By C S V R MURTHY True to its name in the days of yore, ‘Bhagya Nagar’, as Hyderabad used to be called in ancient days, is a city blessed with several fortunes with a wide spectrum of History to culture. The Islamic influence of the city has raised its status from just being another city of common features to a city of mosques, minars and tombs. The enterprising nizams had transformed the city to a place of cultural and tourism importance. Notwithstanding the vicissitudes of time, Hyderabad still retains the glory of the nizam legacy – a place with a blend of Islam and Hinduism getting richer with its warmth and unique culture that stands out in the south of India. The City was principally the seat of the Qutb Shahi nawabs and owes its existence to a water shortage. ¹Towards the end of the 16th century, the banks of the Musi River proved to be a preferable location for Mohammed Qutb Shahi dynasty. Thus Hyderabad entered the annals of History when the royal family moved from Golconda Fort to establish the new city of Hyderabad.¹ Pages of History state that ²Sultan Quli Qutb Shah prayed, “Let millions of men and women of all castes, creeds and religions make it their abode, like fish in the ocean”². Golconda Fort which has its origin from the Telugu word ‘Golla Konda’ (Shepherd Hill) is one major landmark that Hyderabad still has to its credit. As per available historical records, the origin of the fort is traced back to the Kakatiya period. ¹The mughal army under the leadership of Aurangazeb succeeded in capturing the fort via the treacherous actions of an insider, Abdullah Khan Pani.¹. The architectural marvel of the fort is such that the acoustics make it possible to hear the smallest sound made from the Grand Portico across the fort complex. ²Golconda includes Rahban Cannon, one of those used during the last siege of Golconda by Aurangazeb to whom the Fort ultimately fell.² Golconda was also famous for its Gold mines and it would be interesting to observe that the famous Kohinoor Diamond of the British Crown was mined from this place. One common feature that shared Islamic rulers was their penchant towards construction of dome structures, tombs and minarets. ‘Faluk nama’ palace is yet another place of historical importance that adds to the legacy of Hyderabad. ²‘Faluk nama’ meaning ‘Mirror in the Sky’ was constructed by ‘Vikar-ul- Umra’, which boasts of the biggest dining table in the world.² The old city of Hyderabad has its unique distinction of possessing the most famous landmark of Hyderabad – ‘Charminar’ (Four Towers). This was built by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to commemorate the end of the devastating epidemic, possibly plague. The monument is also dubbed as ‘Arc de Triumph of the East’. The small mosque with 45 prayer spaces on the 2nd floor is the oldest in Hyderabad. Spiral staircases can be taken to reach the top to have an aerial view of the city. Adjacent to the Charminar is the ‘Mecca Masjid’, which is considered to be one of the largest mosques in the world to the extent that it can accommodate about 10,000 worshippers at a time. The construction derives its name since it is believed that many bricks embedded above the gate were made with soil from Mecca- One of the holy places for Muslims. Museums are best known for their huge collections of arts, antiques and display of extinguished species. Welcome to the ‘Salar jang’Museum’ where one can find about ¹35,000 exhibits which include sculptures, wood carvings, religious and devotional objects, Persian miniature paintings, illuminated manuscripts, weaponry and over 50,000 books¹. The enormous one-man collection was amazingly put together by Mir Yusuf Ali Khan (Salar Jung III) the then Prime Minister or Grand Vazir, of the Seventh Nizam, Osman Ali Khan. It leaves us awe stuck to see the collections available in the museum- and it’s not easy to enter the pages of history but for such collections. Hyderabad is specially known for its crafts, ‘Bidriware’ and most of all it is known for its pearl trading. The pearls are known to come from Japan and the market is concentrated just north of the Charminar at Sardar Patel Road, which can be considered to be the hub of pearl trading. Bidriware is a unique metal work developed by the mughals, which derives its name from Bidar in Karnataka from where it originated. Apart from these historical monuments, Hyderabad hosts places such as Birla Mandir, Birla Planetorium and Science Museum. The Hussain Sagar of Hyderabad boasts one of the largest monolith stone Buddhas of the world. The Nehru Zoological Park which is one of the largest zoos in India is spread over an area of 1.2 sq.kms, providing feast to the eyes of the beholders. All said about Hyderabad, it is equally important to mention that Hyderabad is also portrayed as ‘Cyberabad’ owing to its heightened activity in computer industry. The ‘Hitec City’ as it is called houses several major IT companies involved in the production of Computer software. ‘King Koti’ and ‘Abids’ are areas of commercial importance, where purchases can be made to heart’s contentment. Any city has its exclusively made cuisines and Hyderabad has one such dish unique to its culture and tradition. It is the Hyderabadi ‘Haleem’, which is a special preparation of meat during the month of Ramzan. Devout muslims are found to fast during the month of Ramzan and during the evenings of this month, one can find the city abuzz with shops offering ‘Haleem Meat’. The shops are so decorated that it would make any body’s heads turn and have a look at the heightened activity of Haleem consumption. Hyderabad along with its twin city Secunderabad is bound to attract tourists for its striking balance of culture and modernity, the legacy of which is sure to continue forever. With the Government’s stance on tourism as ‘Athithi Devo Bhavah’ (Guest is God), Hyderabad would always attract more guests to spread its warmth and culture. |