Hyderabad: Charminar 1

23rd Jan, we visited the Salar Jung Museum and Charminar with Amit. In the museum, there were quite a few display items that I found impressive, notwithstanding having been to the Louvre and other galleries UK. Chief of them was the Veiled Rebecca by the Italian sculptor, Giovanni Maria Benzoni of the 19th Century (the Salar Jung display was a copy) and the wooden double statue of Marguerite & Mephistopheles. Despite no photography being allowed within the museum, I did some sketching and became a walking exhibit myself. I did however shot some pictures en-route to the museum.

Crossing the Musi River: Stately buildings can be seem on both side of the river to the west of the bridge. To the east, there were rows and rows of verdant coconut trees. For a moment it felt like rural Malaysia.

Charminar, or (Mosque of the) Four Minarets are the foremost landmark of Hyderabad. As we drove closer to the Islamic monument, it was like driving back in time. The old market was a kaleidoscope of overcrowded signage, goods, people and auto rickshaws.

The monument looked impressive from afar. As we get closer, the intricate details were no less remarkable. The excellent workmanship of those days put the stark modern buildings to utter shame.

Vendors hawked their wares from fruits, plastic combs and toys to jewelry as we waited in the queue to ascend the minarets.

A panoramic view of the old city opened before us.
The North towards the Musi River from where we came.

The West has a narrower street.

The bustling South with the largest mosque in Hyderabad, Mecca Masjid.

Some interior architectural details.

Descending from the monument, we walked to Mecca Masjid, only 100 yards away.

We did not enter the mosque, but the courtyard held goodly numbers of pigeons and some pigeon droppings licking goats.

Pigeons parted like the Red Sea as tourists walked into their midst. A goat trotted lazily over the now empty courtyard, its dangling pink ears swaying gently with each cloven step.

The sun was setting when we left.

Photographs will never truly do justice to expressing India. Beyond being a colorful country, sound and smell are as much a part of the experiences as sight.