HYDERABAD WITH WARANGAL 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 83 km from Warangal and 81 km from Hyderabad, the 2000 years old Jain Temple of Mahavira is located in Kolanupaka village (also called as Kulpak) in Nalgonda district. The temple is decorated with beautiful images of Tirthankaras and it's one of the important Jain pilgrimage sites in the country. It is also a popular place to visit around Warangal & Hyderabad. Kulpakji is an important pilgrimage center for Swetambara Jains of South India. This is one of the popular one day trip near Hyderabad and among the prime place to visit on a Hyderabad tour.

According to the mythological legend, the main temple of Kolanupaka is said to have been built by Emperor Bharata, son of King Dushyanta and Queen Sakuntala. Jainism was prevalent in Andhra Pradesh &

At a distance of 82 Kms from Warangal and 82 Kms from Hyderabad, Sri Someswara Temple is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva located in Kolanupaka village in Nalgonda District.

This temple is also called as Veyi Lingala Gudi (Thousand Lingas Temple).The temple was built around 12th century by Kakatiya Kings. Here Lord Shiva is found in human form unlike the common Linga form. Poojas are still being performed in this temple.

The temple complex also houses the Archeological Museum with sereral hundreds of wonderful sculptures dating back to 10th century to 14th century found in this region.

The temple is situated at a distance of 1.5 Km from Kolanupaka Bus Station (past Veeranarayana Temple) and 2 Kms from Jain Temple.

Timings: 6 AM to 7 PM

At a distance of 6 Kms from Warangal Railway Station (in Hanmakonda part of the city), Thousand Pillar Temple is one of the finest examples of Kakatiya architecture.

Rudra Deva built this temple in 1163 AD in the style of star shaped Chalukyan temples and named after him as Sri Rudreshwara Swamy Temple, it is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Separate shires for Lord Surya & Lord Vishnu in the temple are connected to main shrine by a square mandap in the centre. A beautifully carved giant Nandi (bull) is seen on the platform connecting the shrines. The exterior wall of the temple, the ceiling slabs and the four central pillars of the mandap are decorated with finely carved sculptures. Poojas are still performed.

The actual thousand pillar hall situated behind Nandi in the temple complex is currently being renovated by the archelogical department and closed for visitors.

The temple is located between Warangal and Hanmakonda Chowrasta, close to main road.

Timings: 6 AM .....

At a distance of 5 Kms from Warangal Railway Station, the historic Warangal Fort was built by Kakatiyas in 12th Century AD. The King Rudradeva started construction of this Fort when the capital was shifted from Hanamankonda. It was further extended by his nephew, Ganapati Deva and was finally completed by Princess Rani Rudrama Devi. The fort was mostly destroyed by invaders and only the ruins can be seen now. It is one of the popular tourist places to visit near Hyderabad as a weekend getaway.

Most of the fort is filled with settlements and small area in the center of fort has Open Air Museum with architectural remains of Kakatiyas. The famous stone gateways (called Kirti Toranas) are situated here, about 30 feet high and still standing, a masterpiece carved from a single rock.

The Shambhulingeshwara Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is opposite to Open Air Museum.

Timings: 10 AM - 7 PM.

Entry Fee: .....

At a distance of 5 Kms from Warangal Railway Station, the Bhadra Kali Temple is situated on top a hillock towards Hanamkonda. This temple is famous for 2.7 meter stone idol of the deity with eight arms and a weapon in each hand, in sitting posture. This deity is believed to be worshipped by the Chalukyan ruler Pulakesin-II in the year 625 AD.

The temple is dedicated to Goddess Kali, found in peaceful mood. This temple is located on the banks of Bhadrakali Lake. There is a park adjacent to the temple along Bhadrakali Lake which also has a shrine for Lord Siva in the form of Sri Chandra Mouleeswara.

Brahmotsavas are held every year in the month of April/May in a grand manner. The festival attracts thousands of devotees from all over the region of Telangana.

Timings: 5 AM to 1 PM & 3 - 9 PM. No lunch break during festivals. Photography not allowed.

At a distance of 15 km from Mulugu, 65 km from Warangal, 116 km from Karimnagar, 152 km from Khammam, 210 km from Nalgonda, 211 km from Hyderabad, and 280 km from Vijayawada, Ramappa Temple is a historical temple situated at Palampet village in the Warangal district of Telangana. It is one of the famous weekend getaways from Hyderabad and among the most important places of heritage in Telangana.

Dedicated to Lord Shiva, Ramappa Temple or Ramalingeshwara Temple was built by General Recherla Rudra, during the period of the Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva in 1213 AD. As per history, it took 40 years to build this temple. The temple got its name from Ramappa, the chief sculptor of the temple. It's probably the only temple in the country to be known by the name of its sculptor, and among the popular places to experience Telangana Tourism. Known for its splendid architecture & intricate carvings, the temple has been on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Site under 'The Glorious Kakatiya .....

At a distance of 29 km from Ramappa Temple, and 75 km from Warangal, Laknavaram Lake is a wonderful artificial lake situated close to Etunagaram highway (NH202). It is the large lake in the Warangal district, and among the top Ramappa tourist places.

Laknavaram Lake was built by Kakatiyas in the 13th century. It still provides water for irrigation over 50,000 acres of land. The magnificent lake is surrounded by the thick forests of Eturnagaram Sanctuary. The suspension bridge across the lake is a special attraction.

Laknavaram is one of the best places to visit around Warangal and it's a perfect getaway to spend time with family. Boating facilities are available in the lake on speed boats and motorboats. Telangana Tourism provides accommodation facilities along with a restaurant on the island in the middle of the lake.

Post monsoon is the best season to visit this place when the lake is filled with water and the surrounding hills are covered with thick vegetation. Laknavaram .....