Hyderabad: Feeling Hot Hot Hot... by Devanshi Mody
Featured Hotel in Hyderabad
Taj Krishna
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History-heaped Hyderabad, bastion of the Nawabs, home of the Kohinoor, was once the jewel in the crown of the Indian empire. The last Nizam of Hyderabad, the world’s richest man in the 1950s, apparently had mammoth rocks of uncut diamonds which he used as paper weights lying around his desk and which he refused to get polished for fear that the British would relieve him of his jewels. Forget the precious stones and gold bricks, he was relieved of his palaces and priceless art when India became a republic. Indeed, a mighty army was sent to “conquer” the Nizam who refused to part with his empire.
The Nizam’s treasures have dissipated and most of his palaces have been criminally converted into income tax bureaus or electricity boards. However, the regal flavour of a resplendent bygone era lives on in the celebrated Hyderabadi biriyani. The Maharaja of Patiala might have recorded no less than 170 varieties of Biryani and the North Indian Mughals might have insisted they invented the biriyani, but for most people “if it’s Hyderabad it’s biriyani and if it’s biriyani it is Hyderabad.” The biriyani is so synonymous with Hyderabad that when one Nizam's daughters married into the Arcot royal family, she took along15 cooks as part of her dowry and gave Arcot the legacy of their Ranipet Biryani…
Hotel Hyderabadi
The superbly located Taj Krishna is by far the most sophisticated address in town. An architectural masterpiece, this luxury haven is a fantasy of marble pillars, ornate carvings and exquisite art. Ascend the grand staircase and you’re in a wrap of opulence. If the invisible butler freaks you out, you’ll have all you need at the Taj Club Lounge. If you’re the one for impromptu dips, then go for the Presidential suite which comes with its own private pool. But if you want your own private lake, settle for Taj Banjara hovering on Banjara Hills which overlooks its “personal” lake. This cocoon of spacious tranquillity is but a 10-minute drive from the bustling business and shopping districts after a day in which you’ll need the easy ambience of a sprawling deluxe cottage.
Hot Openings
The Taj Group is converting the famed Faluknama Palace into a sumptuously stunning hotel to open in end 2009. Originally designed by an Italian architect for one of the Paigh nobles Sir Vicar ul Umra and later bought by the art-obsessed Nizam, this palace was a treasure trove of rare and priceless collectibles. The Faluknama Palace, meaning “Mirror in the Sky,” reflects the lofty lifestyles of the nizams. Be the first to plunge into the rarefied realms of the restored palace hotel.
Biriyani Beckons
Hyderabad’s rich and redolent Shahi Nizam cuisine the Persian Ambassador to the Qutub Shahi Kingdom in 1603 called "a dream of deliciousness." Royal recipes are a repertoire of Biryanis, Kababs and Khormas (either meat or vegetables cooked in a rich creamy gravy) and Lukhmi (pastry). These aren’t perhaps served up in their most authentic avatar at the city’s top-end eateries and the hard-core Hyderabadi won’t hesitate to hunt down the humblest joints offering the “real thing.”
The wafting aroma lures you irresistibly to mouth-watering mounds of fragrant, steaming rice from which the traditionally cooked chicken peaks out cheekily. Dum ka murgh, Lagan ke kebab, bhagare bhaingan will be parts of your vocabulary before you leave as would Khubani ka meeta, badaam ki jaali, hub ke laoz, Hydrabad’s famous deserts. Follow the fragrance… Mmm…
Of course, you mightn’t need lunch if you’ve tried the breakfast speciality Nahari a curried soup of sheep's trotters and tongue, which simmers nigh-long and is served with spongy Sheermahal bread. If this isn’t your cup of tea then the city swarms with ubiquitous “Irani Hotels” that serve thousands of cups of tea everyday.
