Top Five Places to Visit in Hyderabad, India

Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, India, is a great tourist destination. Hyderabad is filled with historic monuments like Charminar, Qutub Shahi Tombs and many other monuments. Apart from these, there are several other things to see in Hyderabad such as beautiful gardens, lakes, temples, museums, Ramoji film city etc. It is really difficult to choose the best five of them.
I am listing here the first five attractions which impressed me a lot, during my recent visit to this City of Pearls..

Ramoji Film City is the world's largest Film Studio Complex, where you can enjoy many attractions, Shows, Rides, Restaurants and Shopping. It is place for all age group to have great fun. The film city is set on 9000 acres (36 kms) of land, as certified by Guinness World Records. It is the ultimate leisure destination for holidays, honeymooners, corporate conferences, events, theme parties, adventure camps, family picnics and grand weddings. You can also learn about the magic of film making world. All these features made it a popular tourist destination and it is located on Hyderabad-Vijayawada road (NH9 highway,) about 25 km from Hyderabad city. Photography is permitted and you can click to your heart's content.

The Salar Jung Museum is a repository of rare objects from nearly all over the world, right from Europe to the Far Eastern nations in Asia. The magnificent museum is located on the southern bank of River Musi. Nawab Yousuf Ali Khan, Salar Jung III, the last patron of the Nawabs, is responsible for the maximum collection, conservation and preservation of the articles. Among the many galleries, my favorites were Clock gallery, European porcelain gallery and Rebecca gallery where the 19th century statue, made in a single piece of white marble, is very impressive. Another great attraction is the 19th century Musical clock, which was made in England, but assembled in Calcutta. This museum houses more than 40,000 objects belonging to different civilisations, dating back to the first century, and it is divided into different sections such as Indian Art, Children's Art, Middle Eastern Art, Far Eastern Art and European Art.

Golconda Fort fort is Eight kilometers in circumference, is one of the well preserved Forts of India. It has eight gateways, 48 tunnels, 87 turrets and pails. The massive fort had excellent echoing system which was then used as message passing system. With the help of a guide, even now you can experience the echoing system. Built by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah in 1525, this majestic monument lies on the western outskirts of the city, perched on a 120 meter high granite hill,as an epitome of Nawabi culture and grandeur. This well-planned, magnificent fort was famous for diamond trade during the hey-days.

Birla Mandir in Hyderbad, one of the many temples of architectural magnificence built by Birlas in the country, is located in Adarsh Nagar  on a hillock called Kala Pahad, built on white marbles, is a great place to visit.   It is a blend of South Indian, Rajasthani and Utkala temple architectures. The temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara, and His consorts Padmavati and Andal are housed in separate shrines. The brass flagstaff in the premises rises to 42 ft in height.  The panoramic view from the top overlooking the southern side of Hussain Sagar Lake is amazing. The illuminated temple at night is spectacular. Birla Mandir is open to all.

Built over 200 years ago, the magnificent Chowmohalla Palace was once the seat the Asaf Sahi dynasty. It is a replica of Shah's palace in Teheran, Iran. Chowmohalla means four palace, and it consists of four palaces namely Afzal Mahal, Mahtab Mahal, Tahniyat Mahal and Aftab Mahal. The Aftab Mahal is the grandest of them all and is a two storied building with a European façade of Corinthian columns and a parapet without pediment. The Chowmohalla Palace extends from the Laad Bazaar on the north to the Aspan Chowk Road on the south. It was originally covered 45 acres but today only 12 acres remain. There is a lot to see in this magnificent palace of Hyderabad including vintage cars and horse carriages of those days.

Hyderabad is the city of Sultans and is famous for its aromatic cuisine like biriyani. Apart from this, Hyderabad is also famous for exquisite jewelry, pearls and embroidered clothing. There are several places for shopping in the city. Even they are available to purchase online.