A few days in Hyderabad

I went down south to Hyderabad for a week. To have a look around. I wasn’t expecting much from the trip because I didn’t know much about Hyderabad before this. I knew the Charminar stood there… but my knowledge of the Pearl City was limited to about that much. However, as I found out, the city has much more to offer to people like me. If you are interested in art and history and travel, then a few days in Hyderabad will not disappoint you. Hyderabad is a goldmine for students of history or of architecture because of the number of palaces, mosques, mausoleums, and other monuments in and around the place. Unfortunately, as I do not yet own a camera I could not take any pictures—and there are many beautiful places and sights in Hyderabad to photograph.

The best time to visit Hyderabad is after the monsoons. My friends who stay in the city (and who are not from Southern India) tell me that summer is unbearably hot there. It’s always hot in the daytime, but because of the low humidity one doesn’t perspire too much. If you are planning a trip to Hyderabad, I would recommend that you go there sometime in the last few months of the year, and if possible just before Id-ul-Fitr—for the simple reason that then you will get to taste Hyderabadi haleem which I am told is delicious (and which I didn’t get to have).

Perhaps it will help to first have a rough idea of the geography of the place. The city was originally built on the Musi River. To the south of the Musi lies the Old City (Charminar, et al). To the north of the river roughly till Hussain Sagar Lake is the main metropolitan area. It is this central region and the area further westwards that houses the modern city. North of the lake lies Secunderabad. Secunderabad may have been Hyderabad’s ‘twin city’ at some point in their history, but now it is just a part of the latter.

There are quite a few sights to see in Hyderabad. I shall restrict myself to only what I saw, and did, and learned. Further, I shall try my best to refrain from writing about everything I learned. The city has seen four centuries of Indian history, all of which I find very interesting. I will try and resist the temptation to unload this information on my unsuspecting readers.

Hyderabad was founded in 1591, and has since then played a prominent role in the history of this region. The city manages to maintain a balance between its past and its present. Here I found ultra-modern IT towers a few kilometers away from medieval minarets. Burqas in the Old City and short skirts at the pubs. One can almost see the Westernization of the city spreading steadily from the centre outwards. After a while I got used to the sight of a swanky mall a few meters away from a century-old mosque: the new city builds itself around the old.

I suppose this trend started a decade ago with the deliberate aggressive promotion of IT and ITES industries. Hyderabad overhauled its infrastructure to lure MNCs to the city. With these companies came a young workforce from all over India, bringing cosmopolitan ideas, attitudes, and lifestyles with them. An auto-driver I got into a conversation with complained that Chandrababu Naidu had developed Hyderabad at the cost of other regions in Andhra. The broad, clean, well-laid out and well-lit roads; the MMTS (local intra-city train service) stations; the flyovers (and more are being built); the parks; the mega-malls and flagship stores of famous brands; the numerous luxury hotels; all showed signs of a lot of money having been poured into infrastructure. The external accoutrements of modernization are all present. During the time that I was in the city, the IV^th World Military Games were being held there and it seemed to me that Hyderabad certainly has the resources to host such an event.

There is no need to write about ‘modern’ Hyderabad. It is just the same as any other urban metropolitan centre. A large number of visitors to the city are, understandably, people on business trips. I met an old acquaintance there who had come to Hyderabad for a day to sign a deal. Unlike me, he had been to the city several times before but had not seen anything beyond the Charminar and the Mecca Masjid. This is also true of a good number of young people working in the city who have come here from different parts of the country. They prefer to stick to their malls and their MacDonald’s, and have not experienced those parts of Hyderabadi culture that is unique to the city. Of course, since I wished to acquaint myself with every aspect of the city, I went and had a look at the Cyber Towers and other office complexes of Madhapur, sauntered down Eat Street, admired the bungalows of the super-rich in Jubilee Hills, and hung around in the sprawling malls of Panjagutta and Banjara Hills. But I advise kindred spirits to leave these till after you have partaken of the main course of attractions on offer.

Day One

I began with a trip westwards to the Qutub Shahi tombs. This is a set of mausoleums of the Qutub Shahi rulers (the dynasty that founded Hyderabad), and of their relatives. I spent a couple of hours exploring them. These magnificent domed tombs are about 400 hundred years old, and signs of the wear and tear of time are evident. The tombs were at one time decorated with chandeliers, and coloured tiles and golden spires. Now all that remains is the gray granite façade with its crumbling ornamentation, and overgrown wild grass. But these tombs, along with the Charminar, are nonetheless some of the best remaining examples of Qutub Shahi architecture.

