ANDHRA PRADESH

A land replete with history and legend and endowed with an equable climate and above all hospitable people. A land with rich cultural heritage of Literature, Art, Music, Dance & Drama, it abounds in magnificent monuments which breathe history, lakes and beaches which exude charm and beauty, wild life sanctuaries with majestic Animal Kingdom, Great Ancient Temples, Mosques and Churches and of course, the Modern Temples of Trade.

This State with an area of 2,75,068 Sq. Km. and a population of about 6 ½ Crores, occupies a strategic position in the country map linking the north and the south. The State sprawls across a greater part of Deccan Plateau, sloping down to embrace the sedate waters of the Bay of Bengal. Andhra Pradesh was formed on 1-11-1956 as a result of the integration of nine Telugu districts of the erstwhile Hyderabad State with the then Andhra State.

This is a State with a synthesis of different Cultures. Andhra Pradesh is blessed with beautiful countryside, watered by thirty four rivers which include the Krishna and Godavari, and commands, a coastline of nearly 1000 kms. This is the land of rocks, forests, hills, lush green fields, water falls, lakes and golden beaches washed by sea. It is rightly said, “Visiting Andhra Pradesh is Visiting Miniature India.”

THE STATE AT A GLANCE

Area             :          2.75,068 sq kms.
Literacy            :          45.11%
Language      :          Telugu, Urdu, Hindi and English
Capital          :          Hyderabad
Districts        :          23
Airports     :          Hyderabad, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam.
Weather        :        Best time to visit is between November and March.

Summer temperature varies 20⁰C - 41⁰C Winter 13⁰C - 32⁰C. Rainy season is June to December.

About our Hyderabad

Founded by Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah of Golconda in 1561. Hyderabad was built on the Southern bank of the river Musi. According to legend, Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah built it for the love of the beautiful Bhagmati whom he titled “Hyder Mahal”. The City was then named after her.

The city fell in 1687, to the Emperor Aurangzeb, a defeat which marked the end of Qutb Shahi dynasty. After Aurangzeb’s death in 1707, his Viceroy in Hyderabad, Asaf Jah, declared independence. He founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty which spanned seven generations and included some of the richest men in the world. The Asaf Jahi Nizams rules till 1948, when the state was merged with the Indian Union.

In 1798, an area north of the Hussain Sagar lake was made a cantonment. This was the result of an alliance signed between the Nizam and the British East India Company for military and political Co-operation. The Cantonment was named Secunderabad after the then Nizam, Sikander Jah. Both Hyderabad and Secunderabad grew hand in hand as twins. One of the few Twin Cities of the World, Hyderabad can be aptly, described as to Budapest of India. A Sheet of water, Hussain Sagar, Separates the Twin Cities, like the Blue Danube.

Hyderabad, often called “The gateway to the south”, blends the North and South Indian identities. Yet, from both it has developed a distinct personality of its own. To the traveler, Hyderabad offers a fascinating panorama of he past, with a richly mixed cultural and historical tradition spanning over 400 colourful years. Hyderabad is a cosmopolitan city, where the Moghul Garndeur lies side by side with modernity, where art and architecture, the life and way of living of the people, has a distinctive stamp of its own. Hyderabad is a blend of the fairy tale and the earthy, a port pourri of old and new. Banjaran Gypsies in swinging skirts and silver ornaments and black-veiled burqa-swathed women rub shoulders with lively, modern working women dress in Chooridars of Jeans.

Hyderabad is proud of many things:

The City’s pace of life – serene & leisurely, the ways of its people – gracious, the culture-rich & varied, the people-warm & hospitable, the cuisine & fruits varied and splendid, its language has melody, its riches known throughout the world and its style envied by many, its present, making it a delightful city with a lot to offer : History, Culture, Entertainment, Crafts and above all a great holiday.

PEARLS OF HYDERABAD

Charminar : 7 Km.
Often called “The Arc de triomphe of the East”. Charminar was built by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah to appease the forces of evil savaging his new city with epidemic of plague. The four graceful minarets soar to height to 48.7 Mts. each, above the ground. With in the Charminar are 45 prayer spaces and a mosque. The Charminar is illuminated daily form 1900 to 2100 hrs.

Birla Mandir : 1 Km.
This beautiful white marble temple of Lord Venkateshwara is built on one of the Hillocks, the kala Pahad, the other hillock being the Naubat Pahad. This exquisite temple has great sculptural excellency and a profusely carved ceiling. It is beautiful sight at night when it is illuminated, standing against the dar sky.

Timings:           7 a.m. to 12 noon
                    3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Golconda Fort : 13 Km.
Standing atop an isolated hill this fort, spread over a radius of 3 Km. now lies deserted. This legendary fort, once famous for its diamond market, is the proud producer of the Kohinoor diamond. The massive structure with a walled enclosure, with eight gates, originally belonged to the Kakatiya’s who ruled from Warangal. They ceded it to the Brahmanis, who changed its mud construction into masony. The fort then passed into the hands of the successors of the Bahmanis, the Qutb Shahis. The fort is famous for its acoustic effects in built in the architectural design, whereby a clapping of hands at the entry gate can be heard at the top of the fort, some 61 meters high. The fort was captured by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in his second attempt (1687 A.D.). The fort was also famous for its ingenious water supply system ad the famous Fateh Rahben Gun, one of the cannons used in the last siege of Golconda by Aurangzeb.

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