Trip to India - 13 CHENNAI and HYDERABAD

CHENNAI and HYDERABAD

8 March 2008

Dear Friends and Family

I spent a few days in Chennai to visit the Government Museum, the Kapaleeshwara Temple, and the Fort St George. Nothing terribly new nor terribly exciting, The most memorable sight was the natural history and zoology section of the museum. The Fort St George (built by the British in 1653) has gone thru many changes, and today it largely consist of government and military buildings not open to visitor. The most interesting sight was St Mary’s Church (1680) is India oldest surviving British church. The records show that this is the place where Yale wedding took place. This is the same Yale for which the US Yale University was named.

The evening of the first of March I boarded an overnite sleeper to Hyderabad. I had tried, unsuccessfully, to make an hotel reservation form Chennai. I left my backpack in the cloakroom at the station and did some walking around to finally find a satisfactory room at the Suhali. The type of hotel I usually stay at (“budget” in LP and RG guides) are usually centered around train/bus terminals. I immediately felt comfortable in Hyderabad. I do not know why, but some cities make total sense as far as directions are concerned, and some do not. Is it because I am more aware some days, or because the map I use is better, or maybe a combination of both, I do not know. The next day I walked the two km to an area called Charminar. On my way there I found a place where I could buy beer. Everywhere I have been in India, you can buy beer, or any other kind of alcohol, except wine, in a “Wine Shop”.!?.

The center of Charminar is a square at the intersection of two main arteries pointing to the four cardinal points. Each of the four entrance to the square is thru a large arched portal. 50 yards South of the south portal is the building called the Charminar. This huge 180 ft high and 100 ft wide building was built by Mohamed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to commemorate to founding of Hydebarad and the end of epidemics caused by a water shortage. The Charminar has four towers each surmounted by a minaret. The towers are connected by arches similar to the streets portals. Immediately to the south-west of the Chaminar sits one of the largest mosque in the world, the Mecca Masjid, so named because several brick embedded above the gate are made from soil from Mecca. The very busy, chaotic Charminar Bazaar and the Laad Bazaar to the west of it are spread all around the area. The Laad Bazaar is where one finds parfumes, fabrics, musical instruments, and jewels. This area is considered to be the center of India’s pearl trade.

Walking into Charminar thru one of the portal is like being transported in another time, another place. It is truly magical, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see someone on a flying carpet flying over the scene! Next, I visited the Golconda Fort situated 12 km away. I hired a autorickshaw to get there and took the public bus to get back. Most of the 16^th century fortress dates from the time of the Quli Qutb Shab, but its origin, as a mud fort are from a much earlier period (Yadavas and Kakattiyas) The citadel, built on top of a 120 meters hill and surrounded by crenellated ramparts surrounded by yet another inside wall, resisted several attacks by Emperor Aurangzeb’s Mughal armies from Dehli. The emperor finally succeeded with inside help. Stairs lead up to a well preserved temple, to a mosque, the three-storied Durbar Hall and its observatory platform, and to the remainder of several other buildings, such as the queen’s palace, an harem, and the mortuary baths. A mere 1.5 km from the fort, in a beautifully landscaped park, are a series of gracefully domed tombs. The tombs are those of the Qutb Shahi Kings. These buildings, built over a period of several centuries, feature different styles reflecting the architectural style of the period.

From Hyderabad I took an overnite sleeper train to Bhabunashwar. The trip started at 10 am, to arrive in Bhabunashwar at around 8:00 am the next day (my longest train trip in India).

Next, the temple town of Bhabunashwar.

Love and peace - henri