Gateway To The Deccan Highlands

Gateway to the Deccan HighlandsHyderabadA traditional South Indian hospitality awaits your expected arrival in Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad is the ideal South Indian city which hosts your Deccan Highlands Tour. On your arrival you will be transferred to a desired hotel of your choice. Our staff representative will assist you with the formalities of check in. Relax and settle down in the hotel. In the afternoon you will enjoy a sightseeing tour of the city.Later enjoy a sumptuous South Indian feast at the hotel and surrender yourself to a sound sleep to the cosy rooms of the hotel.On this your Andhra Pradesh Tour you will enjoy a morning excursion to the Golconda Fort. The Golconda Fort represents an inseparable part of Hyderabad history since 13th Century. Considered to be the best example of military architecture among Indian Forts, the Golconda Fort has been an ideal abode of many rulers. The wonderful Light & Sound show conducted in the fort offers a brief review of the affluent past of the city. After your enchanting feat in the Golconda Fort, return back to the hotel. Enjoy a sumptuous dinner and stay overnight at the hotel.Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh consists of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and is a bustling 400-year-old metropolis with an urban population of 6 million people approximately. Hyderabad is famous as the former seat of the fabulously wealthy Nizams of Hyderabad. Built on the banks of the river Musi, and surrounded by huge prehistoric rock formations like petrified, gray elephants.Hyderabad is a blend of the fairy tale and earthy, a pot pourri of old and new. Hyderabad, India's fifth-largest city was founded in 1590 by Muhammad Quli, the fourth of the Qutb Shahi kings. They ruled this part of the Deccan from 1512 until 1687. Before founding Hyderabad, the Qutab Shahi kings ruled from the forted city of Golconda, 11 km to the west. After Aurangzeb's death in 1707, Mughal control over this part of India rapidly waned and the Asaf Jahi viceroys who had been installed to look after the interests of the Mughal Empire broke away to establish their own independent state.The city of smiles, of lights, of a thousand faces. Endearingly called the Pearl City, Hyderabad offers a variety of tourist attractions ranging from Heritage monuments, Lakes and Parks, Gardens and Resorts, Museums to delectable cuisine and a delightful shopping experience. Some of the tourist attractions include...CharminarThe Charminar is as much the signature of Hyderabad as the Taj Mahal is of Agra or the Eiffel Tower is of Paris. Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah, the founder of Hyderabad, built Charminar in 1591 at the centre of the original city layout. It was said to be built as a charm to ward off a deadly epidemic raging at that time. Four graceful minarets soar to a height of 48.7m. above the ground. Charminar has 45 prayer spaces and a mosque in it. Visitors can view the architectural splendour inside the Charminar. The monument is illuminated in the evenings and a pedestrianisation project around the monument is under implementation.Golconda FortGolconda is one of the famous forts of India. The name originates from the Telugu words "Golla Konda" meaning "Shepherd's Hill". The origins of the fort can be traced back to the Yadava dynasty of Deogiri and the Kakatiyas of Warangal. Golconda was originally a mud fort, which passed to the Bahmani dynasty and later to the Qutb Shahis, who held it from 1518 to 1687 A.D. The first three Qutb Shahi kings rebuilt Golconda, over a span of 62 years. The fort is famous for its acoustics, palaces, ingenious water supply system and the famous Fateh Rahben gun, one of the cannons used in the last siege of Golconda by Aurangzeb, to whom the fort ultimately fell.Sound & Light Show at Golconda FortThe glorious past of Golconda Fort is narrated effectively with matchless Sound and Light effects. The unique Sound & Light Show takes you right back in time, when Golconda was full of life, glory and grandeur.Qutb Shahi TombsThe tombs of the legendary Qutb Shahi kings lie about a kilometre away from Banjara Darwaza of the Golconda Fort. Planned and built by the Qutb Shahis themselves, these tombs are said to be the oldest historical monuments in Hyderabad. They form a large group and stand on a raised platform. The tombs are built in Persian, Pathan and Hindu architectural styles using grey granite, with stucco ornamentation, the only one of its kind in the world where an entire dynasty has been buried at one place.Mecca MasjidA two hundred yards southwest of the Charminar is the Mecca Masjid, so named because the bricks were brought from Mecca to build the central arch. The Qutb Shahis never finished the building of the mosque, which was completed by Aurangzeb in 1694. Mecca Masjid is poetry in stone, with a hall measuring 67m and soaring to a height of 54m. Fifteen graceful arches - five to each of the three sides, support the roof. Towards the southern end of the mosque lie the marble graves of members of the Asaf Jahi dynasty.Legislative AssemblyBuilt in 1913, the building was originally the Hyderabad Town hall. The architecture is a synthesis of Rajasthani and Persian styles, with an all white, aesthetic look. Located adjoining the picturesque Public Gardens, a massive statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a sitting posture is erected at the entrance park to the Assembly.WarangalThe city was once the heartland of Telugu culture. The capital of the Kakatiya rulers. Warangal today contains some of the best forms of architecute, especially in temples.The 1000-pillar temple and the Ramappa temple in the district are glowing examples of the exquisite architecture patronized by the Kakatiyas.Warangal city today is part of a cluster of three towns - Warangal, Kazipet and Hanamkonda, the district headquarters. Attraction in the city are Planetarium, Musical Garden, Rock garden, Archeological Museum, Samskriti Vihar.The district is also known of its picturesque lakes, hand-woven thick cotton fibre carpets, scroll painting done on cloth in earth colours mainly at Cheriyal nearby, and sheet-metal artistry at Pembarti.