NTR Gardens

 

The land for the garden was cleared in 1995 after demolishing Hussain Sagar Thermal Power Station. In 1999, a land of 2.0 hectares 5 acres from a 22 hectares 55 acres plot was utilised for erecting a memorial for N. T. Rama Rao, the former Chief Minister of unbifurcated Andhra Pradesh. It was inaugurated by N. Chandrababu Naidu. It was planned to further expand this area, which has since been referred to as NTR Gardens, by constructing a museum about N. T. Rama Rao. This memorial was a part of the Buddha Purnima Project that was being handled by Hyderabad Urban Development Authority HUDA for the beautification and development of the Hussain Sagar lake and its surroundings as a major tourist attraction.

In 2000, the Government of Andhra Pradesh expressed its plans to develop this area with several projects such the NTR Gardens itself, a rock garden and an IMAX theatre. A few days later, a government official firstly said that the rock garden will be taken up by Dubai-based NRIs at a cost of ₹270 million equivalent to ₹1.1 billion or US$13 million in 2023. Secondly the IMAX theatre project, which was said to cost ₹520 million equivalent to ₹2.1 billion or US$25 million in 2023 was allotted to a private firm. Both these projects were to be executed in the same 22-hectare 55-acre plot which housed the memorial.

Controversy

Blooming flowers at the gardens.

Upon the beginning of work at these gardens in January 2000, a petition by two non-profit organisations sought an immediate halt of construction activity at the gardens. They contended that regulations showed the area around the lake as a recreation zone which must be kept away from all constructions for commercial or residential purposes. Since they claimed that these proposed projects violated all these, they sought a public hearing and an environment impact assessment before allowing these projects to continue. Accordingly, the local apex court instructed the authorities to stop the construction until further orders.

A media report suggested that according to the 1980 HUDA Master Plan, the area where the NTR Gardens are located originally was a water body, but a gazetted notification in 1994 could allow such construction activities.

Birla Mandir, Hyderabad

 

The Birla temples in Delhi and Bhopal were constructed to fulfill a cultural void in these cities. As these cities were ruled for centuries by Muslim dynasties, these cities did not have any notable temples since the Islamic ruler did not permit the construction of grand Hindu temples with shikharas. Delhi, even though it was the capital of India, did not have any outstanding Hindu temples left. During the Mughal period, temples with a shikhara were prohibited until the late Mughal period. The first temple to be built by the Birla family is the Laxminarayan Temple in Delhi, which was opened in 1939. Located at a prominent site, The temple was designed to be lofty and spacious, suitable for congregational worship or discourses. Although built using modern technology, it very loosely conformed to the Nagara style. The Birlas also built the adjoining Buddhist temple and donated it to the Mahabodhi Society.

The Birla temples in Delhi, Banaras and Bhopal use modern construction materials and techniques. Later temples are built of marble or sandstone and are constructed usually in the classical style of Māru-Gurjara architecture from the Chandela or Chaulukya dynasty of the 10-12th century, with some elements of local, regional styles, such as the gopuram of the Birla Mandir, Hyderabad, otherwise in the northern Māru-Gurjara style. The Saraswati temple, in the BITS Pilani campus, is one of the very few Sarasvati temples built in modern times see Sharda Temple, Maihar. It is said to be a replica of the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple of Khajuraho; however, it is built of white marble and adorned with not only images of Gods but also of philosophers and scientists. The Gwalior Sun temple is a replica much reduced in size of the famous Konark Sun Temple, as it would have appeared before the collapse of the main tower. Anne Hardgrove states:

A national chain of the Birla temples, temples of grandiose scale and design, have become major landmarks and part of the cityscapes of Indian urban life in the late twentieth century. The Birla temples exist in conjunction with other large industrial and philanthropic ventures of the wealthy Birla family, including major institutions of technology, medicine, and education. Birla temples have redefined religion to conform to modern ideals of philanthropy and humanitarianism, combining the worship of a deity with a public institution that contributes to civil society. The architectural forms of the two newest Birla temples Jaipur and Kolkata incorporate innovative, dual-purpose structures into the temple design that alter temple practices to reflect the concerns of modern public culture in a religious site. 

Ramoji Film City

Ramoji Film City, located in Abdullapurmet on the outskirts of Hyderabad, was conceived by Ramoji Rao, a businessman, media proprietor, and film producer. Drawing inspiration from the grandeur of Hollywood studios, it was envisioned as a state-of-the-art facility for film production and a thematic destination for visitors.

Following the acquisition of land, Ramoji Rao commissioned art director Nitish Roy to design the complex. The site, which originally featured jungles and rugged terrain, was developed with a focus on preserving its natural environment and ecological features.

The first film to be entirely shot at Ramoji Film City was Maa Nannaku Pelli 1997. According to legends, this film city is built on the war ground of the Nizams and is haunted by the spirits of the soldiers who died here many years before.

Studio facilities

Ramoji Film City Entrance

The film city encompasses a wide range of sets and production facilities designed to cater to various filmmaking requirements. The site includes permanent sets such as forests, gardens, mansions, apartment blocks, hotels, a railway station, and an airport, as well as 47 sound stages for indoor filming. Additional infrastructure include a central kitchen to support film crews.

The film city features various entertainment facilities like Filmi Duniya, Wings (birds park), space tour, the wild west, Mahishmati sets for Bahubali franchise, Chandramukhi sets, Fundusthan, butterfly garden, Kripalu caves, Chinese garden, Bhagavatham set, The godless temple, fake prison, Eureka fun place, Rajasthan palace sets, Mughal garden, Vrindavan garden, England sets, and the sets of airport, railway station etc. It creates a memorable moment to tourists.

