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Unveiling the enchanting pastel shades and creatively exploring the old city charm.
When I viewed all the pictures in my phone gallery, I noticed the dreamy colours of the ancient structures that make up Hyderabad's culture. Although the buildings are mostly scattered on different streets, I imagined that if I placed all the heritage buildings in a bunch, the old city of Hyderabad would resemble a box of fresh chalk.
My heritage walk started with the nucleus of Hyderabad, the cream-coloured Char Minar. The geometrically perfect four minarets were in perfect symphony with the granite, limestone, mortar and pulverised marble structure. Its captivating petal designs, carved balustrades, bulbous towers, and stucco decoration held me in awe amidst the bustling crowd of handbag sellers and tourists. People jostled to capture the monument in its glory sans people, which seemed technically impossible. As I held my lens upward, aiming to capture the towering magnificence and intricate architecture of the Char Minar, I couldn't help but notice the complex network of electrical wires entwining it. The Char Minar rose in all its serene grandeur against the backdrop of a blue sky, seemingly immune to the chaos that enveloped it.
The next in line was the Chowmahalla Palace, a charming European-style collection of palaces which, I think, added the most pastels to the old city of Hyderabad. Only a short distance away from the crowded Char Minar, the palace complex greeted me with quiet grace. I found myself inside the gates, standing on the edge of a long fountain pool. On both of my sides were two identical pearly structures. The monument on the left, called Bara Imam, currently houses administrative offices. I sat on one of the benches here for a while to absorb the colour play going on in front of me. The interior walls of the Bara Imam were painted in a soothing shade of lemony yellow. From where I was sitting, I could see yet another beautiful structure running across the Bara Imam opposite the Shishe-Alat.
That building is called Khilawat Mubarak, which calmly stands wearing a peach-coloured coat. It has Islamic-inspired designs, motifs and domes coloured in white. I walked inside that pretty structure after showing my entrance ticket. And my first impression of the architectural taste of the Nizams of Hyderabad was elegance. Inside, the hall was beautifully ornated with a pastel orange and creamy finish. Milky marble columns with floral patterns and hanging Belgian crystallised chandeliers added glittery glamour to the huge chamber. I thought this was all there was to the Chowmahalla Palace when I exited from the hall. I stood behind the peachy building and wandered down a path lined with white and pink Bougainvillea that led me to another courtyard. There, a larger rectangular fountain pool is centred between the two structures opposite each other. The subtle colours of the structure quietly marked their presence.The building before me had an open terrace with hazel and blue printed tiles. Although the hall behind it was closed, I was able to check out the tiled passage, which had a centrepiece of a large marble statue. It reminded me of Michaelangelo's David. And when I looked up, I was mesmerised by the roof blushing in rose and gold tinted framework with floral patterns. I spent quality time there to attend to my fascination before sauntering towards the opposite building. This one, again, was apricot toned with ivory patterns on the walls and parapet. Surrounded by local berry fruit trees with the continuous wavering of butterflies made this building look extra enchanting.Walking back towards the Shishe-Alat, I was about to depart from the premises of Chowmahalla Palace. That's when I noticed the pastel-yellow walls with a long arched passage inside Shishe-Alat. Every corner of the different structures of the palace looked captivating with all its pleasing pastel-toned charm.
I thought I had seen every shade of pastel colour ancient monuments Hyderabad had to offer, but there were more. From the chalky white building of Salar Jung Museum to the roseate stone edifice of the Moazzam Jahi Market, the old city of Hyderabad, there were more of these beige beauties to explore. Another pretty monument that I loved which displayed subtlety, was the Spanish Mosque. It was built by Viqar-ul-Umra, who also built the Falaknuma Palace. Both the buildings again have the same pastel charm to them. Spanish Mosque has Moorish architecture with spiral minarets draped in an amber shade. While the Falaknuma Palace, which is converted into a resort by Taj Hotels, is completely snow white with a few golden designs here and there.
When I visited these monuments in Hyderabad, it was drizzling now and then, and I thought that the light colours of the buildings were just due to the cloudy sky. But then I discerned that the charismatic Hyderabad is exhibiting its alluring nature. Even now, when I'm at home, I open the Hyderabad folder on my phone and scroll down to see the collection of pictures. Trust me when I say they do soothe my mood. The pastel-toned charm of the old city of Hyderabad had worked its magic on me.
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