Osmania University

In all of India, few universities are perhaps as well-known or as highly venerated as Osmania University, one of the oldest “modern” universities in India. It is the seventh oldest institution of higher learning in all of India, and the first in Hyderabad back when it was a princely state. It has ten faculties, 52 departments, and with more than 500 constituent campuses and affiliated colleges that offer almost all courses at all levels, ranging from diploma to post-doctoral degrees. It is also considered to have one of the best management institutions under the university system. All in all, it is one of the largest university systems in the Indian subcontinent. As its founder, Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan, the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad said at the opening of its Arts College: “God be praised that this glorious edifice is now ready. This structure has no parallel in the world or in India for beauty, grandeur and nobility.”
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Birla Planetarium

Nestled on top of the panoramic hillock of Naubat Pahad right in the heart of Hyderabad, the Birla Planetarium is a testament and tribute to the advances man has made in understanding the heavens and the stars since the dawn of civilization. This dome-shaped architectural masterpiece was inaugurated on September 8, 1985, by Late Sri N.T. Rama Rao, being the first phase of B.M. Birla Science Center. Recognized both as an institution of higher learning and a research and development institute, the Science Center is one of the most prestigious institutions in India. It is instrumental in both the dissemination and popularization of science in the country, as well as formal and non-formal education and research.
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Shilparamam

Hyderabad is grooming up to be India’s hi-tech cybercity thanks to the various IT/ITES companies coming in in the city’s cyberparks and complexes. In spite of the influx of modern technology however, the city still has one of its feet planted squarely in the grounds of tradition and culture. This is never more evident than in the construction of Shilparamam, an arts and crafts village an hour or so away from Hyderabad.
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Dhola-Ri-Dhani

Resorts are popular among tourists because unlike typical hotels or inns, resorts usually have more interesting stuff to offer. Vacation, after all, is more than just having a roof over the head and a bed to sleep in a foreign country; where the visitor stays is as important as the historical places they go to, as well! With resorts, comfort is added with an extra special something to make stays memorable. This is especially true with resorts that have a specific historical theme related to the country. Visitors can often have a pseudo-hands on experience with the country’s culture without having to spend a long time getting assimilated in.
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Yadagirigutta Temple

Legend has it that a sage named Yadavarishi, the son of the great sage Rishyasrunga, did penance and meditation in a cave and asked for the blessings of Lord Narasimha, an incarnation of the Hindu deity Lord Vishnu. So pleased was Lord Narasimha to Yadavarishi that he appeared to him in five different forms: Jwala, Yogananda, Lakshminarasimha, Gandabherunda, and Ugra. The legend goes that the first form was too intense and fiery (it was Lord Narasimha as a fire) that it was too much for the yogi, so Narasimha adopted the second, more peaceful, form (Lord Narasimha in a Yoga posture with open palms on the knees). This still didn’t satisfy the yogi though and wanted to see him with his counterpart, the goddess Lakshmi, so Narasimha appeared with the goddess on his lap. The place where all this was supposed to have taken place was a natural cavern atop a hill. The temple was then built in the same area.
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HITEC City

At the heart of Hyderabad’s technological progress juggernaut is the cybercity called HITEC City. The name stands for Hyderabad Information Technology Engineering Consultancy City and it provides a stark contrast to the historically-laden monuments and sites present in Hyderabad. The formation and birth of the HITEC City is the consummation of a state’s vision of becoming a contender in the information technology boom, largely reminiscent of Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah’s dreams when he started building Hyderabad itself.
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Paigah Tombs

One of the more influential and powerful families of the Hyderabad State aristocracy during the 18th century are the noble families of Paigah. Claiming to have descended from Hazrath Omar bin Al-Khattab, the second caliph of Islam, the Paigah nobles tend to be richer than the average Indian Maharajah and they alone hold exclusive rights to maintain their own court, their own palaces, and their own private armies that often numbered to the thousands. The word Paigah is Farsi for “footstool” of which an English equivalent would be “right-hand man”.
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Ramoji Film City

If the United States has Universal Studios, then India has Ramoji Film City, the world’s largest integrated film studio complex. Spread over 2,000 acres of land studded with hills and lakes, it is India’s filmmakers’ first choice when it comes to making their films as it is essentially an unlimited area of creativity for any major or minor film production. Every facility a filmmaker could ever want can already be found there: 50 studio floors, support systems, high-tech laboratories, outdoor locations, up-to-date technology, greenery, and the wonderful hillscapes.
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Salar Jung Museum

Touted as having the largest one-man antique collection in the world, the Salar Jung Museum, located in the southern bank of the Musi river, is widely known in India for its immense collection of antiques from different civilizations, some of which date back to the first century. With over 43,000 objects of art, 47,000 printed books, and 9,000 manuscripts, the museum is a veritable paradise to scholars and artifact connoisseurs. The museum is a testament to what one man can do in pursuit of cultural beauty and elegance.
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Qutub Shahi Tombs

Located about a kilometer north from Golconda Fort, the Qutub Shahi tombs represent the most authentic and majestic display of the Qutub Shahi dynasty architectural traditions today. The grandeur of the tombs is ensconced amidst the beautiful and picturesque landscape and gardens of Ibrahim Bagh, and the tombs themselves are dedicated to the seven Qutub Shahi kings who ruled Golconda for nearly 170 years. The style of the tombs are varied, displaying Hindu, Persian, and Pathan forms–Indo-Persian architectures that are influenced by Deccani structural ideas. As a result, a distinct Qutub Shari school of architecture marked by liberal use of minarets, arches, domes, and columns was born.
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Charminar

No visit to Hyderabad should be undertaken without visiting the grand and majestic centerpiece of the city that is Charminar. Translated roughly as “Four Towers” or “Mosque of the Four Minarets”, the Charminar is also called by some as the Arc de Triomphe of the East and is one of the most important monuments of Hyderabad.
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Golconda Fort

Golconda (sometimes spelled as Golkonda) Fort was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Golconda which flourished in the 14th to 16th century. It is situated 11 kilometers from Hyderabad, the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh. With walls ranging from 17 to 34 feet broken by 87 semi-circular bastions, some reaching 60 feet in height, and built on a granite hill that is 400 feet high, it remains one of India’s most magnificent fortress complexes.
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