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Hyderabad located in the southern part, on the banks of the Musi River, being the administrative center of the state of Andhra Pradesh. This impressive metropolis is one of the largest cities in the country. It has many historical and cultural attractions, and also plays an important role in the economic and political life of the state.
Peculiarities
Hyderabad has well-developed industry and trade, with textile, leather, food, glass, paper, pharmaceutical and engineering industries. In addition, crafts and handicrafts are widespread here, the fruits of which can be seen in markets, shops and on the counters of numerous souvenir shops. The metropolis is no stranger to high technology, which, along with the computer industry, is an important component in the life of the city. Unlike many other large centers of the country, Hyderabad has a fairly decent level of infrastructure development for India, and the problems of low ecology and crime, although present here, are not on such a significant scale.
The state capital has many parks and green areas, museums, unique architectural structures, temples and other interesting objects. The hotel complex is formed from comfortable hotels for every taste, located in different areas of the city. The literacy rate of the population as a whole is 83%, although the difference in education between the population living in slums and more affluent urban residents is very noticeable. The main religions here are Hinduism and Islam, and the most common languages are local dialects and English.
general information
The territory of Hyderabad covers an area of several hundred square meters. km, with a population of over 3.5 million people. Local time is 2.5 hours ahead of Moscow. Time zone UTC+5:30. There is no transition between summer and winter time. Dialing code (+91) 40. Official website www.ghmc.gov.in.
A brief excursion into history
According to historians, the city was founded in the early 16th - early 17th centuries, becoming the capital of one of the Muslim sultanates in southern India - Golconda. Between 1724 and 1956, it became the center of the Hyderabad princely state and then became the capital of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad received its name in honor of the Caliph Ali ibn Abu Talib, nicknamed Haydar, which means “lion” in Arabic. Today, the city is often referred to as the "pearl city" due to its reputation as an important pearl trading center.
Climate
The state capital has a savannah tropical climate. The rainy season here ranges from June to September, and the average air temperature, even in winter, rarely drops below +15 degrees. The hottest time occurs between March and October, when the thermometer reaches +35 and above. It is better to come here in the winter months from December to February, when there is no sweltering heat, but at the same time the weather is dry and sunny.
How to get there
Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (IATA: HYD) is located 22 km from the city center, in the suburb of Shamshabad, serving domestic and international flights. Hyderabad is also connected to other cities of the country through intercity rail and bus services.
Transport
Within the city limits, buses and motorized rickshaws are the most popular. The local authorities are planning to open the metro in the very near future.
Attractions
One of the most interesting architectural sites in Hyderabad is the unique complex of the mid-19th century - Purani Haveli, created in the neoclassical style as the residence of Mahbub Ali Pasha. In the eastern wing of the building, interiors have been preserved that tell about the life of its owners, including a grandiose wardrobe with an area of more than 70 square meters. m, with two-tier wardrobes equipped with mechanical lifts and hung with the same type of tweed suits, sewn in the same factory. Also, here you can admire the collections of porcelain and all kinds of silver items. Among the numerous religious buildings, special attention should be paid to the Charminar Mosque, built in the Middle Ages. From its observation deck, which can be reached by climbing 149 steps, a stunning view of the city opens. About 11 km from the city limits is the legendary Golconda fortress, covered in myths and legends. According to legend, in its depths to this day lie the richest deposits of precious treasures collected by Indian princes over the years.
Fans of Indian cinema should definitely visit the Ramoji Film Studio, considered the largest film production complex on the planet and annually visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists a year. Connoisseurs of museum exhibitions should definitely visit the Salarjang Museum to see an eclectic collection of tens of thousands of objects dating back to the beginning of the last century and belonging to the Prime Minister of Hyderabad. Also, the local Archaeological Museum is worthy of attention. For those who are partial to the shine of precious stones, the direct route to the building of the royal morning house is Ashur Khan, with its amazing collection of jewelry made of gold and silver. An excellent reason to admire the beauty of the natural world of India are excursions to the city zoo and the Mahavir Harina Vanasthali National Park, which is 15 km from the city limits. Those wishing to have a fun evening can go shopping, as well as visit local cinemas, bars and entertainment venues.
Kitchen
In the culinary establishments of Hyderabad, visitors have the opportunity to try a wide variety of dishes for every taste, from seafood to vegetable salads and meat, as well as taste local drinks.
Shopping
In the markets and shops of the state capital, pearls are considered the most popular product. Thanks to the rare craftsmanship and low cost of jewelry, the city has a reputation as the largest center for the trade of pearl objects in the territory and one of the most reputable in the world. The most popular places for shopping here are Patther Gatti Street and Lad Bazaar.