A short distance away from these tombs lies Golconda fort. If you have an imagination like mine, a sense of history will grab you from the moment you pass under the arches of the Fateh Darwaza (Victory Gate). I reached Golconda in the late afternoon, so I got to spend just two hours exploring the fort before the light started to fade. Not enough time.

Originally founded in the 12^th century, Golconda was built by three successive dynasties of Hindu and Muslim rulers. It was the centre of the Qutub Shahi kingdom in the 16^th century. The diamond mines of Golconda gave birth to some of the most famous jewels in the world like the Koh-i-noor, the Hope Diamond, and the Darya-e-Noor.

Golconda is truly majestic even in its ruins. If you are ever there take your time to look around the place. The fort is built on a hill, and I paused often on the climb to the top to take in the magnificent panorama that the height provides. Hyderabad lay spread out under my eyes. Nearly every tiny building of the city below was painted white, which led me to incorrectly assume that this was the reason for the epithet of “the Pearl City”. In spite of the large number of tourists crawling all over the place, you can still find some nook to perch on as you enjoy the view, buffeted by the strong breeze.

The Light and Sound Show that took place in the fort complex once the sun set was entertaining and educative, and is not to be missed. The booming baritone of Amitabh Bachchan narrates the story of Golconda and explains its peculiar features.

In the evening I headed off to Secunderabad for dinner. During my stay in Hyderabad I tried out a number of restaurants in Secunderabad. The most talked about restaurant here is Paradise, especially for its biryani. Personally, I didn’t find the food there all that good. Perhaps I should have ordered something else. The place I recommend for its biryani is Alpha, near Secunderabad railway station. This is also the place where I got to taste the famous sweet-dish Qubani ka Meetha: stewed apricots in sugar syrup. Be warned—it is very very sweet. If you are in the mood for Chinese, Nanking is the restaurant to visit. Every time I have been there, I have seen people waiting outside to get into this popular joint.

Day Two

I took a bus to Afzalgunj, crossed the bridge over the Musi on foot and walked down to the Charminar, stopping for a cup of Irani chai and biscuits at the Madina restaurant. Irani chai is so named presumably after the Iranians who settled in Hyderabad during the time of the Qutub Shahi dynasty, and introduced their way of preparing tea. Irani chai is available all over the city and is milkier and sweeter than the tea I have had elsewhere. One thing I have noticed is that whenever you ask for Irani chai at a restaurant (like, in Alpha or at the Madina) it is served in white porcelain cups with a lot of tea in the white porcelain saucer on which it rests. But tea and biscuits were not enough: I needed more sustenance for the long day ahead. My friend the Hipposaur has sniffed out a hole-in-the-wall operation, going under the name of Jehangiri Kebabs, which he recommends highly. It wasn’t too difficult to locate: the “wall” in question is the Machhli Kamaan, one of the massive arches you will pass under on the way to the Charminar. I had a most delicious meal of kebabs with a really, really large parathaa (the name of which I’m unable to recall) and chutney.

It was a Sunday: a flea market was in progress on either side of the street, where vendors sell all sorts of useless junk that you have to see to believe. If something does capture your fancy, don’t buy it for more than 20% of the price demanded by the vendor.

The Charminar was built on the orders of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the founder of Hyderabad. It stands today at the centre of a busy crossroad, its four arches facing the four cardinal compass points. Thankfully, this building is still quite well preserved, in spite of the thoughtless vandalism of immature tourists who use its walls to record valuable information for future generations, such as their names (and that of their paramours, of course, inscribed within a heart) and their phone numbers, among other things. The oldest mosque in Hyderabad is situated on the roof of the Charminar. A dark narrow winding set of stone stairs led to the top floor; I had to mind my head and watch my step. The balconies here offer a beautiful bird’s-eye view of the hustle and bustle of the crowded city streets. I spent a good while up here on the roof looking down on the unceasing ordered chaos of the markets and by-lanes below. It is so—Indian.

Something caught my eye when I went down again. On the south-eastern base of the monument, abutting the structure, I saw a Lakshmi temple. I felt a wave of irritation when I saw that. Perhaps I misunderstood, but it is so typical of fundamentalist Hindus to do something like that. If they could have their way I am sure they would not hesitate to pull down the Charminar, like they demolished the Babri Masjid, in their quest to preserve our “heritage”.

