South East Asia Travel Blog

You Are Here: CushTravel > Asia > South Asia > India > Hyderabad

The Wonders of the Arts at Shilparamam

By Leave a Comment

If there is one place you should go to in order to really taste the traditional flavours of Hyderabad as a whole, that place would have to be Shilparamam. This arts-and-crafts village’s 65-acre spread is dedicated entirely to the preservation, encouragement, and showcasing of Andhra Pradesh’s artistic culture, and it is a government-run facility that is still being developed to further attract tourists as well as foster a hospitable environment for those still practising the local arts.  There are dozens of things to see in Shilparamam, as might be expected of a village dedicated to the arts, but better than that, there are also dozens of things to do here: the village has an interactive approach when it comes to promoting the arts it supports, which means visitors can definitely do more than just stare at the display pieces as they would in a stiff museum.

shilparamam,hyderabad, india
Shilparamam Park

First off, Shilparamam has its own artificial lake—which is to be expected when you are talking about Hyderabad, after all. The lake is …

Shamirpet: A Place Where Technology Meets the Raw Beauty of Nature

By Leave a Comment

Shamirpet, one of the Mandals in Andhra Pradesh, is a curious study in contrasts—or perhaps a fine marriage between what are now typically considered two sides of the coin.  Here, you get to see all the beauty of nature while still staying close to several centres of modernity, and this makes it a fine place to go to if ever you do come around the Hyderabad or Secunderabad area.

shamirpet lake, hyderabad, india
Shamirpet Lake

Shamirpet is known for several things.  First of all, it is actually a residential area, filled with suburban areas and villages from Adraspalle and Aliabad to Uddemarri and Upparapalle.  The area is fairly well populated, although perhaps not as choked by …

The Biggest Film Complex on the Globe: Ramoji Film City

By Leave a Comment

Hyderabad’s Ramoji Film City has an official world record, as certified by Guinness World Records: it is the biggest film complex on Earth, spanning 674 hectares in total and just 3 sound stages shy of a perfect 50.  It is so large, in fact, that coaches and buses have to operate within the grounds to transport people from one end of the complex to another.  This huge film complex is famous not just with the locals but also with the tourists, not least because it also offers packages for sightseers and even honeymooners wishing to get a taste of filmmaking in the very heart of Tollywood.

ramoji film, india, hyderabad
Ramoji Film City

The enormous film complex is actually relatively young as far as film complexes go, having been opened only in 1996.  It is not just that it is a centre of arts and culture for Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh: it is also that it was designed with a view to permitting people …

The Sayedani Maa Tomb

By Leave a Comment

When visiting Hyderabad, it is nearly impossible not to take a trip down the Tank Bund.  This area next to the famous Hussain Sagar Lake is a typical hangout for tourists and even residents of the city because it sports so many of the attractions of Hyderabad.  From gardens all the way down to amusement parks, practically everything can be found along the Tank Bund.  The government itself has played a major role in the development of the area for tourism purposes, and so you shall find that a number of the parks and sites here are fairly recent in their genesis.

sayedani maa tomb, india, hyderabad
The Sayedani Maa Tomb

Even the Patton Tank displayed on the side of the road hails from the war of 1971, not too long ago.  That having been said, there are also some old and remarkable buildings here that may well interest those eager to see something more ancient in provenance, and one …

Sanjeevaiah Park in Hyderabad: An Oasis of Nature in the City

By Leave a Comment

Hyderabad’s Hussain Sagar Lake is known for being a central point around which many of the city’s best gardens are situated.  A few examples would include NTR Gardens, Lumbini Park, and the 92-or-so-acre spread of the Sanjeevaiah Park, which was given an accolade for its landscaping by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage in 2010.

sanjeeviah park, india, hyderabad
Sanjeeviah Park: Rose Garden

General consensus has it that Sanjeevaiah Park was named after a former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, the Harijan personality known as Damodaram Sanjivayya.  However, others allege that it was actually named after his predecessor, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, …

The Charm of NTR Gardens, Hyderabad

By Leave a Comment

Those passing by the Hussain Sagar Lake of Hyderabad may well want to check out NTR Gardens as well.  While this park is not among the larger ones in the city, it is nevertheless among the prettier ones, especially when the flowers begin to bloom.  Its central location also renders it a perfect stopover if you are planning a day of sightseeing, as several of the major sights, like Lumbini Park, Necklace Road, and Hussein Sagar itself.

ntr garden, hyderabad, india
NTR Gardens in Hyderabad

Before anything else, though, it may prove instructive to know first how NTR Gardens came to be.  The park is actually named after the prominent Telugu actor and politician, Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao.  The original memorial dedicated to Rama Rao was planned …