Hyderabad India. Hyderabad tourist - Attic with disgrace - LiveJournal. Ours among strangers, strangers among ours

It so happened that in a small, relatively secluded town in the Himalayas, the town of Revalsar, we arrived quite late, so late that it was hard for small, sleepy and lazy provincial hotels to bother with our settlement. The innkeepers shrugged their shoulders, shook their heads and waving their hands somewhere in the direction of the night, slamming the doors in front of our noses. But we were willingly, though not free of charge, accepted into a guest house on the territory of a Tibetan Buddhist monastery on the shore of the lake.

As is often the case for Tibetan places, a Hindu was engaged in our meeting and accommodation, since it is not appropriate for Tibetan monks to deal with money and worldly issues. In addition, the monastery had been immersed in the darkness for several hours, and the monks should have slept so that early tomorrow morning they had to go to meditation with a cheerful and full of piety face. The Indian who gave us the keys to the hotel room told us about this and other sorrows of the world, and in order to somehow console himself, he insistently recommended that we attend this event at seven in the morning.

The main topics below are: buses and trains, airline tickets and visas, health and hygiene, safety, itinerary, hotels, food, budget requirements. The relevance of this text is spring 2017.

Hotels

“Where will I live there?” - for some reason this question is very strong, just terribly annoying for those who have not traveled to India yet. There is no such problem. There are a dozen of hotels there. The main thing is to choose. Further we are talking about inexpensive, budget hotels.

In my experience, there are three main ways to find a hotel.

Spiral

Usually you will arrive in the new city by bus or train. So around them there is almost always a great mass of hotels. Therefore, it is enough to move a little away from the place of arrival and start walking in a circle with an increasing radius to come across many hotels. Lettering "Hotel" in a large area of ​​India, it marks a place where you can eat, so the main landmarks are signs "Guest house" and Lounge.

In the zones of mass idleness (Goa, the resorts of Kerala, the Himalayas), the private sector is developed, well, like we have on the Black Sea coast. There you can ask the local population about housing and be guided by the signs " Rent". In Buddhist places one can live in monasteries, in Hindu ones in ashrams.

The further you move from the bus station or railway station, the lower the prices, but hotels are less and less common. So you inspect several hotels that are affordable in terms of price and quality and return to the chosen one.

If you are traveling in a group, then one or two people can be sent light to find a hotel, while the rest are waiting at the station with their belongings.

If the hotel is refused and they say that the hotel is only for Hindus, then insisting on check-in is practically useless.

Ask a taxi driver

For those who have a lot of luggage or just look lazy. Or you want to settle near a landmark, for example, the Taj Mahal, and not at the station. Also in large cities there are places of traditional gathering of tourists: in Delhi it is Main Bazaar, in Calcutta it is Sader Street, in Bombay it is also called something, but I forgot, that is, in any case, you have to go there.

In this case, find a rickshaw or taxi driver and set the task of where you want to live, in what conditions and for what about the money. In this case, you can sometimes be taken to the desired hotel for free, even shown several places to choose from. It is clear that the price immediately rises, bargaining is pointless, since the price already includes the taxi driver's commission. But sometimes, when you are lazy or in the middle of the night, using this method is very convenient.

Book online

This is for those who like certainty and guarantees, more comfort and less adventure.

Well, if you book in advance, then book hotels of better quality and not too cheap (at least $ 30-40 per room), because otherwise there is no guarantee that in reality everything will be as beautiful as in the photographs. They also complained to me that sometimes they came to the booked hotel, and the rooms, despite the reservation, were already occupied. The owners of the hotel were not embarrassed, they said that a client had come with money, and the client with cash did not have enough willpower to refuse. The money was returned, of course, but it's still a shame.

Finding, checking in and staying in inexpensive Indian hotels can be an adventure in itself, a source of fun and sometimes not so fun memories. But then there will be something to tell at home.

Settlement technology

• Free yourself from the presence of "Hindu helpers" and barkers, their presence automatically increases the cost of settling.
• You go to a hotel that seems worthy of you and ask how much it costs and decide whether it is worth living there, at the same time you manage to appreciate the interior and helpfulness.
• Be sure to ask to show the room before check-in, show your discontent and indignation with all your appearance, ask to show another room, most likely it will be better. This can be done several times, achieving all the best conditions for placement.

Those who are interested in the energy of Osho and Buddha, meditation and India, we invite you all to travel to the places where the greatest mystic of the 20th century Osho was born, lived the first years of his life and found enlightenment! In one trip we will combine the exoticism of India, meditation, and absorb the energy of Osho places!
Also, the tour plan includes a visit to Varanasi, Bodhgaya and possibly Khajuraho (upon availability of tickets)

Key travel destinations

Kuchwada

A small village in central India where Osho was born and lived for the first seven years, surrounded and caring by his loving grandparents. There is still a house in Kuchwad, which has remained exactly the same as it was during Osho's lifetime. Also next to the house there is a pond, on the banks of which Osho liked to sit for hours and watch the endless movement of reeds in the wind, funny games and flights of herons over the smooth surface of the water. You can visit Osho's house, spend time on the shore of the pond, stroll through the village, and soak up the serene spirit of rural India, which undoubtedly had an initial influence on the formation of Osho.

In Kuchwada there is a fairly large and comfortable ashram under the patronage of sannyasins from Japan, where we will live and meditate.

A short video "emotional experience" of visiting Kuchwada and Osho's house.

Gadarwara

At the age of 7, Osho moved with his grandmother to live with his parents in the small town of Gadarvara, where he spent his school years. By the way, the school class where Osho studied still exists, and there is even a desk at which Osho was sitting. You can enter this class, sit at the desk, where our beloved master spent so much time in childhood. Unfortunately, getting into this class is a matter of chance and luck, depending on which teacher conducts classes in the class. But in any case, you can walk along the streets of Gadarvara, visit the primary and secondary school, the house where Osho lived, the beloved river Osho ...

