The name Bhagmati seems quite famous in Hyderabad; though we didn’t meet any ladies with this name, there are shops named Bhagmati and even saw a boat named Bhagmati at the pier on the Hussain Sagar lake in the Lumbini Park.
What’s in a name, you may ask? For Hyderabad it translates to it’s genesis. Golconda was the capital of the Qutub Shahi dynasty which ruled the Deccan of the Indian sub-continent for nearly two centuries. Hyderabad was established subsequently as an alternative settlement for the people by the ruler Muhammad Quli Qutub Shahi. The Muslim ruler was besotted with his Hindu queen Bhagmati and named the new city Bhagyanagar (city of good fortune) after his queen, with the iconic Charminar at it’s centre. As per the legend, she later converted to Islam and was given the title Hyder Maha and the city was subsequently called Hyderabad.
From Bangalore, we could drive down to Hyderabad; the 9 hour drive was not worth the effort as we had only 3 days and 2 days would be spent on road. So we decided to fly and luckily the fares were cheap. December is a good time to visit Hyderabad, the weather is pleasant, chilly mornings and evenings.
Our stay was booked at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel at Banjara Hills. The room rent was decent, the stay comfortable and service good. But…there is a but, the hotel was decked up for the holiday season and the decorations were tired looking, worn out and no effort seem to have been put. The big tree, the cotton snow and the presents looked like they were just thrown in. The paper lanterns were falling apart at the seams. Usually hotels take care on their presentation, no effort seen here. So no photos of the lobby, the room was comfortable. The view was the lobby.
Here’s the itinerary for 3 days in Hyderabad:
Day #1
2:00 pm – Arrival in Hyderabad and check-in at hotel. Lunch from hotel.
5:00 pm – Catch the light and sound show at the Golconda Fort
8:00 pm – Visit Laad Baazar and Charminar. Dinner at hotel
Day #2
10:00 am – Breakfast at hotel and shopping at Ikea. Lunch at Ikea.
4:00 pm – Leave all the shopping at hotel
6:30 pm – Lumbini Park on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake and catch the laser show at 7:00 pm. Dinner at hotel.
Day #3
10:00 am – Breakfast at hotel and visit to Salar Jung Museum
1:00 pm – Visit the Chowmahalla Palace
4:00 pm – Back at hotel, grab some snacks and a late check out. Catch the flight out.
We didn’t experiment much in terms of food this time. There was so much to see and esp. on day 3 we were so short of time. All the travelling was done by Ola and Uber. The Salar Jung Museum and the Chowmahalla Palace remain closed on Fridays and our Day #2 was a Friday, so a full day devoted to Ikea.
More later, till next post, take care !!
Happy travelling !!
