In a place where gold, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and envious fellow rulers were all plentiful, the Nizams of Hyderabad were rich beyond their wildest imagination.

The Nizams had an obsessive penchant for jewels, not surprising given the abundance of stones found across the land that gave the world such gems as the Kohinoor, Great Moghal and Hope Diamonds. The wonderful Salar Jung Museum is home to a display of the Nizam’s jewellery collection purchased by the Government of India at reduced cost in 1995 and just now being exhibited to the public for the first time for the 60th anniversary year of India’s independence. The price for this entire eye-glazing collection? The equivalent of US$5 billion – and that was the discount price. This includes the fabled Jacob Diamond, the 184.5-carat bauble famously found by the Nizam’s grandson tucked into the toe of an old shoe.

Hyderabad’s main sights are reminders of a grander era. Charminar (char = four, minar = towers) is the city’s most famous landmark, a building-monument stretching to the sky in the middle of a broad plaza. It houses a mosque and an observation terrace, enabling visitors to take in the swirl of vehicles and humanity below. The nearby Mecca Masjid is adorned with Belgian crystal chandeliers and is one of the largest mosques in the world.  Historically, no less than five major religions (Hindu, Buddhist, Islam, Jain and Christianity) have held sway in Hyderabad and leave their traces to this day. Eight kilometres west of Hyderabad lie the ruins of Golconda Fort and the neighbouring Qtub Shahi Tombs, bearing witness to the grandeur of times past. The grounds of both make for excellent exploration and can easily induce visitors to spend hours strolling among the architectural splendour. 

Splendour of a different type is found northwest of the fort and the tombs: The State Gallery of Fine Arts, where the works of contemporary Indian artists such as hot-in-more-ways-than-one painter Sarandeep Grover are on display; and Shilparamam Craft Village, where traditions of the past are the main draw. Beyond the city borders, Ramoji Film City, a working film studio, offers tours of its grounds for a brush with India’s enormous film industry, the largest in the world. Close to the Marriott Hotel is a 17-metre statue of Buddha sitting on its own island in Hussain Sagar Lake, Hyderabad’s defining water feature. The statue is most beautiful at night in soft illumination. 

Marriott Hyderabad is the city’s best. Rooms are immaculate, service impeccable and location superb. Marriott also takes the worry out of sampling the local fare (Hyderabadi cuisine is recognised as one of India’s finest). Food and beverage manager, Matthew Cooper, has created two outstanding restaurants in the hotel, Okra and Bidri, both required to meet stupefyingly demanding health standards wherein each food item is documented and accounted for from field to plate. The very attractive staff will have you eating more than you expected.

MORE INFORMATION
www.incredibleindia.org
www.tourisminap.com
www.marriott.com