And most importantly, on the outskirts of the city there is a quiet, small and cozy ashram, where there is a place where, at the age of 14, Osho experienced a deep experience of death.

Video from Osho Ashram in Gadarwar

Jabalpur

In Jabalpur we will live in a quiet and cozy ashram with a magnificent park.

Varanasi

Varanasi is famous for its cremation fires that burn day and night. But there is also a surprisingly pleasant promenade, the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple, boat trips on the Ganges. Near Varanasi there is a small village of Sarnath, famous for the fact that Buddha read his first sermon there, and ordinary deer were the first listeners.

Bodhgaya

Place of Buddha's enlightenment. In the main temple of the city, which is surrounded by a beautiful and vast park, a tree still grows in the shade of which Buddha found enlightenment.

In addition, in Bodhgaya there are many different Buddhist temples erected by followers of the Buddha from many countries: China, Japan, Tibet, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma ... Each temple has its own unique architecture, decoration, ceremonies.

Kajuraho

Khajuraho itself is not directly related to Osho, except that Osho often mentioned tantric temples Khajuraho, and his grandmother was directly related to Khajuraho.

It is necessary, but it is very easy to give it. To obtain a tourist visa to India, you do not need anything at all, except for a valid passport, plane tickets and hotel reservation. The visa center near the Sukharevskaya metro station is small, there are not many people there, the employees are sincere. The visa is made for several days.

We needed a visa to attend a conference - for Indians this is a separate type of visa (people travel to Europe for conferences on a regular tourist visa). Therefore, everything was a little more complicated with us, and not without the ubiquitous Indian flavor.

To obtain a visa for a conference, among other documents, the consulate demanded from the organizing committee some kind of paper - something like permission to hold a conference. At first we tried to shake this paper out of the organizing committee ourselves, but after a week of communication by e-mail and an international phone, we delegated this difficult task to the consulate staff. So that they themselves explain to their compatriots what they want from them. The process dragged on. The rest of the documents were collected long ago, we were sitting on pins and needles. We even got our own consular officer, who could call his mobile phone and ask how things were going. Less than a week was left before departure.

Finally, two days before departure, the consulate and the organizing committee found a common language. We submitted documents, and the day before departure we received ready-made visas. We have delegated a representative from our company to the consulate. There, at first, they tried to be indignant that visas were issued from five to six and that he was doing this here at lunchtime. But a Hindu who was running by recognized him - oh, it’s you! - and gave him our passports. It's that simple - no document, no power of attorney, no receipt, no one.

A mess on the one hand, humanity on the other. I'm trying to imagine this in the Schengen area - and I can't.


How to get there

The easiest way is by plane. In our case, it was the Emirates airline, a flight from Moscow to Hyderabad with a transfer in Dubai. Fly from Moscow to Dubai 5 hours, from Dubai to Hyderabad 3.5 hours. The change was 9 hours on the way there and 5.5 hours on the way back.

Dubai Airport is a special experience. First, there is +40. The feeling is as if you are sitting on a bus in winter, and a stove is blowing at your feet. Only this is not a stove, this is all the air. Secondly, it is a melting pot. The center of the world, where the roads of five continents converge. Here you can see representatives of all cultures who have mastered air travel. Hindus in bright clothes. Muslims: women are tightly wrapped in burqas, embroidered with gold, men in white loose robes. Africans and Asians. Dominican nuns of Indian nationality. Europeans are in a miserable minority. It seems that you can live here for about a month - and collect a mountain of culturological material, which you cannot collect even during the years of expeditions.

And I would like to separately express my delight about the Emirates airline. Because I have never met such excellent service in economy class for reasonable money anywhere else. The plane is huge, each passenger is entitled to a pillow, a blanket and a screen with music, films, games and cameras looking out of the plane. Very high quality food and metal appliances. Stewardesses in pleasing uniforms and multilingual speakers from different regions of the world. And somewhere there is not only business class, but also first class. They have a separate entrance, and what they do with people there, I don't know - maybe they offer a bed and a personal masseuse. A real oriental palace of fairy tales.


Where to live there

Accommodation in Hyderabad is for every taste. If you want to feel the local flavor, choose a cheaper hotel or even a hostel. If you want to look at the local flavor from a comfortable room with all conveniences - welcome to a more expensive hotel.

We stayed at a hotel called Justa the Residence. It possessed three stars and some elements of local flavor. The local flavor was expressed in the local cuisine breakfasts and hyper-helpful staff. Breakfast on the first day caused bewilderment of the format “what is it and how is it eaten”; however, we sorted it out almost immediately and then ate it with pleasure. The employees carried our things, opened the door for us and brought the newspaper in the morning. We attributed it all to the residual coloniality of consciousness. The rooms are modest, but everything you need is there. The room includes tea bags, instant coffee and a coffee maker, which is also suggested to be used to boil water. There is a restaurant on the roof of the hotel, which has an indoor and outdoor section. In the closed part of it we had breakfast, and on the open part we went out to stare at the lake and the low-rise buildings of the quarter, sinking in the jungle. Tropical rain and sour rotten smell included.

Open terrace of the restaurant

View from the hotel roof to the lake

View from the roof of the hotel towards the lake

Abstract sculpture in one of the corridors

The conference was held at the five-star Mariott hotel. The lobby and conference hall are luxuriously decorated, not inferior to those in similar hotels in Europe. I was not in the rooms, but I suppose that everything there is also at its best. The courtyard of the hotel is well maintained, with many outlandish trees and flowers. The territory of the hotel is fenced with barbed wire under current, at the entrance there are barriers and metal detectors. So that no local flavor breaks through.

Sculptural group in the territory of Marriott

And both of these hotels manage to be in a poor neighborhood with pencil cases, goats and cows. So to completely avoid the local flavor, alas, will not work even in Marriott.


