The Osman Sagar, Hyderabad was a captivating place and I may have spent a lot of time pondering there, for by the time I returned to Aditya Park- a Sarovar Portico Hotel, it was already evening.
My first few days in Hyderabad and I was already enjoying the city too much, its inherent vibes, the culture and the little snippets, which I observed the moment I hit the streets. As a habitual early riser, I have been waking up way too late; I guess it is the effect of the vacations and its free spirit. Breakfast in Hyderabad is a treat with mouthwatering delicacies, which will surely add to my weight I knew, yet I was indulging without any guilt whatsoever. This day, I had rented a car to take me to the Osman Sagar, Hyderabad, which I am told is an artificial lake that once used to be the chief water reservoir for the purposes of drinking water for the city of Hyderabad, but now remains more as a spot for recreational activities. The drive to the Osman Sagar was rather uneventful, for once the peaceful environment had calmed me and I was deep in my own thoughts. There was so much to do in life, learn experience, achieve and give and though I had covered some of my present journey in Hyderabad, my journey in life had barely begun. There were very many years to go but almost all the time it felt as though there was so much to do and so little time. I was interrupted by the halt of the car and I realized that I had reached my destination. I was quite impressed by the beautiful vast expanse of the water that lay ahead of me. It was as though it depicted the expanse of work that lay ahead of me. I braced myself - this was going to be rewarding for sure. The lake is the result of the dam on the River Musi. Despite the morning heat, a soft breeze was blowing and it caressed me as I stood admiring the scene in front of me. Often, the breeze caused a stir in the waters and the reflection of the morning sun too danced with it.
The Osman Sagar, Hyderabad was a captivating place and I may have spent a lot of time pondering there, for by the time I returned to Aditya Park- a Sarovar Portico Hotel, it was already evening.
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The beauty of the Golconda Fort was still afresh in my mind and its indelible mark in the history of the region too. But Hyderabad is not only all about a singular fort; it is a kaleidoscope of structures, buildings and a confluence of cultures. With each morning and day, a new aspect of Hyderabad, a new chapter unfolds and presents itself. I had simply engaged my senses and was in tune with the city - Hyderabad. This day was reserved to attend the Charminar, Hyderabad. Standing majestically along the bank of the River Musi, the place is enclosed with the Makkah Masjid on one side and the famous Laad Bazaar on the other. True to its name, the Charminar has char minar or four minarets, which have bulbous domes and tall arches done with accurate proportions. I took the local commute and had no difficulty locating the place. The Charminar was an inseparable part of the life of the Hyderabadis. The grandeur of the bygone eras do not pause for the world, the mortal Kings and Queens do not survive but the proof of their greatness remains through great works of theirs and this monument was a live example of the same. There are many theories that claim to be the reason for the construction of this very important building. Some say that it had been built to mark the eradication of plague and others maintain that it was built in 1591 to celebrate the beginning of the second Islamic Millennium Year. Yet, whatever the reason it may be, the Charminar is a monument that people come from faraway places to see and admire.
The Charminar, Hyderabad seemed to be made of granite and limestone. There is also a mosque on one end while the remainder of the roof is said to have been the court of Qutub Shahi. The Friday prayer takes place here with much fanfare and the place is huge enough to accommodate a large number of people. Time beckoned me to move on and I proceeded to the Osman Sagar, Hyderabad for my next tryst with the attractions of Hyderabad. Bhongir Fort Hyderabad : I enjoyed the visit to Bhongir Fort of Hyderabad. Enjoy visiting historical monuments and witnessing stony structures. I believe they all hide countless tales. I even clicked numerous pictures. It was built in The 10th century by a Chalukya ruler. It is named Tribhuvanagiri after the Chalukya ruler Tribhuvanagiri Vikramaditya 4.
