Lucky last for Becky’s SquareUp. I thought the pot had gone dry, but then had an epiphany!
Many thanks Becky for an enjoyable and challenging challenge! I think now I’m truly done and hope by April I will have new stock.
After reading about this online and also at the hotel, that it was like Bollywood and Universal Studios I thought it would be a fun thing to do. We set off once again with a driver and it was around 45 minutes drive away. On arrival our driver purchased tickets for us and we proceeded to the entrance gate. Men and women are separated and go through different security screening. We had a slight hiccup with Maddy’s Polaroid camera, as amazingly it seemed no-one had ever seen one. So after being examined for several minutes by around ten different security guards they let us through!
Once through we were all herded onto buses to take us to the actual Film City which was around 10 – 15 minutes away. I realised once again we were the only Western tourists there and thus had lots of attention on the bus. So many questions, we were all talking to someone at once! Driving there seemed to be great fun for the drivers who tried to be the first there by speeding up once it turned into a one way highway!
Overlooking Ramoji Film City which is set over 1,600 acres
When we alighted this bus we then all boarded several open air small trains to take us to the individual lots. No lingering was allowed and I realised at this point that it was going to be a very regimented day. No walking between different film lots was allowed, a bus or small train would take you onto the next place.
Everywhere we stopped we had photos taken with everyone, especially Maddy! There were young guys lining up, we did have to say no a few times as we would not have got anywhere!
Some film lots were definitely better than others, but I wouldn’t described it as a Universal or Bollywood!
Wishing for a train to anywhere!
So eerily lifelike!
We stopped for lunch at the beautiful Sitara Hotel, located in the middle of the City.
The very fancy Sitara Hotel
With lunch over, Anthony had had enough of this theme park! Obviously we didn’t see half of what was on offer and unfortunately there was no filming going on that day.
I would love to hear from anyone who has been to Ramoji Film City, I haven’t met anyone yet!
Featuring Chowmahalla Palace and Charminar Bazaar
After another gourmet breakfast at the Taj Krishna we set off with a driver and guide to the Chowmahalla Palace.
Chowmahallat means “four palaces” in Dakhini Urdu and is the palace of the former Nizams of Hyderabad. The history of this palace is fascinating, not just because of the building of the palace but the financial wrangling between the heirs that was the downfall of this palace.
At one point in the seventies there were 476 legal heirs to this Estate.
Finally in 2005 Princess Esra (the first wife of Prince Mukkaram Jah) decided to start renovations. Prince Mukkaram Jah fled to Perth in the seventies and lived on a sheep farm in the Australian Outback. He married four more times after Princess Esra. I’ve included a few links to this post as there is so much more interesting history to read.
In front of the palace
Waiting to start our tour
Top: Ladies sweeping the grass
Middle: Through one of the ornate window frames
Bottom: Ornamental pond in front of the palace
Top: Prince Mukkaram Jah with his father
Middle and Bottom: The magnificent crystal chandeliers made of Belgian glass
Top: One of the beautiful corridors inside the palace
Middle: Palace Courtyard
Bottom: The clocktower above the main gate – Khilwat Clock, which has been ticking for 251 years and is wound weekly by expert clock repairers
We practically had the whole place to ourselves and had a fantastic tour around the palace. No visit to Hyderabad would be complete without a visit here!
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Charminar was our next stop but not before we had some lunch. I must say I was a bit wary about what we would eat, knowing it would probably me far too hot for Maddy and me! But not to worry as our driver took us to a great little restaurant called Masqati Nizam Hotel. This was such a friendly restaurant with westerners and locals alike. We had a delicious biryani and we were both able to eat it.
This was on the wall depicting a time many decades before!
And then it was out onto the street to explore the market in all its glory! After the peace and tranquility of the Palace it was a great shock to the senses. Not for Anthony though as these are places he thrives in.
It was impossible to just stroll around as all the roads were dug up in various places for no reason I could see whatsoever. Piles and piles of rubble to stumble over or around.