What to eat there

All Indian cuisine is divided into two categories: spicy and vegetarian. You quickly get used to spicy foods, because you still want meat. Meat is most often chicken, although other options sometimes come across. The garnish is mainly rice and vegetables. It is customary to eat Indian cuisine with your hands, but Europeanized Hindus use appliances, and Europeans are given them too.

At the conference they were fed in such a way that there was no need to eat somewhere else; perhaps this was also done in order to protect the delicate psyche of Europeans. We ate in the city only once. Then we came across a very nice restaurant with Chinese cuisine. The portions in the restaurant were large; an Indian employee was very surprised at the volume of tea ordered and, in particular, the volume of tea ordered (only a teapot per brother). However, we did it. I think that in the city center you can find restaurants for every taste and budget.

Before you eat street food in India, it is worth thinking ten times, - they write in all guidebooks for Europeans. We tried to drink sugarcane juice once, and we got nothing for it. It seems to me that it is most correct to focus on inner flair and common sense.


What is there to look at

India is a large country, and interesting places are smeared over it in a thin even layer. In Hyderabad, there are three main attractions where we were taken: Charminar, Golconda and the complex of tombs of the Qutb Shahi sultans. Char-Minar and the complex of tombs are monuments of Muslim architecture of the 16th-17th centuries. They are not at all well-groomed, but their former beauty shows through from under the dirt and smudges. If someone restored them, there would be candy. Golconda makes a very different impression: the picturesque castle ruins on a green hill. The stone carvings there are amazing.

But the main thing to see in India is not even the sights. This is a way of life that is completely different from what we are used to. This is a completely different culture and a completely different view of the world. In India, looking around, you understand a lot about how different our world is and how much people's lives can differ from what we see in Europe.


How to move in space

Transport across the country is airplanes and trains. There are several options for moving around the city.

First of all, they try to shove all foreigners into a taxi and move them exclusively in it. In addition to the standard option for us, when a taxi simply takes you from point A to point B (the Indians call it a drop-off), there are so-called packages for foreigners. You can choose a package for 1, 3, 6 hours and a different amount of time. And all this time the taxi will take you for a ride: take you where you need to, wait and then take you to the next point. Tourists use this for shopping and sightseeing. Taxi is comfortable and inexpensive by our standards: drop-off is about 100-200 rubles, packages are proportionally more expensive. But this is completely uninteresting.

Much more interesting than rickshaws. They can be caught out of the flow of Indian life and persuaded to take you to the right place for a convenient price. Their tarantays are equipped with counters, but tourists are categorically not recommended to ride on the counter: cunning natives will take you to the next block through half the city, just to wind it up harder. Better to negotiate a price with the rickshaw beforehand. Agreeing on the first offered price is also not advised: it is guaranteed to be three times higher than the real cost of the trip. Before you go, you need to bargain with the rickshaw and drop the price. Bargaining should be done actively using sign language, since rickshaws usually do not do well with English. We enjoyed ourselves quite successfully with this.

There are also buses in Hyderabad, but we avoided these crowded monsters. Walking and rickshaw is still funnier.


Where to shop

For shopping in Hyderabad, there is a special quarter called Basheer Bagh. There is a great variety of shops; we have mastered one of them - Woman's World, a store of national women's clothing.

Buying national clothes in India is a separate art. In the store, the first two floors were completely filled with saris. On the third floor, other clothes were sold: dresses, shirts, tunics and pants. A special tailor can fit the clothes to the figure right in the store, within a couple of hours. Some dresses have separate sleeves. You can ask to sew them on, or you can leave them as they are.

The clothes are budget-friendly and at the same time bright and unusual - just as I like. The quality, however, is not super-duper - but for that kind of money it is almost not at all insulting. It is more offensive that this beauty is short-lived.

Pearls are considered the main Hyderabad souvenir. But we didn’t buy it - somehow we didn’t get our hands on it.


Unsanitary conditions: our experience

Indian unsanitary conditions are one of the favorite horror stories for tourists. Travel sites write about it and relatives tell about it, advising, following the example of a diplomat's great-uncle, to take potassium permanganate with you - to wash the fruit.

You won't find potassium permanganate in our time in the daytime with fire, but I wanted to somehow protect myself from the Indian unsanitary conditions. In addition to the standard traveler's first aid kit, we packed with us a variety of medicines for gastrointestinal disorders, antiseptic wet wipes and a hand rub with alcohol.

Fortunately, almost none of this was useful to us. It turned out that in India, in order not to find adventures for your health, it is enough to follow the usual rules of hygiene. We washed our hands with soap and water before eating, and during the day we occasionally wiped them with napkins or detergent. We used boiled water to clean our teeth. They drank bottled water, which was handed out at the conference to everyone. The bottles were small, 200 ml, and absolutely charming, for which they were christened bottles. Fruit was always washed with soap before eating.

Particularly impressionable should be wary of psychosomatics, multiplied by the surrounding aromas. On the first day, having tasted local food, we ate activated charcoal - more out of fright than according to indications. Then they stopped being afraid, and there was no need to eat activated carbon either.

Even in India, it is not advised to swim in fresh water. There is a rishta worm, which crawls under the skin of a person, and it turns out badly.

As you stay in India, there is a gradual weakening of vigilance with regard to gastrointestinal matters - apparently, in parallel with the adaptation of the body to local conditions. Europeans who have lived in India for a long time write that they stopped being afraid to take tap water by the middle of the first month. This moment came to me in the evening before leaving: I was thinking when I was brushing my teeth. And nothing terrible happened to me. It's like eating here: gut and common sense are our best friends.

Basic moments

Hyderabad was founded in 1591 when Mohammed Quli of the Qutb Shahi dynasty decided to move the capital here from nearby Golconda. In 1687, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb overthrew the Qutb dynasty and appointed a governor, whose heirs, who held the title of Nizam, ruled Hyderabad until 1949.

He looks like an elderly princess, gorgeously dressed, whose time has passed. Today the spirit of the centuries is still alive in the Old City with its old Islamic monuments and even older charm. In reality, the whole city is a scattering of architectural diamonds: decorated graves, mosques, palaces and houses from the past have hidden, lurked and fascinate passers-by in every corner of the city. Look around carefully.

