By E Kay
Hyderabad. Not exactly on our bucket list for the moment, but the decision to visit it was definitely a good one. It was meant to be just a pit stop for onward journeys but we did leave a day aside to explore this beautiful city nicknamed the city of pearls.
The first thing we did on reaching this alluring place was making our way to the #Charminar. The landmark of the city of #Hyderabad. The Charminar which literally means four minarets was built in the year 1591 and is located in the #Laad bazaar area. It was extremely crowded as expected but the Charminar lived up to its name as an amazing work of architecture.
And luckily for us, our hotel was situated at just about 500 metres from this site, in the main market area making shopping was also very convenient for a shopaholic like yours truly. A few metres away from the Charminar is the #Makkah Mosque. Another beautiful structure.
After spending some time at these two sites, we went shopping and in the process found the famed perfume market which is a must visit in this city. You will find hundreds of authentic fragrances in this market and will surely be awestruck at the same.
Towards the afternoon we set off for Golconda Fort, a fort constructed by #Kakatiya dynasty in the 13th Century. One of the largest forts of India, it is located about 12 kilometers from the city.
The area around the fort was mined in the past for diamonds and the #Golconda fort is believed to have been the vault for a number of famous diamonds like the #Kohinoor, the #HopeDiamond, the #WhiteRegent and others. Golconda itself was a huge diamond trading centre in the past famous for its Golconda #diamonds. An interesting feature of this fort which we also witnessed was that, at the entrance of the fort is the #FatehDarwaza. There is an elaborately designed dome and it is said that if we clap our hands under this dome, it resounds at the Bala Hisar pavilion, the highest point of the fort, which is situated about a kilometer away from the entrance. This architectural marvel was created so that the royals who resided at the top of the fort could be warned of any impending attack. An amazing acoustic structure indeed.
We then set off for the Hussain Sagar Lake about 14 kilometres from the Golconda Fort. Hussain Sagar is a heart-shaped lake in Hyderabad built by Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah, and named after Hussain Shah Wali, spread across an area of 5.7 square kilometers. This lake connects the two cities of Secundarabad and Hyderabad. Make sure you take a boat ride to the middle of the lake where you will find a 16 metres statue of the Lord Buddha on the "Rock of Gibraltar". We would suggest travelling there after sunset as the area is lit up with lights which gives a surreal look to the lake and it's surroundings. The boats that take you there are at regular intervals and you get them on a first come first serve basis. The return journey however is slightly different. We were asked where we wanted to go back to; the park or to necklace road.
And since necklace road was on our list, we opted to be dropped back at necklace road, where we had our dinner at one of the many outlets lined up along the necklace road. We returned back to the hotel after a well spent day in this beautiful city of pearls, Hyderabad with a mind to return and explore this city further.
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