Chowmahalla Palace

It was like rediscovering my city as I took my brother and his family around the various touristy sites. I had heard that the Chowmahalla Palace was open to public , but then this was a place that had gone unnoticed the many times I had gone past it on the way to a friend's place in the old city. Of course, one had no inkling of what lay beyond the tall walls of the palace.

Rather reluctantly and hoping not to be disappointed we made our way to the Palace. And what we saw was amazing.

The Chowmahalla Palace, built over 200 years ago was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty where the Nizams entertained their official guests and royal visitors. Chowmahalla as the name indicates comprises of four palaces and is supposedly a replica of the Shah of Iran's palace in Teheran. Of the 45 acres on which the Palace was originally built, only 12 acres remain.


The Shishe-Alat ,which was once used as guest rooms for officials accompanying visiting dignitaries . 'Shishe' meaning mirror image of the Bara Imam - a long corridor of rooms on the east side that housed the administrative wing .

The Khilwat, the grand Durbar Hall with a distinct Persian influence . The beautiful belgian chandeliers take your breath away. The hall has a pure marble platform on which the Takht-e-Nishan or the royal seat was laid

The ornate ceiling:

The clock above the main gate to Chowmahalla Palace is the Khilwat Clock. It has been kept ticking away mainly due to the efforts of a family of clock repairers that wind the mechanical clock every week .

The lovely windows from the exterior.

A view through the window

The Mehtab Mahal

I seem to have got carried away. And these are just few of the pictures that were taken. One could spend the whole day just admiring the architecture, the carved furniture, the lovely chandeliers, the vintage cars, and all that is synonymous with royalty.

The castles of Scotland can wait a while, let me first discover the beautiful palaces in my neighbourhood.

The Magnificent Golconda Fort

I love forts. I may not dwell too much into their history, but am amazed by the engineering skills of the ancient times, all without mechanical aids that are used in modern day construction. And to think they have withstood battles, foreign invasions and natural calamities are a marvel.

The ardous climb

View from the top

The fort wall

The Golconda fort was built in the 13th century. The perimeter of the fort is about 7 miles. It has 87 semi circular bastions. Like most forts in India, it a huge gate which has sharp iron knobs to protect from attack of elephants. The center porch was acoustically designed, and the sounds from here could be heard at the centre point at the top of the fort, and the arrival of any visitor would be immediately conveyed in this manner. The fort houses arms depot, the baths, barracks, watering canals, the stables and reservoirs ( these were constructed at different levels and the irrigation systems at the fort were considered extremely superior). The general assembly or the Balahisar is located at the summit of the fort, which is 400 ft above the sea level.

The fort is invariably on the itinerary of any visitor to our city. But with bad roads and terrible traffic, the thought of visiting the fort is a nightmare. To avoid these hardships, guests would be generally put on the sight-seeing bus . But when my brother who was here on a holiday from the U S of A with his family expressed a desire to see the fort, I decided to take them there. And it was well worth the effort, as always.

The path to the fort has encroachments, in fact, the shops and houses led almost to the entrance of the fort, and a golf course that is coming in the vicinity is a major threat to the lovely structure. One must compliment the archaeological department for keeping the place 'fairly' clean. And to allow cameras to be taken in without a fee.

However, signs like this cause some amusement.

And one wonders if this signboard (below),considering the condition of the board, is as ancient as the fort itself.

One would wish there were more descriptions of the various structures and direction boards to help you along. But these cannot detract from the magnificence of the structure.

If only the locals would appreciate the beauty of the monument and help preserve the site, our city would truly have come a long way.

Check out this link - http://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/traveling/carnival-cities-september-9-2009.html
- my post on Golconda Fort was accepted for the Carnival of Cities.