In recent decades, with the rise of western Hyderabad - the sexy and popular granddaughter of our elderly princess - a new style has emerged. Cyberabad, along with Bengaluru (Bangalore) and Pune, home to some of India's most powerful software development dynasties, generating jobs, wealth and luxury vacation spots.

The main attraction of the city is the famous Charminar (Charminar) ("four minarets") dating from 1591. It is a majestic square vaulted passage supported by four 56-meter towers.

Nearby is one of the largest mosques in India, Mecca Masjid (Mass Masjid) built of black granite. According to legend, the red bricks of the central aisle are made of clay brought from Mecca. Charminar is surrounded by bazaars - narrow cobblestone streets lined with rows of shops selling spices, tobacco, grain, essential oils and other goods that are characteristic only of Hyderabad. There is also a pearl market.

It seems that wealth is in the genes of this city.

Story

Hyderabad owes its existence to the lack of water in Golconda in the late 16th century. The Kuto Shahi who ruled at that time were forced to move, and therefore Muhammad Kuli (Mohammed Quli) and the entire ruling family left the Golconda fortress and headed for the banks of the Musi River. A new city was founded, with a brand new Charminar in the center.

In 1687, the city passed to the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and all subsequent rulers of Hyderabad were appointed by the Mughal administration in Delhi.

In 1724, the governor of Hyderabad, Asaf Jah (Asaf Jah) took advantage of the weakening of the Mughal empire, and proclaimed Hyderabad an independent state, and himself - its head. Thus began the Nizam dynasty of Hyderabad, and with it the flourishing of Islamic traditions. Hyderabad has become the center of arts, culture, science and Islamic India. And the abundance of rare diamonds and minerals in it - the world famous Kohinoor diamond comes from there - gave the Nizams enormous wealth. (William Dalrymple's White Mughals summarizes the city at the time.)

When independence came in 1947, the then nizam, Osman Ali Khan (Osman Ali Khan), preferred unification with Pakistan - and then achieved sovereignty. Tensions grew between Muslims and Hindus, and as a result of military intervention, Hyderabad joined the Indian Union in 1948.

Golconda fortress

Indians / foreigners 5/100 rupees;
9.00-17.00

Despite the fact that almost the entire fortress was built during the reign of Qutb Shah in the 16th century, its origins, as a defensive structure, go back to the early years of the Yadava and Kakatiya dynasties.

The citadel is built on a 120 m high granite hill and is surrounded by jagged ramparts built of large stone blocks. Massive porches were equipped with iron spikes to stop the war elephants. Outside the fortress there is another rampart, the perimeter of which is 11 km, and another wall behind it. In Naya Kila (Naya Quila; new fort) which is on the edge of the golf course, you will find a magnificent 400 year old baobab tree (Khathiyan - "elephant tree") with a circumference of 25 m, which is said to have been grown from grain brought by African troops from Abyssinia (Abyssiania)... While exploring the crumbling ramparts in the area, you will find cannons scattered throughout the area. (some with nice lettering) and excellent views of the fortress and burial grounds.

Survival in the fortress also depended on water and hearing. A series of hidden grinded clay pipes ensured a reliable water supply, while the Grand Portico's ingenious diamond-shaped floor design creates a speaker system that carries even the smallest echo through the entire fortress to its highest point - used as a security system. The guides can showcase the same impressive acoustics in the royal palace, which were designed specifically to catch the conspirators: whispers in one corner can be heard perfectly through the walls in the opposite.

Erudite guides (1.5-hour guided tour 600 rupees) can be ordered from the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Office. There are also small guides to the fortress.

If you want peace and quiet, take a walk there in the morning. Autoshaw from Abids (Abids) costs about 150 rupees. You can get there in an hour by bus - from Nampalli on route 119 or from Charminar on route 66G.

It also hosts a cool sound and light show. (entrance 50 rupees; in English 18.30 from November to February, 19.00 from March to October).

Laad Bazar

If you are looking to get lost in Hyderabad, then the crowded Laad Bazaar, located in the west of Charminar, is a great place to do so. You can find literally everything on it, from great perfumes, clothes and jewelry to used sarees and kitchen utensils. The artisans here are adept at creating jewels and scented oils, large pots and chadors. The lanes in the Charminar area are also India's hub for the pearl trade. If you are good at this, a very cheap item can be found here.

Salar Jung Museum

www.salarjungmuseum.in; Salar Jung Marg; Indians / foreigners 10/150 rupees;
10.00-17.00 Saturday-Thursday

A huge and varied collection, some of which are dated to the 1st century. AD, brought together Mir Yuzaf Ali Khan (Salar Jung III) and the grand vizier of the seventh nizam Osman Ali Khan (ruled 1910-1949)... 35,000 exhibits from all over the world, including sculptures, wood carvings, ivory products (including the sad and ironic set of elephants), religious paraphernalia, Persian art miniatures, illuminated manuscripts, weapons, toys and over 50,000 books. You can also occasionally see a stunning collection of Nizam jewelry. Photo and video filming is prohibited. Avoid Sunday when chaos reigns supreme. From any bus station in the Abids area, take the bus on route 7, which stops at the Afzal Ghunj stop (Afzal Gunj), which is located to the north of the nearest bridge over the Musi River.

To the west of the bridge is the beautiful Osmania public hospital (Osmania General Hospital), on the north and south side - the court (High Court) and City College (Government City College), all buildings were built during the 7th Nizam in the Indo-Saracen style.

Chowmahall Palace

www.chowmahalla.com;
Indians / foreigners 30/150 rupees,
photo and video filming of 50 rupees;
10.00-17.00 Sat-Thu

The Nizam family sponsored the restoration of this dazzling palace - or, technically speaking, four (char; char) palaces (mahalla; mahalla)... Started in 1750, it continued for the next hundred years, incorporating Persian, Indo-Saracenic, Rajasthani, and European styles.

