HYDERABAD WITH BIDAR IN 4 DAYS

At a distance of 4 km from Nampally Railway Station, Charminar stands in the heart of the old city and is the most important monument in the city. Charminar is one of the top places to visit in Hyderabad city and a grand heritage site in Telangana state. Along with Golconda Fort, Charminar is the prime tourist places to visit in Hyderabad.

The Charminar was constructed in 1591 by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah to mark the end of an epidemic of plague in Hyderabad city. Since the construction of the Charminar, the city of Hyderabad has almost become synonymous with the monument. It is located near the bank of the river Musi. Charminar is derived from two distinct words Char and Minar, which means four towers. It is a massive and impressive structure with four minarets.

Charminar is constructed in Indo-Islamic architecture. Marble, limestone, mortar and granite .....

At a distance of 5 km from Nampally Railway Station and 1 km from Charminar, Chowmahalla or Chowmahallat Palace is a magnificent palace belonging to the Nizams of Hyderabad. It is one of the top attractions you must include in Hyderabad packages. The palace was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and was the official residence of the Nizams of Hyderabad. The palace remains the property of Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah, heir of the Nizams.

The name 'Chowmahallat' comes from two Urdu words, Chow (four) and Mahallat (palaces) means Four Palaces. While Salabat Jung initiated its construction in 1750, it was completed by Asaf Jah V, between 1857 and 1869. Extending from the Laad Bazaar on the north to the Aspan Chowk Road on the south, the palace originally covered 45 acres but only 12 acres remain today. This palace is one of the top tourist places to visit in Hyderabad city. It was the place where the Nizams entertained their official .....

At a distance of 4 km from Nampally Railway Station & 15 km from Charminar, The Salar Jung Museum located near Afzal Gunj is one of the best museums in India. This is also one of the most visited among Hyderabad tourist places. Situated on the southern bank of the Musi River, this museum houses the collections of Mir Yusuf Ali Khan, commonly known as Salar Jung III, Prime Minister of the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad. The museum has a collection of over 50000 items for exhibition.

There are 38 galleries in the Museum spread across three buildings- Central Block, Eastern Block and Western Block on two floors. The collection of the museum and the library were transferred from Diwan Deodi to the new building in the year 1968 and two more buildings were added in the year 2000. The Veiled Rebecca made with Italian marble is one of the main attractions of the museum including Musical Clock, Marguerite & Mephistopheles .....

At a distance of 3 km from Nampally Railway Station, Lumbini Park is located near the Tank Bund on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake. The Lumbini Park has been named after the birthplace of Buddha and it lies just opposite a famous Buddha statue. The boats to reach Buddha statue start from Lumbini Park.

The park was developed as part of the Buddha Purnima project of the state government in 1994. It is one of the most beautiful parks in the city of Hyderabad and one of the best places to visit in Hyderabad city. In 2007, it was one of the targets of the 25 August 2007 Hyderabad bombings that killed 44 people.

The Lumbini Park has become an ideal place of relaxation and a place of amusement. The key features of the park are the fantastic floral clock, the cascading artificial waterfalls and the dancing musical fountains. The Park offers the opportunity to watch one of the greatest laser shows currently .....

At a distance of 3.5 km from Nampally Railway Station & 0.5 km from Lumbini Park, Buddha Statue has been placed on the rock of Gibraltar in the placid waters of the Hussain Sagar. The Buddha Statue is the world's largest single-stone statue of Buddha with a height of 72 feet (including base) and the weight of 450 tons. This is one of the prime attractions in Hyderabad city.

During his visit to New York, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao (1983-89) saw the Statue of Liberty and inspired to build a similar structure of Gautama Buddha in the famous Hussain Sagar Lake. Erected as part of the Buddha Poornima project in 1985, this monolithic statue was erected out of a white granite rock. It was carved by 200 sculptors for two years. After 5 years and the expenditure of $3 million, the statue stood at 58 feet and weighed 350 tons, making it the world's tallest monolithic .....

At a distance of 11 km from Nampally Railway Station, Golconda Fort (also written as Golconda Fort) is situated towards the western outskirts of Hyderabad. The fort is one of the prime places to visit in Hyderabad and also an important heritage site in Hyderabad city. Along with Charminar, Golconda Fort is the prime tourist places to visit in Hyderabad.

