Charminar, fort and more

Charminar and Makkah Mosque

The hotel breakfast, starting at 0700, consisted of the very South Indian thosai and idli, plus accompaniments.

I headed out by auto-rickshaw to the Charminar (literally four minarets) in the centre of town where I caught, by pure chance, not one celebration but two!  The Charminar monument has become the symbol of Hyderabad.

The area was dead with all shops closed, but a quick check on Google indicated that it wasn’t a public holiday nor a festival day.  So, I’m guessing these were private events and the shops in the centre, being Muslim, were having a day off.

I went up to the Charminar briefly before returning down to go to the Makkah (Mecca) Mosque.  I wasn’t allowed in because of my tiny backpack with just a bottle of water but fortunately found a paid cloakroom where I could keep it briefly.

The mosque comprised largely of outdoor prayer area, and the actual building was very shallow.  The name comes some of the red bricks (visible near the top of the façade) made from soil brought over from the Holy Land.

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Qutub Shahi

Going to the Chowmahalla Palace next, I was disappointed to find it closed, being Friday.

With the day still young at around 1030, I summoned an Uber to take me to Qutub Shahi, the necropolis for royal family members from the 16th and 17th centuries.

It was a long ride to the expansive site of forty mausoleums spread over 106 acres.  It was hot and my interest waned after the first couple of mausoleums.  I made my way to most of the large and significant ones, but my interest wasn’t sufficient to note the chronological order and relative significance of them.

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Finishing about an hour later, I needed some sustenance.  With no suitable meal places around, I grabbed a tea with cake and biscuit from a local style café.

Golconda Fort

The Golconda Fort is located nearby, but not close enough to walk in this heat.  I had trouble getting a rickshaw as school had just finished.  One finally stopped for me, but I had to share the front seat with the driver while a schoolgirl sat at the back.

The fort is spread over a large area and a portion high up on a hill.  With the heat, I wasn’t sure if I felt like hard work.  But I put one foot in front of the other, exploring one part after another, and I did make it up to the top.

Although Golconda Fort originated in the 11th century, it rose to prominence in the 16th century. It was reputedly where the Koh-i-Noor and the Hope Diamond were once kept vaulted.

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After a total of about 45 mins, I was ready to for an Uber back to the hotel.  Unfortunately, there was a short wait during which I bought a can of soft drink, but they didn’t have any straws.  I had recently been reminded about the risk of leptospirosis, when it comes to drinking from cans without a straw.

I was happily on my way around 1330 and got back to the hotel around 1400 for a couple of hours rest.

Hussain Sagar area

Around 1615, I got a ride to the Birla Temple.  With a strict dress code, I wasn’t allowed to enter in shorts and furthermore, phones and cameras had to be placed in lockers.

I continued by foot to Lumbini Park by Hussain Sagar (lake).  It is a simple pay-to-enter public park with optional activities such as taking a cruise to the Buddha statue that was located on an island in the lake.

Interestingly, the Buddha statue fell into the water when being transported for installation. It was fished out and installed successfully later in 1992.

The surrounding area also had significant buildings like the State Secretariat and Martyr’s Memorial.

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Charminar by night

I was ready for dinner by then and thought I’d try Hyderabad’s other famous dish, Haleem.  This is a thick porridge of sorts made from meat and various grains.

The Shadab Hotel was the place to go, and I reached there by rickshaw.  Served warm rather than hot, it was savoury and lightly spiced.  Well, even though I love rice porridge, haleem didn’t quite do it for me.  It was good enough to finish but not to try again.

It was a short walk to the Charminar area but the atmosphere by night was completely different.  The streets were buzzing with stalls selling edibles and non-edibles, and the shops were open too.

It was colourful and noisy, and I stayed for a while to enjoy the scene with darkness fully set in, thinking that the buildings would be illuminated further (but they weren’t).

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After the unexpected change in atmosphere in the old centre, I returned to my room for an early night.

People in Hyderabad have been very nice overall (with the exception of a couple of drivers, which is normally the case).  Compared to my numerous trips in the past, there was very little hassle.  Perhaps it is because Hyderabad isn’t a highly touristy place and people don’t see tourists as a prey that they can make money from.