From here, one of the largest mosques in India is just a few paces away. Both the times that I visited the Mecca Masjid, it was so full of tourists, tour guides and touts that I will always think of the place more as a tourist spot than as a mosque. Another giant granite structure, its construction was begun by the Qutub Shahi kings and completed by the man who put an end to their rule: the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

Taking a walk through the Laad Bazaar is unique experience for those who keep their eyes open for there is much to see here even if you do not intend to buy anything (and if you do intend on making purchases, I hope you know how to bargain). Also known as Choodi Bazaar, this place is famous for glass bangles, pearls, semi-precious stones, perfumes, fabrics, sherwanis, saris and women’s clothings. The entire place is colourful and noisy. Large numbers of women haggle over rows upon rows of glass bangles in the hundreds of tiny shops lining the crowded street. I was really lucky—I chanced upon a tiny shop tucked away in one corner of this chaos where I got to see these glass bangles being made. Walking through the bazaars of the Old City I was constantly reminded of the poem...

What do you sell O ye merchants?
Richly your wares are displayed.
Turbans of crimson and silver,
Tunics of purple brocade,
Mirror with panels of amber,
Daggers with handle of jade.

What do you weigh, O ye vendors?
Saffron and lentil and rice.
What do you grind, O ye maidens?
Sandalwood, henna, and spice.
What do you call, O ye peddlers?
Chessman and ivory dice.

What do you make, O ye goldsmiths?
Wristlets and ankles and ring,
Bells for the feet of blue pigeons
Frail as a dragon- fly's wing,
Girdles of gold for dancers,
Scabbards of gold for the king.

What do you cry, O ye fruit men?
Citron, pomegranate, and plum.
What do you play, O magicians?
Spells for aeons to come.

What do you weave, O ye flower-girls
With tassels of azure and red?
Crowns for the brow of a bridegroom,
Chaplets to garland his bed,
Sheets of white blossoms new-garnered
To perfume the sleep of the dead.

I had never seen so many women in black burqas before this. Normally, in a sea of people, one cannot distinguish the men from the women from a distance at a glance. But here the distinctive black costume segregates the men from most of the women. I see the burqa as a restrictive practice imposed upon women to keep them in check, and yet as I walked through Hyderabad I could not help but think that the anonymity of the burqa gives these women a certain measure of freedom on the streets, much in the same way that the anonymity of the internet sets you free. These burqas were not mere plain black outfits: bits of ornamentation with sequins and embroidery could be seen in on the hemlines and the borders of the sleeves, and every burqa had its own unique ornamentation. And then, all of a sudden, in the midst of all these people, I spot this young woman, in a black burqa like the women around her, but with her face and her head uncovered. She had a smile on her face as she walked through the crowd, her long coloured hair open and spread out on her shoulders. Our eyes met for an instant, and in her eyes there was a twinkle which seemed to say “I dare”.

I walked on to the beautiful Chowmahalla Palace, which once upon a time was the seat of the Nizams of Hyderabad. A short history lesson is necessary here before we proceed further. As I mentioned before, Aurangzeb defeated the Qutub Shahi sultanate. The Mughal emperor appointed his own governor over the region, giving him the title of ‘Nizam’. Nizam Asaf Jah I gained independence from Mughal rule, and thus began the Asaf Jahi dynasty—the fabulously wealthy Nizams of Hyderabad—the last dynasty to rule Hyderabad before it became a part of the Indian Union in 1948.

For those of you interested in Indian history, Chowmahalla Palace is a fascinating place, and the government has done a commendable job in turning the palace into a museum of sorts. A detailed history of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, with beautiful photographs, artifacts, and personal effects are preserved and presented here. The palace grounds are well-maintained. The durbar hall with its gaddi (throne) and its pillars, its chandeliers and its ornamentation is out of a fairy tale. I think I spent nearly three hours here looking over everything and I still feel that I hurried through it.

It is in places like these that history comes alive for me. Palaces and forts have stories to tell. I notice that most tourists merely go blindly through the motions of looking at things and taking pictures: they do not see that places like these were ‘alive’ once, with real people—people like them—walking down the corridors or ramparts. They lack the imagination. And then there are dull lectures on dates and dry facts doled out to uninterested students by professors who don’t know how to teach. It is only when you are sitting high up on the stones of Golconda—looking down on the land and the rivers, where people lived and for which they fought and died, spread out far below you—it is then that those notes you hurriedly jotted down in the classroom make complete sense.

