Charminar: Cultural Hub

Charminar is always on the top of the mind of any tourist visiting Hyderabad. To say that Charminar is a major landmark in the city is to state the obvious, to repeat a cliché. The great monument is a synonym for Hyderabad and the pivot around which the glory and history of the city have developed. To imagine this 400-year-old city without Charminar is to imagine New York without the Statue of Liberty or Moscow without the Kremlin. Built by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah in 1591, shortly after he had shifted his capital from Golkonda to what now is known as Hyderabad, this beautiful colossus in granite, lime, mortar and, some say, pulverised marble, was at one time the heart of the city. This great tribute to aesthetics looks sturdy and solid from a distance but as one moves closer, it emerges as an elegant and romantic edifice proclaiming its architectural eminence in all its detail and dignity. Apart from being the core of the city’s cultural milieu, it has become a brand name.

Charminar is a squarish structure with four towers in the four corners of the square, each of whose sides is 20 metres in length. Every side opens into a plaza through giant arches, which overlook four major thoroughfares and dwarf other features of the building except the minarets. Each arch is 11 metres wide and rises 20 metres to the pinnacle from the plinth. The minarets soar skywards by 24 metres from the roof of Charminar. Each minaret has four storeys, each looking like a delicately carved ring around the minaret. Some Anglophiles call Charminar the Arc de Triomphe of the East. From the ground to the apex, the minarets cover a length of 48.7 metres.

According to Mir Moazzam Husain, a long time official of the UNESCO and a keen student of this historic city, “these minarets may even symbolise the first four khalifs of Islam, but I cannot vouch for this interpretation with any degree of certainty.” At the western end of the roof of Charminar is a beautiful mosque; the oldest in Hyderabad, and the rest of the roof was used as a court in Qutub Shahi times. Atop the great monument are 45 prayer spaces for the devout where they can offer worship in an atmosphere unspoilt by the bustle of the city. East of this space is a spacious verandah with small and large arches in the middle. The first floor has beautiful balconies from where one has a fantastic view of the historic city and its later accretions.

Nagarjunakonda

This site is an ancient remains that lies 150km southeast of Hyderabad. Two major excavations were carried out before 1953, when it became known that the area would be flooded by the Nagarjuna Sagar. A major six-year excavation resulted in the discovery of Buddhist ruins, stupas, viharas, chaityas and mandapams and some outstanding white marble depictions of Buddha’s life. The finds were reassembled on Nagarjunakonda, an island in the middle of the dam.

Prehistoric remains of began here around 200,000 years ago. From the 2nd century BC until the early 3rd century AD, Nagarjunakonda and nearby Amaravathi became powerful sites of Hindu and Buddhist empires.
The NagarjunaKonda Museum here has the various artifacts of the excavations.

Laad Bazzar:

Laad Bazzar:

Laad Bazaar is located west to the Charminar and has everything from kitchen utensils, fabrics, jewels, excellent perfumes to musical instruments. Pottery items and silver items are also available here. Finest Indian Pearls are available around the lanes around the Charminar.

Mecca Masjid

Mecca Masjid:

Mecca Masjid, which is one of thw world’s largest mosques, is adjacent to Charminar. It has a space for about 10,000 worshippers. In 1614, Mahammed Quli Qutb started the construction of this mosque but it was not finished until 1687. Aurangazeb, one of the Great Mughal Emperor, extended his empire to Golconda Kingdom and only under his rule this mosque’s construction was completed. Several bricks used for construction are made with the soil from Mecca and hence the name, Mecca Masjid. The inscriptions of Quran in the colonnades and the door arches are made from single slab of granite.

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Places of interest in Hyderabad - 1

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: Andhra, Hyderabad, India tourism — rocksavvy2 @ 2:46 am

CHARMINAR:

Charminar is Hyderabad’s principal landmark. It was built by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 and stands perfect even after the span of over 400 years. It is a 56m high and 30m wide structure. This four columned structure creates four arches facing the cardinal points. There is a small turret sitting atop of each column.

There is a small mosque in the 2nd floor, which is the oldest in Hyderabad. It has spiral staircases that lead up the columns, where there are views of the city. The Charminar is illuminated daily between 7pm and 9pm.

Charminar is one of the major tourist attractions in the city. It also showcases the Mughal architecture of the time.

Golconda Fort in Hyderabad

Golconda Fort in Hyderabad is a majestic monument, which lies on the western outskirts of the city. It speaks of a great cultural heritage of 400 years and is considered as a place that is worth visiting. Golconda was famous for its diamond mines in olden days. The world-renowned 'Kohinoor' diamond is believed to have come from here. The Golconda fort is built on a granite hill 120m high. The fort has 8 gates or Darwazas as they are called in local language. The main gate is called Fateh Darwaza. The hills around the fort lend a very mysterious charm and colossal grandeur to the gigantic fort. Qutub Shahi kings who reigned during the 16th century built the Golconda fort. There is an interesting story behind the Golconda Fort. The place was originally called as 'Golla Konda' in Telegu, which is the official state language of Hyderabad city. Roughly around 1143 in the rocky hill called 'Mangalavaram', a shepherd boy found an idol, which was given to the then king, Kakatiya who built a mud fort. From 1507, within a span of 62 years the Qutub Shahi rulers transformed the humble mud fort into a marvelous granite wonder. The stunning Golconda Fort lost its entire splendor and luster as the Mughals invaded and plundered this breathtaking wonder into a heap of ruins. The Golconda Fort reaches to a height of 120 meters with a boundary wall covering a range of 10 kilometers of the outskirts of Hyderabad. The Golconda fort comprises of four small forts within itself. Some of those are heaped with cannons, drawbridges and number of royal living chambers & halls, temples, mosques, stables etc. You have to enter the fort through 'Fateh Darwaza', which is also called the 'Victory gate'. The main attractions of this entrance are the acoustic effects, which is a remarkable feature of the Golconda Fort. It is said that such an articulate construction was used in those ancestral days for security purposes. The latest feature that adds more excitement to the Golconda fort is the Light and Sound show. The amazing light and sound impacts with the narration of the hair raising story of the golconda Fort is sure to amuse all tourists visiting the Hyderabad city.