Hyderabad has long enjoyed increased tourist attention and travel enthusiasts from many countries around the world, when traveling around the country, usually consider this large metropolis an integral part of their route. The city has a fair amount of traditional oriental surroundings and has a lot of advantages, allowing its guests to feel the local atmosphere and get to know the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh better.
It so happened that we arrived in the small, relatively secluded town of Rewalsar in the Himalayas quite late, so late that the small, sleepy and lazy provincial hotels had a hard time bothering with our check-in. The hotel owners shrugged their shoulders, shook their heads and waved their hands somewhere towards the night and slammed the doors in our faces. But we were willingly, although not free of charge, accepted to live in a guest house on the territory of a Tibetan Buddhist monastery on the shore of the lake.
As is often the case in Tibetan places, our meeting and accommodation were handled by a Hindu, since it is not appropriate for Tibetan monks to deal with monetary and worldly matters. In addition, the monastery had been immersed in the darkness of night for several hours, and the monks needed to get enough sleep so that tomorrow early in the morning they would have to go to meditation with a cheerful and pious face. The Indian who gave us the keys to the hotel room told us about this and other sorrows of the world, and in order to somehow console himself, he insistently recommended that we attend this event at seven in the morning.
The main topics are below: buses and trains, air tickets and visas, health and hygiene, safety, choosing a route, hotels, food, required budget. The relevance of this text is spring 2017.
Hotels
“Where will I live there?” - for some reason this question is very, simply terribly annoying for those who have not yet traveled to India. There is no such problem. There are a dime a dozen hotels there. The main thing is to choose. Next we are talking about inexpensive, budget hotels.
In my experience, there are three main ways to find a hotel.
Spiral
Typically you will arrive in a new city by bus or train. So there is almost always a great mass of hotels around them. Therefore, it is enough to move a little away from the place of arrival and start walking in a circle with an ever-increasing radius in order to come across many hotels. Inscriptions "Hotel" throughout large parts of India, it indicates a place where you can eat, so the main landmarks are signs "Guest house" And "Lounge".
In areas of mass idleness (Goa, the resorts of Kerala, the Himalayas), the private sector is developed, well, like we have on the Black Sea coast. There you can inquire about housing from the local population and follow the signs " Rent"In Buddhist places you can live in monasteries, in Hindu places in ashrams.
The further you move from the bus or railway station, the lower the prices, but hotels are becoming less and less common. So you look at several hotels that are acceptable in price and quality and return to the chosen one.
If you are traveling in a group, then you can send one or two people lightly to find a hotel while the rest wait at the station with their things.
If the hotel refuses and says that the hotel is only for Indians, then insisting on check-in is practically useless.
Ask a taxi driver
For those who have a lot of luggage or are simply too lazy to look. Or you want to settle near a landmark, for example, the Taj Mahal, and not near the train station. Even in large cities there are places where tourists traditionally gather: in Delhi it is Main Bazaar, in Calcutta it is Sader Street, in Bombay it is also called something, but I forgot, that is, you have to go there in any case.
In this case, find an auto-rickshaw or taxi driver and set the task of where you want to live, in what conditions and for what approximately money. In this case, they can sometimes take you to the desired hotel for free, and even show you several places to choose from. It is clear that the price immediately increases; there is no point in haggling, since the taxi driver’s commission is already included in the price. But sometimes, when you are lazy or in the middle of the night, using this method can be very convenient.
Book online
This is for those who like certainty and guarantees, more comfort and less adventure.
Well, if you book in advance, then book hotels of higher quality and not too cheap (at least $30-40 per room), because otherwise there is no guarantee that in reality everything will be as wonderful as in the photographs. They also complained to me that sometimes they arrived at a booked hotel, and the rooms, despite the reservation, were already occupied. The hotel owners were not embarrassed, they said that a client came with money, and the client with cash did not have the willpower to refuse. The money was returned, of course, but it’s still a shame.
Finding, checking into and staying in budget Indian hotels can be an adventure in itself, a source of fun and sometimes not so fun memories. But there will be something to tell you at home later.
Settlement technology
- Free yourself from the presence of “Hindu assistants” and barkers, their presence automatically increases the cost of accommodation.
- Go to a hotel that seems worthy of you and ask how much it costs and decide whether it’s worth living there, at the same time you have time to evaluate the interior and helpfulness.
