Hyderabad Highlights

Ruled by the Qutub Shahi dynasty, the city has a history of 425 years. The capital Bhagyanagar was named after a nautch girl Bhagyamati, who later as the wife of King Quli Qutub Shah became Hyder Mahal and thus was born Hyderabad.

Hyderabad has developed into one of the major hubs for the information technology industry in India which has earned it the additional sobriquet “Cyberabad”.

07:30 AM – 08:30 AM

Breakfast at the Hotel.

09:00 AM – 09:30 AM – Birla Temple

India is a land of diversity. We visit the Hindu Famous temple Birla Mandir. The temple manifests a blend of  Dravidian,  Rajasthani and  Utkala architectures. It is constructed of 2000 tons of pure white marble.

09:30 AM

On the way to Salar Jung Museum, we pass by the Assembly Building. It is the first Legislative Assembly that came into being on 1st March 1952 in the old state of Hyderabad. Next to it is the Mozamjahi Market, famous for its old shops, Osmania Hospital, which is one of a kind building, and then the High Court. You may have short photo stop in these places to capture the beauty of these century old buildings.

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Salar Jung Museum

Out of the several rare objects present in Salar Jung Museum .One of the important and interesting object collected by Salarjung I was “Vellied Rebecca” an enchanting marble statue which was acquired by him from Rome in 1876 during his visit to Italy.  The western collection is mainly from England, Ireland, France, Belgium, Italy, Germany.  A set of Ivory chairs are said to have been presented by Louis XVI of France.

The Salar Jung Museum houses the largest one-man collection of antiques in the world. It is well known throughout India for its prized collections belonging to different civilizations, dating back to the 1st century.

12:00 PM – 12:20 PM – Tea Break

12:20 PM – 01:00 PM – Charminar

The Charminar is a two storied building with the first floor being covered. The grand structure received its name from the four minarets which stands in the four corners of the building in the center of the city. Charminar is square shaped and the minarets have four levels with level circled by a ring around the minaret. The four arches of the building face four main directions and each side is opened to a huge courtyard.

Though it is the perfect epitome of Shahi architecture, there are clear elements of Hindu architecture visible on the monument. Though the arches and domes are in Islamic architecture, which is explicit, the ornamentation is primarily in Hindu style. It was constructed using granite and lime-mortar, the floral designs and water screens enhance the monument’s beauty and elegance. It also offers excellent view of the Golconda Fort which reiterates the glorious times of Hyderabad when it was under the reign of Qutub Shahi and the Golconda rulers.

Mecca Masjid and Jama Masjid

Photo stop at the Mecca Masjid and the Jama Masjid. Know the history of the oldest and biggest Mosque in the city.

Mecca Masjid: The atmosphere inside the mosque is very peaceful and serene and therefore, one can offer their prayers in solitude amidst a holy environment.  You will be amazed to see the elegant designs carved on the arches and the Quran’s Verses etched on the walls of the mosque.

02:00 PM – 03:00 PM Lunch

03:30 PM – 04:00 PM Qutub Shahi Tombs 

04:30 PM – 05:00 PM Hi Tea

 05:00 PM – 08:00 PM – Golconda Fort

Visit  the Golconda Fort with amazing Sound and Light Show. The Golkonda Fort used to have a vault where once the famous Koh-I-Noor and Hope diamonds were stored along with other diamonds

The Golconda Fort, originally built by the Kakatiya Rulers, has amazingly advanced acoustics systems that were used for signaling approaching enemy as well as for detecting conspiracies being hatched in palace corners. The Fort is also unique in the use of the natural boulders (that date back to a billion years), distinctive of the Deccan plateau, as foundation stones for the structure. This detour will trace the history of the Qutub Shahi dynasty which ruled Hyderabad between 1518 and 1687 AD.

The narrative will include stories of the rulers of this dynasty with a special emphasis on the love story between Mohd Quli Qutub Shah and Baghmati.

You will hear the story of Aurangzeb’s long and frustrating siege of the Golconda Fort.

08:00 PM – 09:00 PM – Dinner

Drop back at the hotel.

                                                                                                  Tour Ends