Maddy and I picked up some lovely scarves, after the requisite bartering of course.
Charminar Monument built in 1591, this is also a Mosque
The monument is located in the heart of old city and it is believed that Hyderabad was measured in four directions from Charminar for administrative purposes.
Anthony in his element! Market and street scenes
So many to choose from!
Dates, pineapples and bananas
Pomegranates and grapes
A quick stop at the Nizam Palace Museum to see all the beautiful silver and artefacts and then back to the hotel for a quick freshen up before dinner.
What a very interesting day it was, more places for your itinerary for Hyderabad.
Parts 2 and 3 to follow!
Hyderabad is the only place I’ve actually been to in India, and we spent a week here over two years ago. Five days probably would have been enough but with plane timetables we decided to add the two extra days for rest and relaxation! We travelled with my son Laurence and his girlfriend Maddy in January, so the weather was just perfect. We stayed at the Taj Krishna, a beautiful hotel in the Banjara Hills.
The view from our window
Our very comfy bed!
Relaxing on the patio and Maddy enjoying a first class cooked breakfast
The reason we chose Hyderabad was because my dear hubby had recently read a book called “The White Mughals” by William Dalrymple. It’s a book about the warm relations that existed between the British and some Indians in the 18th and early 19th century, when one in three British men in India was married to an Indian woman.
Anthony was interested to see if all the great palaces and houses that were built during this time were still standing. Sadly we found that many of these grand buildings are in great decay and not accessible. Some have been turned into colleges and hospitals, but there doesn’t seem to be the demand or need to renovate these beautiful old buildings.
This was one of the places that I had read was easy to get around and you could do it on your own! Once we arrived there in our taxi and were dropped off, madness and mayhem greeted us. We managed to cross a very busy road complete with cattle, goats and schoolchildren and wandered up to the entrance gate. We didn’t have to look far before an avid tour guide stepped into our path, offering to lead us around the fort with a detailed history. After Anthony had bargained a good price, we headed off.
Maddy and Laurence leading the schoolgirls!
The entrance to Golkonda Fort
Golkonda Fort has a history reaching back into the 12th Century. A shepherd boy was once walking on this hill where he came across a God idol, the King that time decided to built a fort on the hill, which then came to be known as Golconda (Shepherd’s Hill) Fort.
With perimeters of around 11 kilometers, the fort has 15 to 18 foot high walls. It has huge gates that have pointed iron spikes on them. This protected the fort from Elephants damaging the fort as well as enemy attacks.
There is a great sound system in the Fort and the sound of clapping at the entrance can be heard a kilometre away. This was apparently used for communication purposes and to alert the King of any attack. (Source: Hyderabad Tourism)
As far as I could see we were the only “Westerners” here and we were stopped every few steps to have our photos taken. I think it was mostly Maddy they were interested in! I made a joke about the one with Laurence in saying they would probably photoshop him out! 😆
On top of the world with views of sprawling Hyderabad
One of the many semi circular bastions; underground arches;
on top of the fort and sitting under one of the derelict arches
Whispering walls; through the window;
Women at rest; a view through an archway
This was a fantastic place to visit and our guide was extremely informative, very chatty and funny! He even guessed my age correctly, which was a bit rude I thought.
Our driver was waiting patiently to drive us back to our hotel. On the way back we stopped by Hussain Sagar Lake and stopped to take a photo. As we stepped out of the car three young men approached Laurence and asked to see his ear! Then just grabbed it and it looked like they were about to pierce it, but he jerked back and said “hey get off me”. Our driver said they just wanted to syringe it! Very random.
Gautama Buddha in the middle of the heart shaped lake
Dinner that night was at a restaurant called Paradise, very popular with ex-pats so the concierge told us. It’s famous for Biryani. Even though I asked for the mildest one it was still far too hot for me! Anthony and Laurence also struggled and they like a hot curry.
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