AMMAPALLI - PILLALAMARRI - KOILKONDA (FROM HYDERABAD)

At a distance of 30 km from Hyderabad and 5 km from Shamshabad Bus Stop, Sri Rama Chandra Swamy Temple of Ammapally is a very ancient Temple and famous for film shootings. This is also one of the most visited among Hyderabad tourist places.

The Rama temple was built by Vengi kings in 13th century but the idol was 1000 years old. The temple is adorned with a large seven-story tower which is quite famous among Telugu movie fans. There is a large image of Lord Vishnu is sleeping posture above the gateway of the tower.

The tower is followed by the main temple with a large corridor around the temple. The Idols of Rama, Sita and Laxmana and its Makara Thoranam are beautifully formed from single black rock. Anjaneya, usually accompanying Lord Rama, is not seen in the garbhagriha. Instead, Anjaneya Swamy idol is placed near the Dwaja Sthambam facing Sri Rama.

There is a large temple pond which is .....

At a distance of 5 km Mahabubnagar Bus Station and 104 km from Hyderabad, Pillalamarri is a large banyan tree located in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana.

Pillalamarri or Peerla Marri, an 800 years old banyan tree, is a major tourist attraction in Mahabubnagar district. The tree has many banyan trees which grow in its proximity like its children hence the name Pillala-marri. It is also difficult to find the main trunk of the tree. It is spread over three acres of land and can accommodate about 1000 people in its shade.

There is a tomb of a Muslim saint under the tree and hence the name Peerla Marri. Pillalamarri is an ideal place to have a family picnic. The tourism department has started an exhibition centre here. A historical Shiva Temple which was submerged under Srisailam Project was relocated here. A mini zoo with bird park and animal parks were also added as attractions .....

At a distance of 1.3 km from Koilkonda Bus Stand, 25 km from Mahabubnagar Bus Station and 128 km from Hyderabad, Koilkonda Fort is situated at Koilkonda in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana. This is one of the best one day trip from Hyderabad.

Koilkonda Fort is the erstwhile outpost of the Qutab Shahi dynasty situated on a hilltop. To reach the top, one needs to hike across a deep gorge on the west or a series of streams if coming through east before reaching a plight of steps that leads to the fort. To enter the Koilkonda Fort, seven gates have to be crossed. The first one spots an inscription of Ibrahim Qutab Shah that belongs to 1550 AD. Fourth gate leads to a dilapidated palace. There is also a mosque, an Idgah and a pond here. The Fort also has a ashurkhana dedicated to Bibi Fatima and is revered by both Hindus and Muslims.

The Kolisagar Dam is a medium-sized .....