The mahal is located in the southern courtyard (Castle) whose rooms have been restored with the best furniture of the Nizams; another mahal gives a glimpse of life in zenana (zenana; feminine); also in the southern part you will find antique cars and various interesting things, such as elephant saddles and the Remington typewriter, which printed in Urdu.

In the northern courtyard is Hilwat Mubarak, a magnificent reception hall that hosts exhibitions of photographs, weapons and clothing.

Museum of His Highness Nizam

adult / student 70/15 rupees;
10.00-17.00 Saturday-Thursday

In the 16th century, Purani Haveli was the home of the sixth nizam, Fath Jang Mah-bub Ali Khan (rules 1869-1911), who is rumored to have never worn the same thing twice. Confirming these rumors is his 72-meter, 2-story Burmese teak wardrobe, which will be the first room you enter. In the premises of the former servants of the palace are the personal belongings of the seventh Nizam, Osman Ali Khan (1886-1967) , gifts from his "Silver Jubilee" - luxurious exhibits, including a collection of silver mailboxes in the art deco style.

The remainder of Purani Haveli is now home to a school, but you can wander around and see the administrative buildings that were formerly the seat of the Nizam.

Centenary Museum of the Nehru Tribes

Masab Tank (Masab Tank);
Indian / foreigner 10/100 rupees;
10.30-17.00 Mon-Sat

The 33 tribal groups, mainly in northeastern Andhra Pradesh, number several million. The recently refurbished museum, which is maintained and managed by the government's Department of Tribal Welfare, features exhibitions of photographs, dioramas of rural life, musical instruments and several exquisite Naikpod masks. You will get an elementary understanding of the culture of the peoples of this region. There is also an excellent library with 13,500 books on Indian tribal groups. Nearby, in Girijan, you can buy products from the tribal communities.

Paygach Tombs

Fisalbanda, Santoshnagar;
10.00-17.00 Saturday-Thursday

Members of the aristocratic Paigah family, presumably the descendants of the second Islamic caliph and ardent supporters of the Nizams, were in their public service, were philanthropists and generals both under their leadership and side by side with them. The Paigakh necropolis, quietly located four kilometers southeast of Charminar, is a small group of exquisite mausoleums, built of marble imported from Agra and covered with lime plaster. The main complex contains 27 intricately inlaid tombs surrounded by exquisitely finished walls and awnings, stunning filigree windows with geometric patterns, and all these tall graceful turrets topped. The tombs overlook a small alley near Owasi Hospital (Owasi)... Look for the Preston Junior College sign. Information booklet "Tombs of the Paygakhs" (20 rupees) sold at the Andhra Pradesh State Museum, but not here.

Buddha statue and Hussein Sagar

Hyderabad has one of the largest free-standing stone, which was completed after five years of work in 1990. However, when the monolith, 17.5 meters high and weighing 350 tons, was ferried to its permanent place, the barge sank. Fortunately, in 1992 the old one was removed from the bottom safe and sound, and now it stands on a pedestal in the middle of the lake. A particularly magnificent view appears at nightfall.

Boats often go to the statue (adult / child 50/25 rupees), and within half an hour you can go back and forth like with Eat (14.00-20.40) and from Lumbini Park (entrance 10 rupees; 9.00-21.00)... There you can enjoy the sunset and the famous musical fountain. A walk down Tankbud Road (Tankbund Rd) on the east bank, Hussein Sagar promises magnificent views of the Buddha statue.

Andhra Pradesh State Museum

Public Gardens Road, Nampally;
entrance 10 rupees; photo / video filming of 500 rupees;
10.30-17.00 Saturday-Thursday.

The continuously renovated State Museum houses a rather dusty collection of important archaeological finds from the region, as well as an exhibition of Andhra's Buddhist history. There are also galleries dedicated to Jainism and bronze sculptures, a decorative arts gallery and a 4,500-year-old Egyptian mummy. The museum, as well as the magnificent Legal Assembly building down the road (both appeared during the reign of the seventh nizam) illuminated at night.

Birla Mandir and the Planetarium

working hours 7.00-12.00 and 14.00-21.00

Birla Mandir built in 1976 from white Rajasthani marble carved from Calabahad (Black Mountain), one of two rocky mountains on the shores of Lake Hussein Sagar. Dedicated to Venkateswara, the temple is a popular Hindu pilgrimage center with excellent views of the city, especially at sunset. Library (16.00-20.00) at the temple is worth attention.

Nearby is the Birla Planetarium and Science Museum (museum / planetarium 20/35 rupees, 10.30-20.00, until 15.00 Friday, shows at the planetarium 11.30.16.00 and 18.00) and a curious gallery of contemporary art (entrance 10 rupees, 10.30-18.00).

Kitchabad

In the mixture of Hyderabad world sights, some get out of the picture and give an opportunity to take a breath from the contemplation of "decent and correct" places.

Film City Ramoji

www.ramojifilmcity.com;
adult / child 500/450 rupees;
9.30-17.30

Home of India's resurgent film industry, also known as Tollywood (Tollywood) is the Film City of Ramoji, which, no doubt, should be the first point of travel through the "non-spiritual" Hyderabad. It is the world's largest film studio complex, with an area of ​​over 670 hectares. It produces films in various oriental languages ​​- Telutu, Tamil, Hindi and so on. And while you won't get the chance to directly watch the filming, the 4-hour tour of rickety sets and beautiful fountains, while stopping to watch dance performances and stunt stunts. The film studio is located on the outskirts of the city, 20 km from Abids, and you can get there by taking a bus 205 or 206 near Koti Women 's College. It will take you about an hour to get there.

Health Museum

Public Garden Road (Public Gardens Rd), Nampally (Nampally);
free entrance;
10.30-17.00 Saturday-Thursday

It houses a whimsical collection of medical and sanitary supplies, as if immersing you in a 1950s classroom atmosphere. Also here you can see a frightening exhibit - a giant model of a pubic louse.