Koti Linga Temple on Keesara Gutta –

Koti Linga Temple on Keesara Gutta – the name literally translates to “The temple of a crore lingams situated on the hillock of Lord Hanuman.”

The village is in Ranga Reddy district of Andhra Pradesh and is located about 18 km from ECIL X roads on the outskirts of Hyderabad (and about 45 km from Begumpet airport). The temple is a mere 1.5 hour -2 hour drive from the city. When we were traveling, it was raining and the drive was very pleasant.

Legend has it that when Lord Rama wanted to atone for the sin of killing a great devotee of Lord Shiva like Ravana, he asked Lord Hanuman to bring a shiva linga carved from the rocks of mount Kailas itself. But since Hanuman could not bring the lingam back in time for the auspicious moment of the propitiation,

One of the several lingams that can be seen scattered on the hillock of Keesaragutta.

Lord Rama made one out the sands and performed the pooja. Frustrated, Lord Hanuman hurled the lingam he had brought from Kailas with all his might and it fragmented into ten million (a crore) smaller lingams that scattered on this hillock. These can be seen even today on the hillock.

The sacred Shiva linga which was said to have been installed and worshipped by Lord Hanuman himself.

One of the lingam is reputed to have been installed and worshipped by lord Hanuman himself and even today some powerful vibrations hit you when you enter the shrine.

Koti Linga therefore means a crore (ten million) lingams and Keesara is a colloquial version of Lord Hanuman’s name Kesari. Gutta means hillock. Hence the name of the temple is derived.

You can reach the temple by traveling on regular APSRTC buses or just hire a cab to take you there. On a normal day, the trip to and from the temple will take about 5 hours. On a festival day, it takes considerably longer at the temple.

A word of caution – you are sure to be greeted by large battalions of monkeys while there. These simians do not hesitate to grab items from your hands. Though they are never known to be aggressive, please be careful with your children and what you display to the monkeys!

The huge idol of Lord Hanuman, which faces the main temple on the hillock.

Yadagirigutta

The place was named Yadagirigutta after a hermit called Yadavarishi who religiously meditated to be blessed by Lord Narasimha, who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The Temple of Yadagirigutta is situated at a height of 300 feet on a hill, in Nalogonda district of Andhra Pradesh. The temple is famous and attracts a huge number of local devotees and outsiders. It is said that Lord Narasimha was satisfied with the hermit's devotion and materialized in five different forms. The five different forms are Jwala, Yogananda, Lakshminarasimha, Gandabherunda and Ugra. As legend goes, the first form of Narasimha was so fiery that the yogi wanted him to appear him in a peaceful form. He then appeared in the form of Yoganarasimha, but the yogi is still not satisfied and he wanted to see him with his counterpart i.e. Goddess Lakshmi. So Narasimha appeared with goddess Lakshmi on his lap. It is said that these three Narasimha forms were so fiery that the hermit could not endure it. Hence, they are worshipped inside the cave. These five forms of Narasimha have now been sculpted into idols and worshipped in a place within the temple, which is known as Panchanarasimha Kshetram. The principal shrine of Yadagirigutta temple is the Lakshminarasimha who is believed to be the healer of incurable diseases, witchcraft, black magic and the harmful influence of planets. Locals believe that worshipping here for a time period of 40 days would alleviate devotees of incurable diseases.

1000 Pillars Temple Hanumakonda

Lord Venkateshwara Pembarti	1000 Pillars Temple	1000 Pillars Temple
	Ramappa Lake Guesthouse	Cheriyal Painting
Ramappa Temple	Kakatiya Gate	Ramappa Temple
NANDI-Ramappa Temple	Kakatiya Gate	Kolanupaka Museum
		1000 Pillars Temple
Pembarti Silver Filigri	1000 Pillars Temple	Pembarti Sheet Metal Craft
Ramappa Temple	Ramappa Lake Guest House	Ramappa Temple
Ramappa Temple	Ramappa Temple	Ramappa Temple
Ramappa Temple	Ramappa Temple Nandi	Ramappa Temple Lake
Badrakali Temple	Ramappa Temple Pillar	Ramappa Temple Nandi
Ramappa Temple Lake	Jain Temple-Kolanupaka	Old Well
Warangal Fort	Warangal Fort	1000 Pillars Temple
1000 Pillars Temple		1000 Pillars Temple

The temple was constructed in 1163 AD by a Kakatiya king, Rudra Deva. In South India Kakatiya kings started a new style in building of temples and sculptures.