Hyderabad trip

This post should have been before the Ganapati festival .



We had planned to go to Hyderabad sometime , to stay with Rahul . I noticed that 15th August , a public holiday came on a Friday so we all had a long weekend .We left by the Devgiri Express --an overnight journey through Nasik , Aurangabad , Nanded ,entering Andhra Pradesh at about 11 am next day---on the way I noticed the landscape was full of rocks piled up in a unique way ---was it a specialty of Andhra Pradesh ?

Rahul and Jean had come to pick us up .After resting in Rahul's apartment we went to Jean's house for dinner. Next day we had planned a trip to the Salar Jung Museum ,Chaar Minar and then to see the Hussein Sagar lake.

On the way to the museum we went through the sprawling campus of Osmania University .I was pleasantly thrilled when told that each faculty had its own beautiful structure and a lot of surrounding green campus .The roads were wide and clean---conducive atmosphere for studying , thoughts did go back to Mumbai and the few privileged colleges and institutions that have clean green campuses.

Salar Jung Museum is really well done up after the renovations as told to me . We had a lovely time enjoying the collections and especially the marble sculptures of Rebecca. It is a pity that for security reasons we are not allowed cameras inside. The veiled statue of Rebecca is something out of the world , simply unbelievable . How can one possibly carve out a marble stone and give a transparent effect of a veil on a lady , even the facial features were excellent ---no words can describe it , one has to see it.

Next was the visit to Chaar Minar--- oh what congestion on the roads----did not miss Mumbai here -- typical of Girgaum , Kalbadevi and Bhendi Bazaar area.

I had read and heard a lot about this structure and was happy to be on top of it than at the congested ground level.

We could see most of the tall structures of Hyderabad City like some Government buildings , a famous Hospital , a Software company offices--can't recollect the names--- and in the distant the Golconda Fort. From the top was also visible the famous Mecca Masjid , which we visited next and where an explosion had taken place a few years ago.

Next halt was for a sumptuous Hyderabadi Biryani and then onto the pride of the city --- the man made ' The Hussein Sagar Lake ' . This area is wonderfully done up .

It was conceptualized during the time of the popular chief minister Mr.NT Rama Rao and was completed in the time of the next popular CM Mr.Chandrababu Naidu. This lake has a garden ,children play area and eatery stalls to the north, the small boat ride jetty was closed for maintenance.

To the south is the Lumbini Park area---

--another site of the bomb blast a few years ago--- where apart from the gardens there is a jetty for big launch rides . Well it was time to go back home after a tiring but enjoyable day .We also had to leave back for Thane the next day afternoon .We returned to Secunderabad from the southern point of the lake so that we could pass the statue of Buddha in the Lake .As we cruised along I could manage to click a beautifully lit Buddha statue in the backdrop of the lake.

Bye bye to Hyderabad --till the next visit.