Snow world

Lower Tankbund;
entrance 300 rupees;
11.00-20.00

The Snow World is a beautiful and, importantly, the coldest place in the city that will allow you to hide from the heat. You suddenly find yourself in warm waterproof clothing among people throwing snowballs, sledding and playing snow volleyball. It snows every hour to the cheers. There is also a snow disco and a light show in the park.

Suddhi Car Museum

www.sudhacars.net;
Bahadurpura (Bahadurpura);
Indian / foreigner 30/150 rupees;
9.30-18.30

The museum presents the ingenious work of Sudhakar. Here you will find working cars in the shape of a toilet, computer, cricket bats, hamburger, condom and other eccentric shapes. He also owns a world achievement, attested in the Guinness Book of Records - the largest tricycle, whose height is 12.8 m.You can also look into the workshop and see what the master is working on now. (at the time of writing, it was a "auto" in the shape of a stiletto heel)... The museum is located east of the Nehru Zoo (Nehru Zoologicai Park).

NTR Park (NTR Park)

child / adult 10/20 rupees;
14.30-20.30

In this park, everything is done to make it pleasant to walk around - beautiful gardens, attractions, games. And if you're in the mood for a cake, you can do so in a restaurant with a whimsical design that resembles a giant fruit bowl.

Amurutha castle

www.bestwesternamruthacastle.com;
Saifabad (Saifabad);
day from 4800 rupees

Ever dreamed of staying at a Bavarian castle while in Hyderabad? Maybe not, but if you suddenly decided, then this massive castle-hotel, built on the model of Schloss Neuschwanstein, is at your service. Although this pleasure is not cheap.

Drink and have fun in Hyderabad

There are more and more places for such a rest in Hyderabad, but drinking establishments are limited by curfews and are open until 22.00. Unless otherwise stated, the bars are open until 22.00 (but it is not worth a miracle to go earlier than 21.00). On certain evenings they are allowed inside (500-1000 rupees) only pairs, i.e. a guy needs a girl to get inside. Beer starts from 150 rupees, cocktails from 300 rupees.

Information

Internet

Anand internet (hour 15 rupees; 10.30-21.30) Opposite the railway station Sekun-Darabad.
Net world (Taramandal Complex, Saifabad; hour 15 rupees; 9.30-19.00 Mon-Sat)
Reliance Internet (Himayathnagar; hour 15 rupees 8.00-22.00)
Reliance Web World (MPM Mall, Abids Circle; 4 hours in advance Rs 100; 10.30-21.30 Mon-Sat 12.30-21.00 Sun)

media

Good guidebooks with playbills are Channel 6 (www.channel6magazine.com), "GO Hyderabad" and "City Info". Most colorful - "wow Hyderabad" (www.wowhyderabad.com; Rs 25)... The local newspaper, the Deccan Chronicle, is also good; there are posters in the Hyderabad Chronicle. All newspapers are published in one of the official languages, incl. in English.

Medical services

Apollo Pharmacy;
23431734;
Hyderguda Main Rd; 24 hours a day; Delivery.

Sage Hospital Banjara Hills (30418888; Rd No 1); Nampally (30417777; Mukarramjahi Rd) Reputable hospital with a 24-hour pharmacy.

Money

The best exchange rate is at banks. ATM machines are everywhere. State Bank of India (23231986; HACA Bhavan, Saifabad; 10.30-16.00 Mon-Fri)

mail

Postal office (8.00-20.30 Mon-Sat, 10.00-14.00 Sun) Secunderabad (Rashtrapati Rd); Abids (Abids Circle)

Information for tourists

Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC; 24/7 info 23450444; www.aptdc.in; 7.00-20.30) Bashirbagh (Bashirbagh; 23298456; NSF Shakar Bhavan, opposite the police post); Secunderabad (27893100; Yatri Nivas Hotel, Sardar Patel Rd); Tankbund Rd (65581555; 10.30-17.00) Organize tours.

India Tourism (Government of India; 23261360, 23260770; Netaji Bhavan, Himayathnagar Rd; 9.30-18.00 Mon-Fri, until 12.00 Sat) Very useful for information about Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and other areas.

Transport in Hyderabad

To / from airport

The new airport is great and is 45 minutes by car to the city.

Public buses often depart from the RTS towards Jubilee and Imlibun stations. Travel in great comfort on the AC Aeroexress buses (18004192008; 24/7; Rs 175) that run every half hour to Charminar, Secunderabad, Begumpet, Mehdipatnam and Hightech City.

For a prepaid taxi call, pay at the appropriate counter in the terminal and take the car at RTS.

"Radiotaxi" Meru (44224422) and Easy (43434343) queue at the exit of the arrivals terminal and cost 15 rupees per km, and 18.75 at night. A trip to Abids or Banjara Hills costs no more than 450 rupees. If you are driving to the airport, try calling Yellow Taxi (44004400) .

Autoshaw

The minimum taxi fare is 12 rupees for the first km and 7 rupees for each next km. From 22.00 to 5.00 - 50% extra charge. Unfortunately, new electronic meters do not always work, and drivers do not always use them, so be prepared to bargain.

Bus

Most local buses leave from Kochi Station (23443320; Rani Jhansi Rd) so if you come here there is a chance to find a place. Single travel pass for 1 day (regular / express 40/50 rupees), which can be bought directly on the bus from the conductor, gives the right to unlimited travel throughout the city on the day of purchase. Tiny City Bus Route Guide (10 rupees) can be bought in bookstores in the Kochi area.

Automobile

There are several locations near Hyderabad Railway Station where you can rent a car. Links Travels (9348770007) is a reliable car rental company for both city trips and long distances.