I do not believe in half-hearted trips. While in Hyderabad, I had come well-prepared with all my information about the various places that were worth visiting in the city. So for the sightseeing options, the first and foremost place that I wanted to visit was the Golconda Fort, Hyderabad. Golconda is also known as Golla Konda, which means Shepherd’s Hill. As the erstwhile capital of the Golconda Sultanate, this fort finds its location 11 kilometers away from Hyderabad in the western direction and is more famous because of the various priceless diamonds that were once a part of the vault of the Golconda Fort. Based on the fort plan of the Vijayawada’s Kondapalli Fort, this fort was constructed for the western defenses of the Kakatiyas. The place was at its zenith when it was the capital in the 16th century of the Qutub Shahi Kingdom. The Qutubs expanded the fort and were patrons of the flourishing diamond trade, which was the focal point of the fort. Just as the Bahmani Sultanate lost its hold over the Golconda region to the Qutub Dynasty, in the same manner the Qutubs lost Golconda to the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb. Apart from this historical and political lineage, the city and the fort of Golconda is also known for the diamond trade, which was because of the vicinity of the diamond mines from where the famous Kohinoor diamond and the Hope diamonds were found. We entered the Fort through the Fateh Darwaza and I desperately wanted to check the acoustic effect first hand. A clap sound at this point reverberated to the highest point of the fort, which was unique to the fort designed to warn against potential army. Such was the architectural prowess of the fort! There was a world of other things that could be seen at the Golconda Fort, Hyderabad. I checked out the fort adorned with impregnable walls, mosques, temples, magazines, stables and royal rooms, so much still remained to be covered in such a little time, which I felt pressed for time. Since I had to proceed to the Charminar Hyderabad, I decided to wrap up at the Fort.
My Bus Travel from Chennai to Hyderabad by Orange Tours & Travels - An Unforgettable Journey6/20/2014 Studies have always been very important for me. I know that hard work and dedication are the only two things that can help me succeed in life and I would never compromise on either of them just as I cannot compromise on my chosen vacations. Just when the burden gets a little stressful, I embark on these little expeditions, holiday permitting of course, and explore the places that I have been longing to visit. My friend and partner in crime is my favorite SLR - my 20th Birthday gift, which is very close to my heart. I have had my share of travel and they have been the most enriching experiences of my life. Likewise, with my bus travel from Chennai to Hyderabad by Orange Tours & Travels, I expect nothing but the best experiences that will forever remain embedded in my heart and ensconced in my photo journal through my camera. The fine art of planning for a holiday ensures that there is no problem while travelling to distant lands. I always insist on research and proper investigations before I ascertain my journeys. The timings of the bus departure, the amount of time spent during the journey and the travel company I am dealing with are all important criteria for a pleasant and safe journey. Although, with Orange Tours & Travels, there have never been any cause for complaints. My bus to Hyderabad would leave by 8 in the night and the trip was to take close to 12 hours but since most of the journey would be spent sleeping in the comfortable coach, there was absolutely no trouble at all. The next morning by 8, I was expected to reach my destination. I was excited beyond words and had spent a considerable time packing thoughtfully for the trip. My bus travel from Chennai to Hyderabad by Orange Tours & Travels was my ticket to a few days of complete break from work, assignments, preparations and the grilling schedule. I intended to make the most of it and my first sightseeing schedule was also set - the Golconda Fort, Hyderabad. Equipped with enthusiasm and armed with my SLR, I began.
Any college-goer like me would agree to it that at some point of time, student life gets tedious and too boring. Forget about having fun and frolicking around, tight studying schedule does not even give me a chance to catch up with movies or chill out at malls. That is why, this semester-end I have decided to spend the vacation in the unique way. I am going all the way to Mumbai! This will be my first time to explore the City of Dreams and some of my friends have given their nod for Mumbai Escape, name of our unofficial tour! First of the things we are looking forward in the city is hanging out at Essel World Mumbai. I grew up watching its televised advertisements and it was since childhood that I wanted to be there! Now is our time to enjoy to the max as we have learned that Essel World is a place where one gets the best of enjoyment and recreation. To top it all, there are tons of rides and attractions, just waiting to be explored! Essel World is a huge theme park located on Gorai Island, Borivli. Getting there is easy - there is rail, road, and water transport available as well. The wonderful theme park is well equipped with huge and adrenaline pumping roller coasters and rides. Besides, Essel World also has Mumbai’s largest ice-skating rink, temperature of which is maintained at spine-chilling 4 degree centigrade. Apart from all of it, I am too excited to check out the “so-called” horror ride Monsters in the Mist. I have looked it up online and acquired information that it was inaugurated in 2010 by none other than the popular VJ, Ranvijay. It is entitled as India’s scariest ride, cannot wait to get on it! Essel World is surrounded by Vajreshwari, Vasai Fort, and Mahavir Dham, which are as well considered as prime tourist spots in Mumbai. So, I am planning to hit there too. Just waiting for the vacations, Mumbai here I come!
