The ancient 'City of Pearls and Diamonds' has now turned into a metropolis. Founded by the Qutub Shahi Dynasty, this city has a blend of history and modernity. There are various places to visit in the capital of Telangana, Hyderabad.
Hyderabad city tour takes you around some important historical sites like Charminar, Qutub Shahi tombs and amusement parks like Ramoji Film City, etc.
Let us explore this beautiful city!
Falaknuma Palace
Falak-numa in Urdu language means 'the mirror of the sky'. True to its name Falaknuma Palace is a beauty. It was built by Nawab Vikram-Ul-Umra who was interested in travel, design and architecture.
An English Architect, Sir Vicar designed the palace according to Nawab's expectations. It has a blend of Italian and Tudor architecture. Now, it serves as a luxury hotel managed by Taj Group.
Photo Courtesy: Joe Lachoff
Charminar
Charminar is one of the major destinations in the Hyderabad city tour.This monument was built in the heart of the city to mark the eradication of plague which infested the place. The monument of "Four Tours" is the icon of Hyderabad.
Photo Courtesy: Shatrughan
Golconda Fort
Golconda Fort was the architecture of Kakatiya Dynasty but its major expansion took place during the rule of Qutb Shahi Dynasty.
Mainly, Golconda is known for fantastic acoustics in the building!
Photo Courtesy: Sanyam Bahga
Ramoji Film City
Ramoji Film City is a large film studio complex and an amusement park. It is one of the popular places to enjoy in Hyderabad.
Ramoji Film City has won the Guinness World Records for the world's largest film studio complex.
Photo Courtesy: Shillika
Chilkur Balaji Temple
Chilkur Balaji Temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara. This temple has gained popularity for another reason! People who are struggling for visa grants can seek the blessings here and they instantly get visa.Hence, its also called a 'Visa Balaji Temple'.
The temple is 28km from Hyderabad.
Photo Courtesy: Adityamadhav83
Hussain Sagar Lake
Hussain Sagar Lake is one of the major tourist places in Hyderabad. It was created by Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shahi in 1562.
Several attractions like Birla Mandir, Lumbini Gardens, etc. are situated near to Hussain Sagar Lake.
Photo Courtesy: Nikkul
Buddha Statue
Buddha Statue is located in Hussain Sagar Lake. It is the world's largest monolithic statue of Buddha.
It was the idea of N.T.Rama Rao to bring many statues relating to the history of Hyderabad. Gautama Buddha's statue was installed in 1992 and inaugurated by Dalai Lama.
Photo Courtesy: Alosh Bennett
Qutub Shahi Tombs
Qutub Shahi Tombs is situated in Ibrahim Bagh (garden) near Golconda Fort. The garden contains the tombs of seven rulers of Qutub Shahi Dynasty.
One can see a blend of Persian, Hindu and Pashtun styles of architecture in these tombs. These are one of the architectural heritages of Qutub Shahi Dynasty in the city.
Photo Courtesy: Bernard Gagnon
Nehru Zoological Park
Nehru Zoological Park is also known as Hyderabad Zoo. It is one of the wildlife destinations in Hyderabad.
The zoo has many animals and birds like Bengal tigers, Asiatic lions, Indian elephants, barn owls, slow loris, etc.The park also conducts safaris and it is closed to public on Mondays.
Photo Courtesy: Ramesh NG
Mecca Masjid
Mecca Masjid is one of the historical sites in Old Hyderabad. It is also one of the oldest mosques in the city.
Mecca Masjid is also called as Makkah Masjid is one of the architectures of Qutub Shahi Dynasty.
Photo Courtesy: Sandeep shrivastava102
NTR Gardens
NTR Gardens is a park situated near to Hussain Sagar Lake. It was created in the memory of N.T. Rama Rao , hence it is named after him.
The park also houses a memorial of NTR and other attractions.
Photo Courtesy: Jamie Wilkinson
Birla Mandir
Birla Mandir is similar to the other Birla Mandirs across India. The main deity of this Birla Mandir (temple) is Lord Balaji (Venkateshwara).
It took almost 10 years to build this beautiful architecture. Birla Mandir is situated on a hillock called Naubath Pahad. The temple also houses the sanctums of other Hindu gods like Ganesha, Hanuman, Saraswati, etc.
Photo Courtesy: Karthik Easvur
KBR Park
Kasu Brahmananda Reddy National Park in Jubilee Hills is known for its green cover.
KBR National Park has a number of bird species, plants and small animals like jungle cats, small Indian civet, etc. The forest area is also known for Chiran Palace (once a home of Nizam).
Photo Courtesy: Adityamadhav83
Salar Jung Museum
Salar Jung Museum is the 3rd largest museum in India. The museum contains the antique collections of Nawab Salar Jung III.
Popular art collections of this museum are Raja Ravi Varma's paintings, a wardrobe of Tipu Sultan, Indian sculptures, etc. can be seen here.
Photo Courtesy: S N Barid
Jagannath Temple
Jagannath Temple is a modern replica of Jagannath Temple in Puri. It is built by the Odia community in Hyderabad.
The shikhara (tower) of this temple is very intricate and attractive. It also resembles the sculptural designs of the original Puri temple.
Photo Courtesy: Veera.sj