Spicy Suppers
Be it Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Gandhi or dignitaries visiting Hyderabad, they’ve all sampled the fabled Hyderabadi cuisine at the city’s most famous culinary landmark Paradise that has for over 60 years stood on what is now known as Paradise Junction thanks to the legendary institution. Individually decorated floors cater to Mughlai food aficionados from different social strata. But the very same Paradise Biryani and Irani Chai have socialites, taxi drivers and locals addicted. Indeed, the restaurant has introduced special parcels for travellers’ convenience because tourists end up joining regulars queuing for their daily dose of Mutton or Chicken Biryani, Kababs, Mughlai and Tandoori specialties…
Hotel Golkonda isn’t a repository for a gem of a restaurant like The Jewel of the Nizam, one of the last refuges of the Hyderabadi epicure, but that's where you’ll have to head to discover the gourmet cuisine of the Hydrabadi nawabs. Forget the dismal décor and tuck into Kacchi Biryani Falakhnumah (traditional Hyderabadi dum Biryani prepared the way Emperor Akbar's wife made it — raw chunks of mutton and fragrant rice cooked in enormous cauldrons sealed with a baked flour covering to retain the flavour). Sherbet-e-Dilruba cools off the hot stuff. End the kingly repast in right royal fashion with Khubani ka Meetha. On weekends, Khan Ali Khan serenades with soothing ghazals, songs as sublime as the supper.
Crowds gather for the 11.30 pm onwards for eat-all-you can Copper Pot Dum Biryanis. Hot favourites include kebabs, potato-stuffed Bharwan Kulcha and sumptuous Dal Copper pot. Otherwise, OD on the Biryani Buffet teaming with Kachche Gosht (mutton), Dum Ka Murgh etc etc.
If you cannot stomach hogging in hovels, however heavenly the food, then Firdaus is for the finicky sort where chandeliers and elegant furnishing provide the beckoning backdrop for a delectable spectrum of gourmet Indian cuisine and regional favourites including signature dishes Raan – e – firdaus and dal firdaus.
Kebab-e-Bahaar is a lovely lakeside open-air barbeque restaurant where you can savour Hyderabadi Kebabs, multifarious North West Frontier Kebabs, specialties like Shikampuri Kabab, Pathar ka Gosht and Dal Makhani in a smart setting.
Hyderabadi Highs
T2 is Hyderabad’s trendiest night club. For those who wish to drown their sorrows, Underdeck, a pub on a nautical theme is a serene option. For something more zesty, Marco Polo Bar is quite in the adventurous spirit of the explorer who visited India whilst the gregarious Irish Pub Dublin will get you in high spirits one way or the other.
Golconda Fort is Koh-i-noor country. Founded originally by the Kakatiyas in the 13th century, the existing structure was expanded by the Qutb Shahi kings into a staggering fort of granite with walls and ramparts extending some 7kms in circumference. The fortress city within the walls was famed for the diamond trade and legend has it the Kohinoor diamond hails from here.
Charminar, the splendid edifice of four flighty minarets sustained upon four grand arches is the legendary masterpiece built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 to commemorate the end of the plague. The western section of the roof contains a mosque whilst the east has wonderfully expansive arched verandas.
The Salarjung Museum showcases what’s left of an unfathomably grand art collection and fortune of the last Nizam. The kings of Golconda came and went but their memories live on in the monumental Qutb Shahi Tombs that have stood the test of time and the vagaries of nature. Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad’s biggest mosque is modelled on the Grand Mosque at Mecca from which it takes its name. The arched and domed enormity with single-block granite mehrabs is amongst India’s largest mosques.
Hidden Treasures
The pearl, christenend the 'Queen of the Sea' was a rage with the kings of Hyderabad. Indeed, the erstwhile Nizams launched the fashion for pearl jewellery in the 19th century and Hyderabad remains the world’s largest centre for pearl trading and the place to pick up pearl necklaces. Be sure you’re travelling with someone who can offer you a Satlada necklace comprising seven strands of pearls set with emeralds, diamonds and rubies…
Charminar, the city’s oldest commercial area, whose markets are as old as the city itself, dates back over 400 years and is the traditional place for pearl jewelers and silversmiths. Lose yourself in myriad, mesmerising markets. Begum Bazaar is for brassware and Laad Bazaar for diamonds, pearls and precious metals. Don’t forget Hyderabad’s other big thing, its resplendent glass and lacquer bangles scintillatingly studded with precious and semi-precious stones, pearls and glass beads. Hyderabad is also known for its Bidriware or inlaying of sliver on black metal that makes lovely decorative pieces and Kalamkari fabric, great for furnishings.
Best Avoided: They say that the last Nizam of Hyderabad, despite his obscene wealth, was so parsimonious that he never ate at home to economise and would go into the street where hawkers would offer him their fare out of respect and he would thus fill his stomach. If your tummy is more sensitive than the royal reserve and you don’t want it empty, then best avoid eating on the streets, however tempting it may seem. Hyderabad is a gem of a place renowned for its diamonds but eating on its streets isn’t quite breakfast at Tiffany’s…
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