Cathedral Church of Gudhiyari, Raipur : This is cathedral church of Gudhiyari. We were bored and exhausted after continuous travelling so we decided to take a break on Sunday to chill out. A friend of mine found this church on Google. So we decided to check it out. We attended the sunday masses, talked with the priest and parishioners. They even gave us some travel advice for our raipur trip.
It was the eighth and final day of my stay in Chhattisgarh. So far I had a splendid time in the state which had impressed me with each of its resources. The waterfalls, wildlife abodes, dams, adventure spots are truly overwhelming here at Chhattisgarh and that was the reason why I chose to come here by covering such a long distance from Chennai to Raipur. As I came here via train, I had decided to depart by flight. I went to the Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur for my departure. The airport is located in the Mana region of Raipur, and therefore it was earlier known as Mana Airport. The airport is modernized recently and in the year 2012, by the Government’s proposal the tag of Swami Vivekananda was provided to the airport. The name of the airport is dedicated to Swami Vivekananda as the saint had lived in Raipur for 2 years during his adolescence.
There are several domestic airlines such as Air India, Indigo, Jet Airways, Spice Jet and Kingfisher Airlines operating from this hub. The Indian cities to which these domestic airlines connect are Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Indore, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Delhi and Bhopal. There are few international carriers which serve transportation to Singapore, Bangkok, New York, Dubai and Qatar. The non-scheduled airlines of the airport are Chattisgarh Air Link and Air Odisha. These former airlines connect to Bilaspur, Jashpur, Ambikapur, Korba, Bilaspur and Raigarh while the later connects to only Bhubaneswar. New integrated terminals have been constructed in the year 2012 which provides the overall airport the quintessential characteristics of an international air plane depot. There are 2 aero bridges, 3 security check points, 2 x-ray machines for luggage scanning and 3 conveyor belts for the easy transport of goods and luggage of the passengers. I had my flight back to Chennai in the evening. Before I made my way back to Chennai, I had reached at the airport a little earlier which made me go round the depot and take a look at different operations of the airport. I had a good experience all over there and therefore I decided to pen down here. Swami Vivekanada's Statue at Vivekanand Sarovar : We reclined for some time at the Vivekananda Sarovar. The place has a fine statue of Swami Vivekananda. I have always been a fan of Vivekananda's teachings. The garden is a fine place if you wish to enjoy solace in the evening time. Many people come to walk here in the morning time.
After having spent a splendid day in the Kutumsar Caves near the Kanger Valley, on the next day I decided to make a trip to the Mahanadi River coasts. It was the seventh and most probably the last day of my stay in Chhattisgarh as I had decided to make a visit to the Swami Vivekananda Airport on the last day and leave the place. As the name suggests, Mahanadi means ‘large river’ in Hindi and it is one of the largest rivers of the country. The river flows with a length of 900 kilometers on a totality and the catchment basin is of 132, 100 square kilometers approximately. The river flows amidst the states of Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The Mahanadi River’s exact origin is yet to be identified; however through the recent surveys it has been found out that the source of the river is somewhere in Chhattisgarh. The eastern parts of the capital of Chhattisgarh that is Raipur hosts the initial 80 kilometers. The place around the river has rocky and sandy terrains. The confluence of the river with other rivers makes it a perfect place for small gathering. Local people find the place to be much alluring as they tend to spend a good quality time with loved ones. In Chhattisgarh, the river meets its first tributary in a place called Seonath. The river in this part of the country is quite thin as it is the place of origin. The major parts of the river are seen at its mouth which is found in Odisha. The river combines with Hasdeo and Jonk Rivers in Chhattisgarh before it starts moving to Odisha.
The water from Mahanadi River is used for hydroelectric power generation and to provide drinking water to few parts of the Raipur district. There are several projects being carried out at Chhattisgarh region near the river. I had a splendid time around the coasts of the river as it provided a natural ambience. I clicked a number of pictures of the serene water body. There were number of other people taking pictures of the projects and the river. |
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Hello, I am Ayushi Manroa. I love travelling and have also dabbled in photography. Being a student, I mostly end up back-packing! I started this blog to record my travelogues about the amazing places that I have been to. Be it frolicking in Goa, taking a dip in the Ganges, trekking in Coorg or hitching a ride up the Western Ghats, it is all listed here along with some of my best shots. Hope you like it. Happy reading!
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