Some travel to get away from their routine life, while others travel to explore the unexplored destinations. Whatever be the purpose, travelling and enjoying the journey is what its all about!  Anita Nandini, a freelance HR & Training consultant shares her experiences from her recent visit to Bidar..

Bidar is about 135 km from Hyderabad. It is an  interesting place to visit with vast landscapes & fascinating  monuments. In fact it is one of lesser explored Gems of India. It has the Bidri Fort ,Ashtoor Tombs,Gagan Mahal,Rangin Mahal , the Solah Kambha Masjid to name a few. The periphery of the Bidri fort premises is 4.1 km and it houses a Beautiful Mughal Garden that is a stark contrast to the regular terrain ( red, dusty, and hilly).

The Ninth sultan of the Baihmani, Ahmad Shah, moved the capital from Gulbarga to Bidar in 1422 Before this time, Bidar was merely a local city of the Baihmani Dynasty. After the transfer of the capital, he went on an expedition to various places and brought religious and political prosperity to Bidar. He constructed the foundation of the city of Bidar and constructed the palace of Persian style.

The fort was constructed in 1427 AD by Alla-Ud-Din Bahman. The Fort is famed for its unique triple moat which  you will see as soon as you enter through the Gumbad Darwaza.

Located  nearby is the Rangin Mahal. The Rangin Mahal walls are adorned with tiles that have mother of pearl inlaid in them in different designs.The idea is that this palace would true to its name shine when the sun was at the 11 am and 4 pm position and the entire palace would look like a Rangin Jewel( colourful Jewel).

You can see proof of the same in the decorative work on the doorway of an inner room and in small measures across the palace. The view from the Top is quite breathtaking. A little surreal but breathtaking nevertheless ( it is a bit like looking at an inhabited Mars).

The 10th sultan of the Baihmani Dynasty, Ala ad-Din, succeeded Ahmad Shah 1436. He built his father’s mausoleum in Ashutur in the eastern outskirts of Bidar and a mausoleum for a saint, Shah Khalil Ullah, between Ashutur and Bidar

The Ashtoor Tombs are situated 4 kms east of Bidar. They are impressive in structure and design. One of the tombs has semi caved in and looks like a serpent with its hood up. Its quite some site. It is the  tomb of the eleventh Sultan Humayun (reign 1457-61).

The irony of the tombs is that it is located in a busy thorough fair. The roads surrounding the tombs are buzzing with people and  vehicles whizzing past. In a sense, it is where modernity meets antique/history.

In all, Bidar is a place that offers a lot more than what is heard of . It is a must visit for those who are eager to visit the unexplored and learn about history !!

The simple things in life are what we tend to overlook while going about our busy schedules. Sometimes, it pays to pause and observe those around us. Which is exactly what Gopal has done, and here he is sharing the experience ….

It’s all in a day’s work for postmen to stamp and deliver letters from all over the world, but what would you call a postman who delivered messages from a different millennium?

The archaeologists came and left, but one person was a constant fixture as the wonderful city that we now call Dholavira slowly revealed itself to the world – the postmaster. He took a keen interest in the things that have been excavated here and like Ekalvya, he observed and learnt the science of archaeology from the ASI officials.

 

 

The most unique aspect of Dholavira city are the reservoirs. The city is surrounded by massive reservoirs that stored rain water from a seasonal stream. Built in the precision Indus Valley Civilisation fashion, the water supported a trading city that was connected to the rest of the world when what is now the Great Rann of Kutch had easy access to the sea.

 

 

Today, this retired postmaster is a daily visitor in this ghost city that is left in the hands of a couple of temporary casual workers who once assisted the archaeology teams. And if you happen to go to Dholavira, you now know who could be your best guide.

Ask for the Postmaster Kaka.

Every city has a charm of its own, hidden in the narrow lanes or out in the landmark buildings. Swathi from Bangalore who had been on a visit to Hyderabad for a wedding shares some fond memories she brought back from the beautiful city of pearls and how she fell in Love with Hyderabad! She has just finished engineering  and loves travelling & photography.

“I love Hyderabad” I exclaim to all and sundry whenever I get the chance. This is usually followed by a “oh, when were you there?” to which I gather a straight face and reply “never.”. Correction: Used to reply. Not anymore. Sometimes, you love a country, a city so much from the bottom of your heart for no rhyme or reason. I have always been fiercely passionate about Hyderabad and Sri Lanka. Quite recently, I had a chance to visit the former, albeit with very less time and a wedding to attend.

So my sister and I took the Airavat, which was such a agony with practically no leg-room. And arrive did we at Hyderabad, after haggling with the auto drivers and reaching the hosts’, we planned to visit The Nehru Zoo Park. I expected this to be another Bannerghatta National Park, bored and ready to face the stare of the caged animals. But, no. The Zoo Park is a pleasant surprise. It is well-maintained and you can rent bicycles to go around the park, which is quite huge.

It was already afternoon and we were quite hungry, so we were rested a bit and waited for our friends to arrive to go out for lunch. And I would be Captain Obvious if I said we had Biryani for lunch. But of course, we did. Since we had some time before getting ready for the wedding, we planned to visit the Qutub Shahi Tombs. Our friend is quite the expert when it comes to the history of Hyderabad, so we had quite a lot to take home- History lessons and photography sessions.

The whole thing is so beautiful that the Golconda Fort can be seen from the tombs. As much as I wanted to go to the Golconda, we didn’t have time. The tombs was a wonderful experience- the wind in my hair, the company of friends, the architecture, the pleasant afternoon.

We headed back home and the wedding festivities were in order. Being a Telugite myself, I didn’t know there were such elaborate pre-wedding rituals. I am a bit of culture-hoard, so I loved it all.

All said and done, there is nothing like coming home to your warm pillow.