A train

MMTS trains (www.mmts.co.in) convenient, especially for the three main railway stations. There are two main branches: from Hyderabad (Napmally) to Lingampalli (Lingampalli; northeast of the Banjar Hills) consists of 11 stops including LackDicapool (lakdikapul), Hayratabad (Khairatabad), non-cluster road (Necklace Rd), Begumpet (Begumpet) and High-tech City (Hitec City); branch from Falaknuma (Falaknuma; south of Old Town) to Secunderabad passes through Yakutpura (Yakutpura), Dabirpuru (Dabirpura), Malakpet (Malakpet), Kachiguda (Kachiguda) and others. Trains indicate the point of departure and point of arrival: HL is Hyderabad Lingampalli (Hyderabad-Lingampalli), FS Falaknuma Secunderabad (Falaknuma-Secunderabad) etc. Trains are an efficient way of getting around, but they run at intervals of 30-40 minutes. Tickets cost 3 and 10 rupees.

Road to and from Hyderabad

Airplane

Hyderabad has a large and modern International Airport. Rajiv Gandhi (Ra iv Gandhi International Airport; 66546370; www.hyderabad.aero)... It is located 22 km southwest, in the city of Shamshabad (Shamshabad).

You will find the best deals on your own online or through travel agencies. Try Neo Globe Tours & Travels (66751786; Saifabad; 10.00-19.30 Mon-Sat 11.00-14.00 Sun), next to the Nizam Club.

Airlines offices are usually open Monday through Friday from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm, with a 1-hour lunch break, and Saturdays until 1.30 pm.

National airlines offices:

• GoAir (airport 9223222111,1800222111; Rajiv Gandhi international airport)
• Indian airlines (23430334, airport 24255161/2; HACA Bhavan, Saifabad)
• IndiGo (23233590, airport 24255052; Interglobe Air Transport, Chapel Rd) Jet airways (39893333, airport 39893322; Hill Fort Rd; 9.00-19.00 Mon-Sat) Also booking tickets for the JetLite company.
• JetLite (30302020; Rajiv Gandhi International Airport)
• Kingfisher airlines (40328400, Airport 66605603; Balayogi Paryatak Bhavan, Begumpet) Spicejet (18001803333; Rajiv Gandhi International Airport)

International airlines:

• Air India (1800227722, Airport 66605163; HACA Bhavan, Saifabad)
• AirAsia (66666464, airport 66605163; HACA Bhavan, Saifabad)
• Emirates (66234444; Rd No 1, Banjara Hills)
• GSA Transworld Travels (3298495; Chapel Rd) For Qantas.
• Lufthansa (4888888; Rajiv Gandhi International Airport)
• Sri Lankan Airlines (23372429/30; Raj Bhavan Rd, Somaji-guda) Opposite Yasoda Hospital (Yashoda Hospital).
• Qatar Airways (1244566000, Airport 66605121; Rd No 1, Banjara Hills)
• Thai airways (23333030; Rd No 1, Banjara Hills)

Bus

The Hyderabad intercity bus station is very efficient. At the bus station. Mahatma Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi bus station; 24614406), better known as Imbulun (Imlibun), there is a ticket office for pre-booking tickets (23434269; 8.00-22.00) ... To Karnataka (Karnataka) take the KSRTC buses (24656430) ... For departure times and prices visit www.apsrtc.co.in.

From Jubilee Bus Station (Jubilee bus station; 27802203) Volvo buses leave from Secunderabad with the following directions: Bengaluru (Rs 801, 11 hours, 6 per day), Chennai (844 rupees, 12 hours, daily) and Visakhapatnam (Visakhapatnam; 701 rupees, 13 hours, daily).

Private bus companies (with air-conditioned buses) are in Nampally on the High Road (High Rd), near the entrance to the train station.

A train

Secunderabad, Hyderabad - also known as Nampally - and Kacheguda are the three main train stations. Most of the passing trains stop at Secunderabad and Kachegud, from where it is convenient to travel to Abids. Tickets can be booked at Hyderabad and Secunderabad Train Stations from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Monday through Saturday (until 14.00 on Sunday)... Both stations have tourist information desks. General information 139; questions related to booking 135.

We will tell you about a large Indian metropolis, its everyday life and the most important historical moments. Read before you travel.

Where is

It seems that life here has not changed for many years. A tourist who visited these places 10 or even 20 years ago is unlikely to notice any changes. The same signs of shops and shops selling metal products in one place, in another - fabrics, clothes, bedspreads, which almost do not change over the years in their cut and pattern. The same merchants in pots and bracelets.

Everyday picture

Bicycle and auto rickshaws, overtaking each other and turning dangerously in front of cars, roll their strollers with passengers or empty.

A tired rickshaw drove his carriage into the shade by the sidewalk, curled up in a wagon, throwing his legs on the steering wheel, and sweetly, but heavily, sleeps in an uncomfortable position, in an uncomfortable bed.

A policeman is riding a motorcycle down the street, dressed in full uniform: with a red and purple turban on his head and thick khaki leggings on his legs and ... barefoot. The women are coming. Some, covering their face with a veil or throwing it over their heads, most often in black, are Muslim women. Others in bright or faded saris are Hindu. Clothes, hairstyle, the whole appearance of men in a dense motley crowd betray their belonging to a certain religion: Hinduism, Islam and, less often, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism. Even a quick glance at the crowd reveals the inviolability of the inert grandfather's foundations.

History page

New buildings have sprung up on the streets of Hyderabad and the city of Secunderabad that has grown together with it. And away from the main highway, in narrow sleepy lanes stretch for many quarters, as before, peeling, probably never unbleached, high walls of the palaces of Nizam, the local ruler, the very one who until recently was known as the richest man in the world. Gold, precious stones, masterpieces of art that spread the fame of him as the owner of rare treasures throughout the world were obtained during the years of colonial dependence.

When other principalities in India were still fighting against the conquerors, the nizam sided with the colonialists. In gratitude, the invaders allowed the Nizam to take part in the plunder of the Mysore principality that was fighting against them. And later, they did not bypass their loyal servant, who valued his throne and treasures more than anything else in the world.