I left Chowmahalla as they rang the closing bell, and found my way to Shadab (opposite Madina restaurant). Here I treated myself to a well-deserved plate of biryani and kebabs after all that walking. Shadab is famous for its biryani so the place was quite crowded: I had to wait a while for a table here.

Day Three

On the third day I headed back to the Old City. I had read a lot about Purani Haveli (which originally served as the residence of Hyderabadi statesmen), mainly to the effect that there are a lot of interesting things to see there, including beautiful European architecture and the largest wardrobe in the world comprising an entire wing of the building. Finding my way there was tricky: apparently ‘Purani Haveli’ is the name given to the entire locality; you need to ask for the Nizam’s Museum.

One wing of the complex had been converted into some sort of a school. The entrance to the museum seemed shabby, leading up from the ground floor (the school) to the first floor (from the look of it, the museum was comprised of just one floor of one wing of the entire building complex). I decided not to pay the Rs.70 entry fee for the single-floor ‘museum’, and explore the rest of the building and its grounds, but I was shooed away by the guards. No one knew of any other Purani Haveli nearby, and so I left rather disappointed.

Two other places that I wanted to visit in the Old City but could not were the Badshahi Ashurkhana and the Falaknama Palace. Ashurkhanas are mourning halls for the annual Muharram celebrations. This Ashurkhana built by one of the Qutub Shahi sultans is one of the finest in the country. It is supposed to be located near the Charminar but I couldn’t find it. The Falaknama Palace on the other hand is not difficult to find, but it is now private property and hence not open to mere mortals such as I. It is considered to be one of the most magnificent palaces in India. What a pity… this was one place that I really wanted to see.

I decided to return to the city proper and see what it has to offer. The AP State Museum has an impressive (but poorly labeled) collection of Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Jain artifacts. The building itself looks impressive but I am not sure if it is the real McCoy: it may have just been built to look medieval. Close by, in the same Public Gardens area is the State Legislative Assembly building which too is beautiful. You will always find a bird resting on the head of the huge statue of Gandhi there. A colossal monolithic statue of the Buddha is situated in the middle of Hussain Sagar Lake, a man-made lake which is nearly 450 years old. The lake is beautiful to look at but quite polluted from all the idol immersions and from the oil leaking from the boats that ferry tourists to and from the statue. The people of the city should do something to clean it up. Tank Bund is situated to the east of the lake, connecting Hyderabad to Secunderabad; along its length are 33 statues of famous people from Andhra. I took an evening stroll down Tank Bund to take a good look at these statues and ended up disturbing a number of couples coochie-cooing behind these statues.

Day Four

Next morning I visited the Salar Jung Museum. It showcases a very large collection of paintings, sculpture and numerous eclectic objets d’art belonging to the Salar Jungs, the Prime Ministers to the Nizams of Hyderabad. This is a fascinating private collection. I was here the entire day and I consider my time well spent.

I left the museum in the evening and headed for the structure that seems to dominate the city skyline. Situated on a hillock the Birla Mandir is made of pure white marble. The temple is beautifully illuminated at night, and its high balconies provide a great view of the city. Scenes from the Raamayan and the Mahaabhaarat are carved into the walls and ceiling of the temple. It is certainly the grandest of the three Birla temples that I have seen.

Day Five

Now that I had paid homage to the Qutub Shahis, hobnobbed with the Asaf Jahis, and had met the Salar Jungs, I thought that it was high time that I visited the Paigah Tombs in Santoshnagar. I must admit that I was a little disappointed at first by the unimpressive entrance, the half-naked children tearing up and down the place, and the shabby neglected state of the tombs themselves. Homeless people and the caretakers’ extended families may have taken up residence here today, but judging from the high degree of artistry in the ornamentation of these edifices I guess that these tombs must have been a grand place at some point in history.

Indeed, I cannot recall seeing such intricate calligraphic carvings on any other monument I have seen in this journey. The beauty of the inlay work is beyond comparison. Not surprising, when you consider that the Paigahs were the premier nobility of Hyderabad and were related to the Nizams by ties of blood and marriage. A number of important nobles and daughters of the Nizams are buried here. All the more reason to feel shocked at the neglect that this place is subjected to. The tombs have been vandalized and semi-precious stones removed from them. It is a sad comment on the way we destroy our cultural heritage.

