Hyderabad: The city of Pearls

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Namaste! It is an amazing feeling for us to share our heritage with you. The INDIAN SUBCONTINENT has always mesmerized travelers from around the world since ages! And we hope with our editions of TravNama, this journey through the rich culture of India subcontinent is keeping you inspired. So, here we are with the next edition that will take you through “Hyderabad: The city of Pearls”.


The 400-year-old walled city of Nizams, Hyderabad, is located in Deccan plateau on the banks of River Musi. Dotted with numerous historical structures and splendid architecture, it is a perfect blend of old and new. The multifaceted city is famous for many things. The most noted among them are the precious and amazing diamonds Kohinoor, Nassak, and Hope. Yes, you got it right Hyderabad is credited for the origin of these diamonds. In fact the city had been a hub of diamonds and pearls in its hey days, which also made it famous as the ‘City of pearls’. The city saw its glorious days during the regime of the Qutb Shahi dynasty (1518–1687) and Nizams (Asaf Jahi dynasty, 1724 – 1948). As we gradually unfold the curtains while exploring the city rich with history, culture, and tradition, one will discover many more “jewels” of the city than just “pearls”. The present-day city is famous as an IT hub and is also epitheted as ‘Cyberabad’.

The charming city changed hands many times. Let us take a peek into the history and begin with the Kakatiya dynasty from 1158, who built the initial structure of the iconic Golkonda Fort in 13th Century. The massive fort built on a 120-meter high granite hill was rebuilt and expanded many a times by successive rulers. By 1518, the reigns of Hyderabad came under the control of Qutb Shahi dynasty, who rebuilt the mud fort.

The mighty fort is known for its brilliant architecture and engineering. To exemplify one such extra ordinary feat is its acoustic system, wherein a sound of clap at the entrance of the fort reaches up to 01 km away to the highest point.

Thanks to such innovations, it took Mughal invader Aurangzeb eight months to capture the fort. The summit of the fort offers a panoramic view of the city.

As the city started growing, the fourth sultan Ibrahim Quli Qutb built a manmade lake in 1563 to meet water requirements of the city. The lake fed by the Musi River was designed by Hussain Shah Wali and thus named after him as Hussain Sagar Lake. Spread across 5.7 kms, this beautiful lake adds to the beauty of the city and connects with Secunderabad, which was once a British cantonment. To add charm, the bund on the side of the lake is adorned with a green area. The lightening around the park forms the shape of the Necklace in the evening, which is similar to that of Marine drive of Mumbai.

This necklace road has a large lush green park on the other side, thus making the area ideal for hangout. The main attraction of the lake is the 18-meter-high monolithic statue of Lord Buddha located in the middle of the lake. It took for 200 sculptors around two years to chisel out from a white granite rock.

INTERESTING FACT: You must be aware about Bollywood industry of India, but do you know that Hyderabad has the second-largest motion picture producer industry called Tollywood, which is based on the local Telugu language.

With time, trade and commerce flourished because of ‘Kollar mines’ and the city rose to its prominence as a hub of diamond and pearl trade. The rapid growth of the city attracted many people to come and settle here and thus a need arose to expand & decongest the Golconda Fort. The fifth Qutb Shahi ruler, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, chose the land outside the fortification of Golconda on the banks of Musi River and built a new city named Bhagyanagar, which was later, renamed as Hyderabad. Golconda and the newly built city were connected with a 183 metre long and 11 metre broad bridge called Pooranapul. This bridge was built around 16 metres above the river bed and had 22 arches. Today it is no more in use but still standing tall for more than 400 years and narrating stories of the past surrounding its construction and how the city was named. As per a famous folklore, Muhammad Quli fell in love with a courtesan Baghmati, who lived across the river. He used to cross the river to meet her and sensing the risk of floods, his father constructed the bridge (Pooranapul) over the river. Later Muhammad Quli married Bhagmati and built the city on the same spot where she lived and named the city as Bhagyamati after her. After the marriage, Bhagmati converted to Islam and received a new name Hyder Mahal, after whom the name of the city was changed to Hyderabad.

The new city was adorned with many beautiful monuments and the most prominent among them is Charminar, which was built in 1591 and lies in the centre of the city.

The mosque on the topmost floor of four minarets is historically as well as religiously significant. To reach the top of this 56 meters high structure, one needs to climb around 149 winding steps. The prominent landmark of the city is also a site of many religious festival celebrations.

INTERESTING FACT: One of the many theories states that Charminar was built to commemorate victory over Cholera, which was spread across the city at that time.

As soon as the work started for building Charminar, the construction of one of the largest mosques in the country Mecca Masjid also started, but the latter took around 100 years to complete.

Interestingly the bricks made up of soil from Mecca were used in the central arc of the mosque, which resulted in its name as Mecca Masjid.

Another important place which is worth mentioning is, Qutb Shahi Tombs, where all the Qutb Shahi rulers were buried. This complex built in 16th and 17th century contains tombs and mosques reflecting Hindu, Persian, Deccan, and Pathan architecture and are of varying sizes with single and double stories.

Watch a video on Qutb Shahi Tombs.

The rapid growth of the city also attracted invaders, which led to the decline of Qutb Shahis and the city lost its glory gradually. But fate could not hold fortune of the city for a long time and it bounced back dazzling in the reigns of Nizams, who remained friendly with the Mughals as well as the British. It was during their time that Hyderabad became one of the richest regions, which had its own currency mint, railways, and postal system. The last and seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan was listed in the year 1937 as one of the richest person of the world. Hyderabad was considered the largest princely state in India during the regime of Nizams referred to as the Asaf Jahi dynasty. They had seven rulers until the annexure of the princely state to India in 1948.

To get an idea about the expansive lifestyle of Nizams, one must visit Chowmohalla Palace (built in 1880s), which still reflects their opulence. As the name 'Chow' translates, it has four palaces and was used as the official residence of Nizams and for their ceremonies and accessions.

The Palace is unique in style, architecture, and elegance and exhibits various artefacts and vintage cars.

The treaties with the British made Nizams to pay heavy annual tribute, which also drained huge amount of their funds. However, they got the wisest Prime Minister, Salarjung, who brought many administrative reforms and thus uplifted their economy. He was succeeded by four members to serve the Nizams. They safeguarded the artefacts, and various collections of the Nizam family, which are now exhibited in Salarjung Museum (established in 1951).

One of the largest museums in the world, it is housed in around 100 years' old Dewan Devdi palace, which was once the residence of the Salarjung family. Take a look at the collection of rare artefacts at Salarjung museum in this short video.

A visit to this Pearl City will be incomplete without a treat to the mouth-watering local delicacies. Hyderabadi Biryani is one among them. A kind of single pot rice dish cooked with a variety of meats or vegetables using various herbs and spices, the name of Biryani is synonymous with Hyderabad.

Few more dishes and beverages which are also famous for their traditional way of cooking apart from their unique taste and worth trying here are Pathar ka gosht, Talawa gosht, Iran Tea and Karachi biscuits. Take a look at the diverse cuisine of the city of Nizams in this video.
INTERESTING FACT: Hyderabad is famous for its handicrafts, literature, and cuisines, for which it is also listed as a UNESCO creative city of gastronomy.

Dotted with the relics of Qutb Shahi and Nizam rulers, the city emerged as a significant centre of oriental culture. We invite you to come and indulge in the intriguing stories and amazing places to visit when you are here! With us, the itinerary is not just a travel route or a trip. We design, conceptualize and handcraft every journey for you. Our bespoke itineraries and curated experiences in different destinations are what make for those memorable travel moments.