- Be sure to ask to see the room before checking in, show your dissatisfaction and indignation with all your appearance, ask to see another room, most likely it will be better. This can be done several times, achieving ever better placement conditions.
Those who are interested in the energy of Osho and Buddha, meditation and India, we invite you all on a journey to the places where the greatest mystic of the 20th century Osho was born, lived the first years of his life and gained enlightenment! In one trip we will combine the exoticism of India, meditation, and absorb the energy of Osho’s places!
The tour plan also includes visits to Varanasi, Bodhgaya and possibly Khajuraho (subject to availability of tickets)
Key travel destinations
Kuchvada
A small village in central India, where Osho was born and lived for the first seven years, surrounded and cared for by his loving grandparents. There is still a house in Kuchwad that remains exactly as it was during Osho’s lifetime. Also next to the house there is a pond, on the banks of which Osho loved to sit for hours and watch the endless movement of reeds in the wind, funny games and flights of herons over the surface of the water. You will be able to visit Osho's house, spend time on the banks of the pond, stroll through the village, and absorb that serene spirit of rural India, which undoubtedly had an initial influence on the formation of Osho.
In Kuchvad there is a fairly large and comfortable ashram under the patronage of sannyasins from Japan, where we will live and meditate.
A short video of an “emotional impression” of visiting Kuchvada and Osho’s house.
Gadarvara
At the age of 7, Osho and his grandmother moved to his parents in the small town of Gadarwara, where he spent his school years. By the way, the school class where Osho studied still exists, and there is even a desk where Osho sat. You can go into this class and sit at the desk where our beloved master spent so much time in his childhood. Unfortunately, getting into this class is a matter of chance and luck, depending on which teacher teaches in the class. But in any case, you can walk along the streets of Gadarvara, visit the primary and secondary schools, the house where Osho lived, Osho’s favorite river...
And most importantly, on the outskirts of the city there is a quiet, small and cozy ashram, where there is a place where at the age of 14 Osho experienced a deep experience of death.
Video from Osho Ashram in Gadarwara
Jabalpur
A large city with more than a million inhabitants. In Jabalpur, Osho studied at the university, then worked there as a teacher and became a professor, but the main thing is that at the age of 21 he gained enlightenment, which happened to him in one of the parks of Jabalpur, and the tree under which this happened still grows old place.In Jabalpur we will live in a quiet and cozy ashram with a magnificent park.
From the ashram it is easy to get to the Marble Rocks - a natural wonder where Osho loved to spend time during his stay in Jabalpur.
Varanasi
Varanasi is famous for its cremation pyres, which burn day and night. But it also has a surprisingly pleasant promenade, the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple, and boat rides on the Ganges. Near Varanasi there is a small village called Sarnath, famous for the fact that Buddha gave his first sermon there, and the first listeners were ordinary deer.
bodhgaya
Buddha's Enlightenment Place. In the main temple of the city, which is surrounded by a beautiful and vast park, a tree still grows in the shade of which Buddha gained enlightenment.
In addition, in Bodhgaya there are many different Buddhist temples erected by followers of Buddha from many countries: China, Japan, Tibet, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma... Each temple has its own unique architecture, decoration, and ceremonies.
Khajuraho
Khajuraho itself is not directly connected with Osho, except that Osho often mentioned the tantric temples of Khajuraho, and his grandmother was directly related to Khajuraho.
Hyderabad is the pearl of India, both literally and figuratively. It is not only a huge metropolis, home to more than six million people, but also an ancient city in which Muslim and Indian cultures are intertwined. The dynasty of the Nizams - the medieval rulers of the city - entered Indian history thanks to their unbridled love for diamonds, gold and pearls, from which not only jewelry, but even cosmetics were made. Since then, Hyderabad has remained the largest center of jewelry craftsmanship in India. Finally, this city is the cradle of modern Indian cinema, because it is home to the world's largest film studio. However, first things first.
How to get there
The international airport is located 22 km from Hyderabad. Rajiv Gandhi. After arrival, you can use the services of taxi drivers (from 600 INR) or take a bus. Prices on the page are for April 2019.
The largest bus terminal in the Asian region, Inter City Bus Terminal, is located in Mayapur, and in the center of the city itself there is a bus station named after. Mahatma Gandhi. The city can also be reached by rail. The city has two railway stations (Nampally or Hyderabad Deccan, and Secunderabad) that receive trains from Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore and other cities. It is better to book tickets for night trains (that is, with the opportunity to sleep on the train instead of shaking for 14 hours during the day) 1-2 days in advance.