The word 'Golconda' originated from Golla Konda which stands for Shepherd's Hill in Telugu. Golconda Fort was first constructed as a mud fort by the rulers of Kakatiya Dynasty in the 13th century. The fort was rebuilt and strengthened by Pratapa Rudra of the Kakatiyas. It was further strengthened by the Musunuri Nayaks, who defeated the Tughlaq army occupying Warangal. The fort was ceded to the Bahmani Sultanate as part of the treaty in 1364. It was later re-built with granite by initial Qutub Shahi kings, which took about 62 years to complete. Golconda .....

At a distance of 10 km from Nampally Railway Station & 1 km away from the Banjara Darwaza of Golconda Fort. Qutub Shahi Tombs are the burial ground of the 7 kings of the Qutub Shahi dynasty. The tombs are very popular for their unique architecture and grand structures. Qutub Shahi Tombs are one of the best among Hyderabad tourist places and a major heritage site in Hyderabad city.

Planned and built by the Qutub Shahis themselves, these tombs are said to be the oldest historical monuments in Hyderabad. The tombs are built in Persian, Pathan and Hindu architectural styles using grey granite, with stucco ornamentation. These tombs are standing at the center of a garden known as Ibrahim Bagh, containing ponds and planted pathways.

There are more than 30 tombs in the enclosure besides some open air tombs. The tombs vary in size from small to large. The tombs are domed structures built on a square base surrounded by pointed arches, each tomb are quadrangular and rise from 9 to 15 .....

At a distance of 1 kms from Nampally Railway Station, AP State Museum located with in Public Gardens is the oldest museum in Hyderabad. With very good collection, it is one of the important museums in the state.

Built in 1928 by the Nizam VII, the museum building itself is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. The Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, wanted to preserve the cultural heritage of the state and also took steps to extend the treasure trove act of the British ruled dominions to his state and also created the Department of Archaeology under the stewardship of Dr. Ghulam Yuzdani in 1915. From then onwards the department played an active role and conducted several extensive explorations and excavations.

The museum contains a Buddhist gallery, Brahmanical & Jain gallery, Bronze gallery, Arms & Armour gallery, Numismatics gallery, Ajanta gallery and more. Adjacent to the State Museum is the Contemporary Art Museum.

Timings: 10:30 AM to 5 PM, Closed on Fridays

Entry .....

At a distance of 2.5 km from Nampally Railway Station, Birla Mandir is a magnificent marble temple dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara. The temple stands on 280 feet high hillocks called Kala Pahad & Naubat Pahad in the center of Hyderabad city. This is one of the most popular tourist places in Hyderabad.

Dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara (Balaji), the temple is made of white marble brought from Rajasthan. This is one of the must visit tourist places in Hyderabad city. The temple was constructed by Birla Foundation in 1976, which has also constructed several similar temples across India, all of which are known as Birla Mandir.

This temple is a wonderful blend of Nagara and South Indian temple architecture. A Rajagopuram built in the South Indian style greets the visitors. The tower over the main shrine of Lord Venkateshwara called the Jagadananda Vimana is built in Dravidian style, while the towers over .....

At a distance of 2.5 km from Bidar Railway Station, Bidar Fort is an ancient fort situated in Bidar, Karnataka. It is one of the magnificent forts in Karnataka and among the prominent tourist places in Bidar.

The initial Bidar Fort is considered to have been built during the reign of the Western Chalukya dynasty which was established in 977 AD at Kalyani. Subsequently, it was captured by the Yadava dynasty of Devagiri and fell yet again to the Kakatiyas of Warangal. Bidar Fort was rebuilt by Sultan Ahmed Shah Wali of the Bahmani dynasty when his capital was moved from Gulbarga to Bidar in 1430 along with several Islamic monuments.

The Bidar Fort is a specimen of the Persian architectural style having 1.21 km in length and 0.80 km in breadth, with a quadrangular layout. Surrounded by three miles long walls and comprising 37 bastions, it is surrounded by a triple moat. It is among the must-visit places .....

At a distance of 2 km from Bidar Railway Station, Mahmud Gawan Madarsa is one of the major historical structures and a beautiful structure situated between the Fort and Chaubara Clock Tower.

Mahmud Gawan Madarsa is an old Islamic university built by Khwaza Mahmud Gawan in 1472. Mahmud Gawan was a Persian merchant who arrived in the Bahamani Sultanate at around 1453 AD. Due to his honesty, simplicity and knowledge he impressed the Bahamani Kings. He ultimately reached to the post of prime minister and was much respected among the local population.