Having died already during the years of rapid growth of the republic, the lower ranks met independence with armed resistance. He sent his army to fight against the Indians who were gaining freedom, but, convinced of his inability to resist the whole country, he ceased resistance and capitulated to the will of the people.

The government paid him five million rupees of pension annually, and the government of Andhra Pradesh gave him the same amount for the "maintenance of palaces".

Maharajas, rajas, nizams and other rulers of small and large principalities in difficult days for the state, before the proclamation of independence, when the country was at the mercy of a bloody massacre provoked by the colonialists, declared that they did not agree to the inclusion of their possessions in the Indian Union. Thus, they strove to nullify the liberation struggle of the population of the principalities, to dismember the country into small states, in which they would have retained, though pitiful, but their thrones. When the princes saw that all the forces of the national liberation movement were against both the colonialists and against them, they arranged a bargain, still hoping, with the help of foreign masters, to preserve their thrones.

The new government was forced to accept the terms on which the princes agreed to give up the "god-given" rights to the throne. Although about who gave these rights, there is precise evidence. Here is one of them: in 1884 the British colonial authorities published a law that said: "The succession to the throne of native states is considered invalid until it receives the recognition of the British authorities."

The princes were puppets and not at all sovereign monarchs, as they argued, negotiating with independent India. In the past, the colonialists openly admitted that they retained their privileges for the rajas, mired in intrigue and selfishness, only because this allows the British crown to more reliably rule the country, inciting discord and civil strife in it, preventing the unification of anti-colonial forces.

One of the leaders of the National Congress, the recognized leader of the right wing of the party, Sardar Patel, bargained with the princes. Titled persons trusted him more than anyone else. And to some extent he justified their hopes by going to preserve the privileges of princes. But Sardar Patel, negotiating with the princes, complained in his report to the leader of the party, Mahatma Gandhi:

“There seems to be no end to the intrigues of the Nawab Bhopal. Day and night, he is engaged in inciting hatred between the princes, seeking their refusal to enter the Indian Union. The princes are immensely weak. They are full of falsehood, hypocrisy. "

Finally, the princes bargained with Patel. However, for the people, the price was too high. First of all, the princes received the right to an annual personal reward - a pension. Its amount depended mainly on how cleverly the future recipient bargained. But in almost all cases, the numbers turned out to be large.

Nizam of Hyderabad. He was given the highest pension. But he is the owner of countless treasures: in addition to reserves of gold and jewelry, he has vast lands cultivated by his people or leased out. He has all kinds of workshops in which handicraftsmen who are well-known far beyond the borders of India work.

In the city it is easy to see that even now the fate of many residents of the capital Andhra Pradesh depends on the Nizam. Maharajas and Nawabs of Bhopal, Mysore and other principalities retained great wealth.

The luxury, uncounted riches of the palaces inside and their shabby appearance from the outside, as it were, illustrate all the behavior of the last nizams. However, here, too, the irreversibility of the course of history was confirmed. After winning the elections in 1970, the National Congress, which cleared itself (perhaps not completely, but thoroughly) of the followers of Sardar Patel, passed through parliament a decision to deprive the titled persons of privileges and pensions.

Political parties

Various political parties appeared and developed a vigorous activity. Each party has its own electoral symbol, its own flags: the communists have the traditional hammer and sickle, the National Congress, which has the largest number of mandates, has a hand against the background of the flag, and the Bharatiya Janata Party has an ancient lamp with a tongue of flame. There were symbols of a bicycle, an elephant, a peasant hut, an umbrella and others. Why so much attention to symbolism? The fact is that illiterate people, and there are still a lot of them now, will remember the drawing of the symbol, but will not be able to read the name of the candidate.

India created a public sector and began to develop its economy in a planned manner. It created enterprises that laid the foundation for industrialization: metallurgical, heavy engineering, mining equipment, heavy electrical engineering, powerful thermal and hydroelectric power plants and others.

Golconda Fortress is located about 11 kilometers from the pearl city of Hyderabad. The fortress got its name, being the capital of the sultanate of the same name from 1512 to 1687. The word Golconda itself comes from the Telugu word combination Golla-Konda, which means Shepherd's Hill.

Golconda is located on a high granite hill and is surrounded by massive jagged ramparts and ditches. Although the fort now lies in ruins, the complex is quite well preserved: on the outer wall there are semicircular bastions, which are still equipped with cannons. The main gate is studded with thorns, which in the old days kept war elephants from entering the fortress. There are eight gates in the complex. On the territory of the fortified city there are many mosques, temples, halls and more. One of the fortresses once served as a treasury of the state and a state prison.

In 18 mausoleums, decorated with high domes, the rulers of the Quli dynasty Qutb Shakhov are buried. The granite from which the mausoleums are built is so skillfully finished that it is a masterpiece of stone processing.

Golconda in ancient times was a market for diamonds that were mined and processed in the area.

Charminar

The Charminar Mosque is literally translated as “The Mosque of the Four Minarets” or, according to another interpretation, “The Four Towers”.

This listed building is located in the city of Hyderabad, which is part of the administrative center of India, Andhra Pradesh. Erected by the Golkond sultan Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah in memory of the successful end of the devastating plague epidemic.

The building of this mosque has a regular square shape. Each side is exactly 20 meters long, each corner of the building has a rather high minaret. All of these four minarets, extremely exquisitely carved, rise to heavenly heights, more than 48 meters above the base of the mosque. Due to this fact, they visually dominate the surrounding landscape for several kilometers around. In addition to a considerable height, each minaret has four levels, gracefully marked with carved rings along the diameter of the minaret. Each side of the structure opens into the square with giant arches passing through four main passages, which, when they were royal roads. The arches overshadow other features of the building besides the minarets. Installed in 1889, the clocks are still housed in the arches.

The most popular attractions in Hyderabad with descriptions and photos for every taste. Choose the best places to visit famous places in Hyderabad on our website.

home » Goa » Hyderabad India. Hyderabad tourist - Attic with disgrace - LiveJournal. Ours among strangers, strangers among ours