Even though I paid my entry fee, I couldn’t step into most of the tombs because the beautifully carved wooden door of each individual tomb was padlocked. Fortunately for me, a woman sitting there started talking to me and she convinced the caretaker to open the place up for me. The man grumbled at first, but soon became friendly enough to give me a tour of the place. I had a little difficulty understanding his accent, and I still think that he was pulling my leg with some of the things he told me. He let slip that visitors occasionally tipped him; since he didn’t press the point I left him without a tip, just with my thanks.

Next on my itinerary was the tomb of the Frenchman Michel Joachim Marie Raymond who served as the army general to one of the Nizams. Strangely no one—no one—had even heard of a Raymond’s Tomb. I finally found the place with great difficulty after much wandering around in wrong places (Raymond’s Tomb is situated up a hillock, behind Malakpet TV tower). It’s not all that impressive really, except for the Grecian architecture of the main mausoleum. If the caretaker of this place was telling the truth then the tomb of the general’s wife is dwarfed by the other two tall memorials here—dedicated to his horse and his dog!

In the evening I found myself in the shopping area of Abids. I had been keen on having a look at the second-hand book sale that, I’ve been told, takes place on Abids Road every Sunday, where one can purchase books at throw-away prices. But because I had spent so much time in the Old City on Sunday I had missed it. But I didn’t mope around for my friends directed me to a wonderful second-hand bookstore called Best Books. This shop is an amazing place. It has a very large collection of all sorts of books on every subject. It’s a great place for literature students: I landed up there twice during my stay and bought 18 books in all, spending nearly my entire budget here! A visit to Best Books is highly recommended.

The Next Few Days

Secunderabad too had some interesting places to offer. The beautiful granite edifice of the very impressive Osmania Arts College building displays a blend of architectural styles and made me regret again that I wasn’t carrying a camera. Osmania University was the first modern university in the country where the medium of instruction was an Indian language (Urdu). Moula Ali Dargah and Fatema Zaara Dargah are located high up on twin granite hillocks. The beautiful view and the even more beautiful natural rock formations make it worth the climb.

I visited Osman Sagar Lake (further west of Golconda) as well, but other than the beautiful view, the cool breeze, and the amusing warning signs about crocodiles, the place didn’t have much to offer. It is mainly a picnic spot for Hyderabadis, nothing more. If you wish to visit the place ask for Gandipet, for that is how it is popularly known.

The beautiful Spanish Mosque in Begumpet caught my attention, but I wasn’t able to enter. The mosque, with its unusual European architecture, is supposed to be the only one of its kind in India. I believe the mosque is built by Sir Vikhar-ul-Umra, the same Paigah noble who built the very European-style Falaknama Palace. Incidentally, his tomb (among the Paigah Tombs mentioned before) is a very simple one.

Last Words…

Even though I don’t speak Telegu, I got along comfortably well because pretty much everyone understands and speaks Hindi or English (although there were a couple of instances when the person I was talking to spoke Hindi with such a pronounced accent that I couldn’t make a head or tail of what he was trying to say in spite of making him repeat himself two-three times).

The city has a good bus service which is quite inexpensive. The Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station in Hyderabad is one of the largest in Asia. The buses are usually quite crowded, but the people haven’t yet learned how to stand in a bus so as to utilize the space to the maximum. Commuters on a bus in Hyderabad will stand facing the direction of the bus (instead of facing the windows) thus using up more space per person. Weird.

The auto-rickshaws are the equivalents of taxis. Most of the auto-rickshaw drivers are crooked. They refuse to return extra change and will overcharge you if they realize that you are not a local. Always insist on paying by the meter before getting in.

Hyderabad has a large number of two-wheelers. Hardly anyone wears a helmet and the cops don’t bother to enforce it (in fact the cops don’t seem to try and enforce any traffic rule). If the biker is wearing a helmet then the pillion rider is not. All motorists drive recklessly without any consideration for others. On many occasions I have seen vehicles jump the red light. Zebra crossings are mere decorations for there are no traffic lights to guide a pedestrian. In fact you are free to cross the road wherever and whenever you want: just pray and sprint across.

[If you are planning a trip to Hyderabad and would like more information on these places that I have mentioned, or if you want directions to and from these places, feel free to leave a question in the comments section of this post. Before you visit these places do check the closing time. Most of these museums and mausoleums close their gates by 5pm. Further, many monuments and places of interest in Hyderabad remain shut not only on public holidays but also on Fridays.]