Gawan had built a large madarsa at the centre of Bidar with his own money. It functioned like a university, in the same way as other contemporary madarsas of West and Central Asia and Saharan Africa. The architectural style of the madarsa strongly resembles the buildings of Samarkand.

The Madarsa had an imposing three-story building with 100 feet tall minarets in four corners. .....

At a distance of 5.5 km from Bidar Railway Station, Bahmani Tombs located at Ashtur are other important historical monuments in Bidar, after the Fort.

The 12 tombs of Bahmani Sultans are located in the same compound. They are huge structures with beautiful arches, niches and lofty domes. Among all the tombs, the tomb of Ahmad Shah Wali is most popular. Ahmad Shah shifted the capital from Gulbrga to Bidar in 1430 and rebuilt the old fort. Ahmed Shah Bahmani was a religious ruler. He was devoted to Khwaja Bande Nawaz of Gulbarga and later to the order of Shah Nimat-Ullah of Kirman. He was also respected the doctrine of Lingayats, a religious order of Deccan established by the philosopher, statesman and social reformer Basavanna.

Ahmad Shah Wali the 9th Bahmani Sultan died in 1436 and his son Alauddin built a majestic tomb for his father. The walls are about twelve feet thick supporting a huge dome on the top. There are three doors .....

At a distance of 5 km from Bidar Railway Station, Narasimha Jhira is a wonderful cave temple situated on the outskirts of Bidar town.

The Narasimha Jhira Cave Temple is dedicated to the lion god Narasimha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is also known as Narasimha Zarna Cave temple or Jharani Narasimha Temple. People throng to this temple because it is believed that the idol at the Narasimha Jhira Cave temple is self manifested and is very powerful.

The Temple is known for its natural beauty and is considered to be very sacred. This ancient temple is excavated in a 300 m tunnel under the Manichoola hill range. Within the cave, a stream of water is said to be flowing continuously since the foundation of the temple. Devotees have to walk waist deep in the water for 300 m for the darshan of Lord Narasimha.

According to mythology, Lord Narasimha first killed Hiranyakashipu and then proceeded to slay the demon Jalasura who .....

At a distance of 2.5 km from Bidar Railway Station, Gurudwara Nanak Jhira Sahib is a Sikh historical shrine and one of the important pilgrimage sites in Bidar.

Gurudwara Nanak Jhira Sahib was built in the year 1948 and is dedicated to the first Sikh Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The Gurudwara is established in a nice valley, surrounded by laterite hills on three sides. The shrine comprises Darbar Sahib, Diwan Hall and Langar Hall. In the sukhaasan room, Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikh is placed.

According to the History, Guru Nanak Devji along with his disciple Mardana visited Bidar during his second Udasi around 1512 AD. While he was visiting this place, Guru Nanak sat on the outskirts of the village on the foot of a hill. When people came to know about Guru Sahib, they started gathering here. They told Guru Nanak about the scarcity of water and also that the water available in Bidar was salty and unfit for drinking. It is believed that after hearing the plight of the residents, .....

At a distance of 3 km from Bidar Railway Station, the Barid Shahi Tombs are historical monuments situated in Deccan Park and Barid Shahi Park near Bidar Bus Station. The Archaeological Survey of India has declared the group of tombs as national monuments. It is one of the must-include places in Bidar Tour Packages.

The Barid Shahis gained control of the territory around Bidar at the beginning of the 15th century. The tombs of Ali Barid and his son Qasim Barid are located in the sprawling gardens of Deccan Park. The 55-acre garden has hundreds of plants spread across. The main entrance has a gateway on the south, decorated with architectural motifs with star-shaped panels and beautiful patterns. The tombs are among the places to visit in Bidar.

Ali Barid Shah was the most prominent among Baridshahi rulers. He was interested in architecture and built .....

At a distance of 63 km from Medak, 37 km from Sangareddy and 92 km from Hyderabad, The Singur or Singoor dam is located near Sangareddy town of Medak district in Telangana. This is one of the scenic tourist places to visit near Hyderabad.

Constructed across the river Manjeera, the dam provides drinking water to Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Construction of the Singur dam was started in 1979 and completed in 1989. The large water reservoir was assigned for production of hydro electricity and also to provide drinking water to nearby Hyderabad and Secunderabad cities. The dam has gross storage capacity of 30 Tmc.

This is one of the popular tourist destinations in the vicinity of Hyderabad. The deep waters of the reservoir are home to about 1000 crocodiles. It is also declared as a national wildlife reserve with a lot of water bird population. Boat ride is also available .....