HYDERABAD- 5 REASONS YOU MUST VISIT THIS CITY WHERE ROYALTY MEETS MODERNITY

Hyderabad, the present-day capital of the Southern state of Telangana, India is a unique city from being the ancient reigning capital of the Nizams to the modern-day booming IT Hub. I would be dividing my Hyderabad edition into the Travel segment (this article) and the Food segment (article coming soon next week) since its food story is deep dive into an ocean of its own and will be unjustified to mention in the same post.

So, here are 5 reasons you must visit this Deccan city of India:

• Must-Visit- Being a city with rich historical heritage, the city gives you a blend of both the charm of Nizams with sites like Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Chowmahalla Palace, Salarjung Museum, and Golkonda Fort. The first 4 spots could be covered on the same day as they are located within max. 3 km radius (from Charminar) which could be covered by walk or by hiring an auto from Charminar. While you are here, you could use the same day to take a look at the magnificent heart-shaped

Hussain Sagar lake and its iconic Buddha statue in the evening. For boating ride fees, I am attaching the Hyderabad tourism link here if you wish to book prior. You would require a separate day for exploring Golkonda Fort- which is about

14km distance from Charminar (old city) and 10km from the Gachibowli area (new city). Don your comfortable pair of shoes, sunglasses, cap/hat, sunscreen as the scorchy sunny weather would give you a tough time otherwise. Covering approx. 7-8km circumference and at gradual rising elevation, you could use your trekking skills to explore the 87 bastions way up to get a beautiful view of the city. Following the fort tour, you can take a beautiful drive into the new city offering you a modern touch—popular restaurants/cafes at Indiranagar (in Gachibowli), Inorbit Mall-Hitech City, etc. If time permits, do drop by the premium areas of Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Film Nagar which are the abode of the Tollywood stars. Finally, for those who feel their Hyderabad trip would be incomplete without Ramoji Film City and Falaknama Palace you can check some of the tour packages I have hyperlinked, or you free to look at other sources too.

• Proximity from other major cities- Most of the places in proximity to Hyderabad are located in and around Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka bordering towns like Warangal, Karimnagar, Gulbarga, Tirupathi. Besides these, Bangalore comes among the major metro cities that Hyderabad is decently close to with an overnight bus journey of approx. 8 hours or a flight of an hour.

• A city where the history of Nizams meets modernity- This city would offer you not just with its rich heritage from the past through its Old city but shows the sharp contrast of Science, Urbanization, and Modernity as it expanded into the new areas forming its Corporate and Financial hub. Besides these, the city’s film heritage of being the abode of one of the largest regional film industries of India and its vast ocean of cuisines narrates stories of its own kind.

• Well connected with Public transportation- If you decide to travel to Hyderabad or live there, you can commute to most of the places by the local buses (Mehdipatnam is a major depot to connect across the old and new city) at affordable rates as low as INR 5-10, MMTS Trains (from Lingampally to Falaknama), Metro services and also has sharing auto-rickshaws services is assigned routes at cheap rates.

• City of Pearls and a heaven for the ‘Attar’ lovers- Hyderabad is known for its superior quality pearls and highest pearl-drilling center of India. When I had visited Charminar, I purchased white and black pearl neck and earpieces from one of the stores around the Charminar gate which are also mostly certified and you will get them at a very affordable price than the one you will get at any other jewelry stores in your city. (BEWARE of the street vendors who would promise you to give original pearl at INR 100s- Adding here a hyperlink to help you test the authenticity of original pearls before buying from anywhere). For those, who prefer attar over other chemical perfumes, buy one or as many as you want, from around the small stalls around Charminar Gate at as low as INR 60 which provides you lasting fragrance for hours.

***Sweetlin’s Tip: Based on my experience of living in Hyderabad for 2 years, please drink lots of water; fruit juice for preventing dehydration and also apply sunscreen, wear a hat/cap to help from the Sun rays. The city is known for its harsh and dry climate be it during the summers or winters.

Disclaimer: The creative content and the photographs are owned by me. Hence, I reserve the copyrights.