The facility is equipped with six hotels and provides internal transportation via vintage buses and air-conditioned coaches. Employing approximately 1,200 staff members and 8,000 agents, Ramoji Film City handles around 400–500 film productions annually across multiple Indian languages. It can accommodate up to 15 simultaneous shoots.

Tourism

Beyond its role in film production, Ramoji Film City is a major tourist destination, featuring both natural and artificial attractions. Key elements include an amusement park, gardens, and film sets from notable productions such as Baahubali 2015 tours of film sets and thematic zones. The site is designed to provide a blend of entertainment and insight into the filmmaking process.

Golconda

 

The origins of the Golconda fort can be traced back to the 11th century. It was originally a small mud fort built by Pratāparudra of the Kakatiya Empire. The name Golconda is thought to originate from the Telugu గొల్లకొండ Gollakoṇḍa for Shepherd's hill. It is also thought that Kakatiya ruler Ganapatideva 1199–1262 built a stone hilltop outpost — later known as Golconda fort — to defend their western region. The fort was later developed into a fortified citadel in 1518 by Sultan Quli of the Qutb Shahi Empire and the city was declared the capital of the Golconda Sultanate.

The Bahmani kings took possession of the fort after it was made over to them by means of a sanad by the Rajah of Warangal. Under the Bahmani Sultanate, Golconda slowly rose to prominence. Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk r. 1487–1543, sent by the Bahmanids as a governor at Golconda, established the city as the seat of his governance around 1501. Bahmani rule gradually weakened during this period, and Sultan Quli Quli Qutub Shah period formally became independent in 1518, establishing the Qutb Shahi dynasty based in Golconda. Over a period of 62 years, the mud fort was expanded by the first three Qutb Shahi sultans into the present structure: a massive fortification of granite extending around 5 km 3.1 mi in circumference. It remained the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty until 1590 when the capital was shifted to Hyderabad. The Qutb Shahis expanded the fort, whose 7 km 4.3 mi outer wall enclosed the city.

During the early seventeenth century a strong cotton-weaving industry existed in Golconda. Large quantities of cotton were produced for domestic and exports consumption. High quality plain or patterned cloth made of muslin and calico was produced. Plain cloth was available as white or brown colour, in bleached or dyed variety. Exports of this cloth was to Persia and European countries. Patterned cloth was made of prints which were made indigenously with indigo for blue, chay-root for red coloured prints and vegetable yellow. Patterned cloth exports were mainly to Java, Sumatra and other eastern countries. The fort finally fell into ruin in 1687 after an eight-month-long siege led to its fall at the hands of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who ended the Qutb Shahi reign and took the last Golconda king, Abul Hassan Tana Shah, captive.

Hyderabad

 

The name Hyderabad means Haydars City or Lion City, from Haydar lion and ābād city, after Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib, also known as Haydar because of his lion-like valour in battle. The city was originally called Baghnagar city of gardens. The European travellers von Poser and Thévenot found both names in use in the 17th century. 

A popular legend suggests that the founder of the city, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, named it Bhagya-nagar fortunate city after Bhagmati, a local nautch dancing girl whom he married. She converted to Islam and adopted the title Hyder Mahal, the city being subsequently named Hyderabad in her honour.

In the year 1597, Hyderabad gained the epithet Farkhunda Bunyad lit. Of Auspicious Foundation. Following the Mughal conquest of Hyderabad, emperor Aurangzeb changed the epithet to Dar-ul-Jihad lit. Abode of Holy War, a title which appears on coins minted in the city during the reigns of Aurangzeb and Kam Bakhsh. The later Mughal emperor Shah Alam returned the city to its older epithet of Farkhunda Bunyad, and consequently Mughal coins of Shah Alam and Muhammad Shah feature this title as the city's mint-name.

Early and medieval history

Historical affiliations

The discovery of Megalithic burial sites and cairn circles in the suburbs of Hyderabad, in 1851 by Philip Meadows Taylor, a polymath in the service of the Nizam, had provided evidence that the region in which the city stands has been inhabited since the Stone Age. In 2008, Archaeologists excavating near the city have unearthed Iron Age sites that may date from 500 BCE. The region comprising modern Hyderabad and its surroundings was ruled by the Chalukya dynasty from 624 CE to 1075 CE. Following the dissolution of the Chalukya empire into four parts in the 11th century, Golconda—now part of Hyderabad—came under the control of the Kakatiya dynasty from 1158, whose seat of power was at Warangal—148 km 92 mi northeast of modern Hyderabad. The Kakatiya ruler Ganapatideva 1199–1262 built a hilltop outpost—later known as Golconda Fort—to defend their western region.

The Kakatiya dynasty was reduced to a vassal of the Khalji dynasty in 1310 after its defeat by Sultan Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate. This lasted until 1321 when the Kakatiya dynasty was annexed by Malik Kafur, Khalji's general. During this period, Khalji took the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which is said to have been mined from the Kollur Mines of Golconda, to Delhi. Muhammad bin Tughluq succeeded to the Delhi sultanate in 1325, bringing Warangal under the rule of the Tughlaq dynasty; Malik Maqbul Tilangani was appointed its governor. In 1336 the regional chieftains Musunuri Nayakas—who revolted against the Delhi sultanate in 1333—took Warangal under their direct control and declared it as their capital. In 1347 when Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah, a governor under bin Tughluq, rebelled against Delhi and established the Bahmani Sultanate in the Deccan Plateau, with Gulbarga—200 km 124 mi west of Hyderabad—as its capital, both the neighbouring rulers Musunuri Nayakas of Warangal and Bahmani Sultans of Gulbarga engaged in many wars until 1364–65 when a peace treaty was signed and the Musunuri Nayakas ceded Golconda Fort to the Bahmani Sultan. The Bahmani Sultans ruled the region until 1518 and were the first independent Muslim rulers of the Deccan.