to be close to nature, relax and of course, go as you like. I had my camera with me waiting to capture whatever come across from the nature.

To save the day and reach the spot at the earliest we chose “Black Diamond” express  from Howrah station (few including me got it from Bandel station). The journey was enjoyable too with all friends around and snacks served, our office assistant Ajit da had taken all the pain to prepare the snacks last night himself.

        After getting down at ‘Barakar” station at around 10:10 AM, we were picked up by the prearranged  cabs, and taken straight to Panchet Residency, a mere 5 Km away from Panchet Dam, to stay for 1night and two days. The arrangement was exciting as we would stay in Purulia but would visit Panchet Dam in Jharkhand. On the way we kept asking for the Panchet Dam. I have seen a dam before but most are known for their technicalities and constructional features, reservoir capacity etc. but Panchet dam appeared to me quite different towards its not being in the limelight as compared to other dam around   and of course  for the flavour of rich vegetation with Garhpanchkot hill at its back drop, and the wide long stretch of River Damodar upon which the Dam is built were promising. 

    

    

     

       At the Residency we were served with beverages and breakfast, it was a warm welcome.Everything there right from the cottages, the dining area, the 15 acres land upon which the residency is built is unique and classy, but the name of the cottage seemed unmatched with its classy arrangements. It was named “Telkupi” cottage. 

        For us a comfortable stay with everything organised with a constant view of Garhpanchkot Hills with smoky white clouds often engulfing its top was enough. There were options to walk through the jungle and visit “Bhairavnath” temple also which we certainly did. This residency is built in such a fashion as to maintain the raw natural sanctity as far as possible.

        We freshened ourselves and quickly left for the Dam, just a mere 5 km. Some of us in a different vehicle moved little farther over the dam and stopped, a long wide road that goes over the dam offers pleasant view, turn your head and see the Damodar flowing underneath is a picturesque moment. Kids loved it all and the ladies too had a good time with views all around open and as far as possible the naked eye could go. It dripped also for a while which caused the flowing wind breezier. There were people passing by riding bikes. I missed my bike too!!  Who wouldn’t?  After all it could be a soothing ride over the dam leaving river Damodar flow beneath you.  Some opted to take the steep stairs somewhere at the middle of the dam and go down to half its level to a park built for visitors to have some good time. There was a moment when somebody unintentionally sparked a technical discussion of how power is generated from the dam, but was soon taken over and ousted by the know how’s of photography and a discussion on how there be a river like Damodar only based on rain water and no other sources from any mountain. The discussion remained inconclusive. In the park downstairs we had a small session of packed snacks as well.

   During all these discussions our local driver told us that the construction of the dam has destroyed a village called “Telkupi”, its way back in early fifties when Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru had inaugurated the dam. That’s how our cottage was named “Telkupi” it appeared unmatched with the residency but completely in connection with the Dam.

There was another story  which has a reference to it in the internet media as well that the girl who garlanded Pt. Nehru then Prime minister of India on his visit to inaugurate the dam was out casted from the Santali society and was never taken back, for them doing such an activity symbolises marriage and is hence unrecognised by their society.

        4 -5 hours had passed by in between when our driver alerted us towards the accumulating dark clouds over head the well-known sunset of Panchet Dam was all gradually unleashing. Predicting the rain and kids around we left for our vehicles parked nearby and left for the hotel. Our stay at the Dam was bit shortened by unforeseen rain. There is also an option to ferry a boat and have some time to enjoy a sail in the river Damodar.

That night Panchet Residency had arranged Santhali folk dance  for us as a part of package. It was a pleasure dancing hand in hand, beating drums with them and matching our toes with theirs. Later I called it a good display of team work.  With a hot dinner and stroll around the forest in the following morning with lots of activities around we left for the Barakar station sometime in the evening to catch “Black Diamond” to travel back to the hustle and bustle of city that we call our life.

        We all have one thing in common to repeat the trip with a day more added. Its truly a place worth visiting. Advice is to skip the summers as Purulia would be both humid and hot. Rainy days will turn Damodar mightier and the vegetation around drenched, clean and greener whereas autumn and winter will offer you a more soothing weather. 

Information

 

Going:   It is just 245 km away from Kolkata towards Asansol near the border with Jharkhand. It falls in Jharkhand actually. One can reach there either straight from Asansol by road or by train as all trains stop there. The second option is to get down at Barakar station and hire a vehicle to the hotel .

Stay:  The top class arrangements costs for 2 nights 3 days would charge around Rs. 10000 per couple including food, (there website would reveal more appropriate and current rates).However there are more low budget places at the foothills of “Baranti Hills”. Someone suggested a more promising sunset view there.