A few days’ stay in Hyderabad – perhaps in every place in India for that matter – will teach a visitor not to have expectations and to just go with the natural flow of things. This is what our group from Southeast Asia and Australia – led by Singapore Airlines public affairs executive Ravi Menon and Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces regional director of sales Ivy Ong – is about to learn as we embark on a tour of a city steeped in ironies, which are at times unsettling, but most of the time simply surprising.
To a certain degree, Hyderabad and its people have a lot of things in common with the Philippines and Filipinos. From the chatty airport personnel asking about our purpose for visiting, to the childlike curiosity of street vendors gawking at this noisy bunch of camera-toting tourists, to the rush-hour bottlenecks, the two cultures can easily compare notes and find a sense of camaraderie.
Downtown Hyderabad at daytime is one chaotic, albeit colorful, affair. Apart from the numerous motorcycles that constantly and dangerously weave in and out of traffic, the roads are peppered with the auto rickshaws, their three-wheeler version of cabs in cheerful yellow. Like our jeepneys, these auto rickshaws have a haphazard way of whizzing past rickety old buses and hundreds of cars stuck in the morning jam. Of course, India won’t be India without the bright saris in all imaginable shades worn by the women and all one has to do is look out the bus window and get an impromptu lesson in the many ways of wearing this traditional dress. As Gunjn Chanana, our amiable Singapore Airlines, public relations manager based in New Delhi, explains, the sari has a way of hiding unwanted flab.
Since majority of the population is Moslem, the city is dotted with mosques and Moorish architecture. Its famous landmark, the Charminar, stands tall and proud amid the bustling bazaars. Built over 400 years ago by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah as a thanksgiving to Allah for saving his people from a devastating plague, the Charminar directly faces the direction of Mecca. With four minarets rising to a height of 56.7 meters, the Charminar offers a 360-degree view of the city, specifically its famous Laad Bazaar, which is a must-see for its exquisitely designed lacquer bangles.
A walk through the surrounding areas of the famed landmark puts one right smack into the heart of the city and makes one wonder whether what’s happening all around is exactly how it happened hundreds of years ago. Except for the honking of cars, a sense of antiquity pervades all around – from the way the grapefruit vendor arranges his wares carefully on his makeshift wooden stand, to the hardened expression of a 12-year-old samosa vendor, the persistence of a man selling strings of pearl necklaces, old men sitting side by side near the entrance of Charminar and observing the goings-on, and down to the timid smile of a young woman carrying her sleeping baby and begging for alms. These people seem to flock to the place not only for trade, but also for what Charminar stands for – the comfort it gives to those seeking solace.
Like the Taj Mahal in Agra, the city of Hyderabad has romance attached to its name. The same Sultan who built Charminar fell in love with a much older Hindu courtesan named Bhagmati. Defying tradition, he married Bhagmati and proclaimed her queen, who later converted to Islam and took the name Hyder Mahal.
Also known as the Queen of the Deccan Plateau, Hyderabad is said to have a very different landscape from the rest of the subcontinent. A trip to the city’s outskirts will reveal huge natural rock formations – granite rocks delicately balanced on top of one another which, residents say, "no storm, no earthquake, and no flood have been able to dislodge."
This rocky landscape is never more evident than in Golconda Fort, a bastion founded on a granite hill in AD 1143 by a Kakatiyas king, after a young shepherd discovered the spot. It rises 400 feet above ground and a trek to the more than 200 stone steps should be taken at leisure. It’s quite amazing how the Fort was built over time, what with eight gates, or darwazas, standing over 25 feet high, and 84 semi-circular bastions 50 to 60 feet high. Going through its thick granite walls and walking over its rocky, uneven steps, one can’t help but imagine the sound of horses’ hooves and the marching of the Sultan’s soldiers patrolling the Fort. Demonstrating the excellent acoustics of the Fort, the guide claps his hands at the foot of the Fort and tells us that the sound can be heard at the top of the citadel, 61 meters above. It’s also interesting to note that the Fort’s outer walls can be seen sans the aid of binoculars seven kilometers away when viewed from the citadel.
The Fort has traces of the harmonious union between Islam and Hinduism including lotus carvings – an important symbol for Hindus – tucked in the mainly Moorish designs, and the presence of a Hindu temple near the Sultan’s Baradari or citadel, where he used to hold parties and an audience with his people.
The grandeur of the Golconda Fort remains despite the wear and tear – no thanks to vandals who seem to want a piece of immortality by carving their names on the ancient rocks. But just as these Fort visitors look back at the ancient walls for its rich past, so do the latter look on like silent witnesses to the passing of time.
Ironically – or maybe not, if one looks deeper still – holding fort in another part of the city is the lake of Hussain Sagar, which cradles a huge monolithic carving of the Buddha on a lotus pedestal despite the fact that the city has very few Buddhists. Rising 72 feet high and weighing 350 tons, it is the world’s tallest monolith. Certainly, a large portion of tourists that visit Andhra Pradesh are pilgrims who are either Moslems, Buddhists or Hindus. The state just welcomed a huge number of Buddhist pilgrims who trooped to nearby Amaravati for the Kalachakra initiation presided over by the Dalai Lama.
The Travel Agents Association of India, however, predicts that corporate tourists will soon be trooping to Hyderabad, which is becoming known as the next IT hub in India after Bangalore. A look-see at the so-called Hi-Tech City, or Cyderabad, reveals state-of-the-art buildings that house multinational companies and IT brands – a glaring contrast to all that Hyderabad used to be known for. However, like its tolerance for different kinds of religious beliefs, Hyderabad has no problem looking at development squarely in the eye. Remember what we said about going with the flow? Well, this is one city that swims with the endless flow of changes.
For leisure tourists, meanwhile, a three- to four-day trip to the city is enough time for them to immerse themselves in what the city has to offer. Many a pearl lover has gone gaga over this so-called Pearl City. One can buy ready-made items from stores or, if necessary, have store owners string new ones according to the customer’s specifications. The charm of Hyderabad as far as shopping is concerned lies in its quaint little shops around the corner where one can get personalized service and discounts. That, or go straight to the State Emporium for the region’s famous Bidri metal ware, filigree and the vibrantly-colored folk art called Kondapalli, which comes in a wide range of carved wooden figures from animals to objects to the familiar matrioshka dolls of Russia given an Indian twist.
It is a sin for a foodie to visit Hyderabad and not try its famous biryani. And we’re not kidding you, Hyderabad’s biryani – whether it’s chicken, lamb or vegetarian – are so… ah, there’s not even a word to describe its taste. Let’s just say that it’s love at first bite. A visitor suffering from insomnia perhaps due to jet lag can easily find a restaurant serving these goodies anytime from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.
First impressions will never last in Hyderabad for, as in our experience, every turn brings new twists, and every corner hides more surprises. It’s a city of contrasts and shared goals. A city that lovingly embraces its past and keeps its eyes open to a promising future. There’s something about the sight of a faithful walking barefoot up the altar to receive his blessings and the heady scent of sandalwood wafting from a nearby tree where puja offerings are made, with the sun setting behind the hill where the Baradari is located, that’s just so comforting, but not without a hint of melancholia. And there’s a sense of unbridled optimism and anticipation in the way its young IT personnel look to the city’s future. Like a lotus flower, Hyderabad is no doubt blooming with possibilities.