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May
Posts Tagged ‘Hyderabad’
Murad Nagar guys enjoyed their vacation15
Nov
Exursions from Hyderabad, India
Posted by adminVisits can be made to Pochampalli, a village east of Hyderabad noted for its silk saris and ikat weaves, and to Warangal, 150 km (93 miles) to the northeast. This 12th- to 13th-century capital of the Hindu Kakatiyas was renowned for its now abandoned massive brick and mud fort protected by two rings of walls and a moat. There are a few Chalukyan Siva temples on hills in and around Warangal. Also interesting is the Nagarjunakonda Sagar and Dam, 166 km (103 miles) south. Built in 1960, this reservoir submerged an entire valley, which had been the site of a series of ancient civilizations. Important Buddhist monuments have been reconstructed at a museum within the ruins of a fort on an island, which was once the top of a 200-metrc (650-ft) high hill. Boats depart three-times daily from Vijayapuri for the one-hour trip to the island. Pochram, 180 km (110 miles) to the northwest, is a beautiful lake and wildlife sanctuary with a neo-Gothic spired cathedral at nearby Medak, built for local Christians between 1914 and 1924.
The Great Stupa
On the banks of the River Krishna, the ancient city of Vijaywada, 240 km (150 miles) east of Hyderabad, was once visited by the Chinese traveler Hieun Tsang. It shows traces of its past in the two ancient Jain temples and the cave temples nearby, and also the hilltop Kanakadurga temple, patron deity of the city. Now a busy commercial centre, Vijaywada is useful to the visitor as a base from which to visit Amaravati, 30 km (19 miles) west, the site of early Buddhist settlements. Here the remains of a 2,000-year-old Great Stupa are richly embellished with carvings depicting the life of Buddha. A small museum displays statues of Buddha. The village of Kondapalli, 25 km (15 miles) north, at the base of a hill topped by a ruined fort, is famous for its painted toys and figures made of a local species of white cedar. A drive to the coastal town of Machilipatnam, 70 km (43 miles) to the east, to see the kalamkari process of printing cloth using a kalam (pen) and woodblocks, makes an interesting excursion.
Northeast coast
The naval base and ship-building centre of Vishakapatnam, on Andhra Pradesh’s northeast coast, is the fourth-largest port in India. Its twin city, Waltair, built as a resort town by the British and still retaining shady avenues, charming bungalows and marvellous views, can be used as a base to visit coastal Andhra. There are beaches at Rishikonda (10 km/6 miles) and at the former Dutch settlement of Bhimunipatnam (24 km/15 miles).
In the Kailasa Hills to the west of the city, there is a 13th-century Orissan-style Hindu temple and hot springs at Simhachalam. A 70-km (43-mile) drive inland brings you to the ancient Borra Caves set in limestone hills with wonderful stalactites and stalagmites. The Adivasi area of the Araku Valley on the border with Orissa is nearby.
Southern pilgrim sites
Tirupati, with nearby Tirumala Hill on which stands the Lord Venkatesvara Temple, is the busiest pilgrimage site in the world, as well as one of the wealthiest. The very efficient temple administration employs around 16,000 people to deal with the 60-70,000 pilgrims a day who come for darsan (a view of the god). Many of them shave their heads as a pledge, or to thank the deity. The hair is used to make wigs, which are sold locally and exported. The temple is open to non-Hindus, but they must sign a form declaring their faith in god and respect for the temple’s procedures. The steep road up the hill, with 57 hairpin bends, is not for the faint-hearted. Puttuparthi, bordering Karnataka in Andhra’s southwest, is the birthplace of the controversial spiritual leader Sai Baba and the site of his ashram headquarters.