Search flights to Hyderabad
Weather in Hyderabad
Thread of history: from ancient times to the present day
The history of Hyderabad is amazing. One of the largest cities in India, it is famous for its palaces, Islamic minarets, tombs, Hindu temples and, of course, the centuries-old diamond trade. The city also gained its wealth through the trade in expensive fabrics, gold and pearls. In the past, the Nizams - the rulers of the city - were considered the richest people in the world. For example, in 1937, the fortune of Nizam Asaf Jahi VII was estimated at $2 billion, while India's budget at that time was half that - only one billion dollars.
Today Hyderabad is an Indian silicon valley; a huge number of IT companies are located in the city, including representative offices of Microsoft, Dell, Oracle and Ifosys.
Hotels
There are plenty of hotels in the city; we will only recommend a couple of the most convenient hotels, in our opinion, in terms of price/service/geographical location. The Marriott 5* hotel is located just 10 minutes from the airport, it has a swimming pool, a luxurious restaurant and a spa. Also close to the airport is the Peppermint 4* hotel. This option is suitable for those who want to save money and not spend too much on housing while on vacation.
The palace and now the Falaknuma Palace Hotel (Tank Bund Rd.), where King George V even stayed at one time, promises luxurious interiors. The Green Park Hotel is also popular (double rates from 6,000 INR).
3 things to do in Hyderabad
- Buy pearl jewelry for beautiful ladies on Patter Gatti Street, where there are a huge number of jewelry shops, with a 40-60% discount compared to European stores.
- Search for diamonds in the ancient Golconda fortress. Even if you don’t find them there, you shouldn’t drop everything in frustration and leave. Wait until the sun sets and enjoy a colorful illuminated show that tells the history of the fort.
- Take a trip around the world at Ramoji Film Studios.
Pearls from Hyderabad
Thanks to its unrivaled craftsmanship and low cost of jewellery, Hyderabad is the largest pearl trading center in India and one of the largest in the world. This, by the way, is surprising, because the city is located far from the sea, and raw materials have to be imported from China and Japan. On the outskirts of the city there are entire villages devoted entirely to the process of processing saltwater pearls and sorting them according to size, shape, luster and uniformity.
If you want to buy high-quality jewelry without a 40-60% markup (namely, this is the markup they sell jewelry in Russian and European stores), then you should definitely look at Patther Gatti Street, where there is a huge number of jewelry stores, as well as the Charminar Mosque .
In addition, it is worth a look at the Lad bazaar, where you can buy bright bracelets, saris, turbans, henna and a whole scattering of bright, typically Indian things that are so necessary for a woman’s wardrobe.
Entertainment and attractions in Hyderabad
The Charminar Mosque, which was mentioned above, by the way, is not just a shop selling pearls, but a grandiose mosque, whose name translates as “Four Minarets”. According to legend, it was built in 1591 in honor of ridding the city of the plague epidemic. If you climb the 149 steps to the top of the mosque, you will have a panoramic view of the entire city, and believe me, the spectacle is worth it! The best time to see the city is at night, when the entire metropolis is illuminated by night lights.
Golconda Fortress
Even after many centuries, the historical monuments left behind by the ancient rulers only “feed” the myths and legends with which the legendary diamond treasury of the Indian princes has become overgrown. There are still legends among the population that most of the precious stones of the ancient dynasty remained in the catacombs and cellars of the Golconda fortress (“Shepherd Hill”), 11 km from the city. Local residents and enterprising tourists would, of course, have dismantled the fortress brick by brick long ago, but the state is doing its best to protect the historical monument from selfish vandals and gullible Indians. Nevertheless, no one will forbid you to visit the fortress and try your luck (without fanaticism, of course: if you arrive in Golconda with a bunch of dynamite and a pickaxe, your enthusiasm is unlikely to be appreciated).
From the ancient fortress, which was once the center of the diamond trade and the personal treasury of the ancient princes, now only picturesque ruins remain, which are located on a hill 120 meters high.
Ramoji Film Studio
If you have always dreamed of a chic Indian wedding in the Bollywood style, then Ramoji Film Studio is at your service. According to the Guinness Book of Records, this is the largest film complex in the world, with more than 800 hectares of filming areas, cityscapes, sound recording pavilions, editing studios, warehouses, etc. The studio can shoot more than 500 films simultaneously, and therefore among the guests studios - directors and film crews from Hollywood.
However, that's not all. Ramoji is also a mecca for tourists: the studio receives more than 1 million visitors a year. As you pass through the filming pavilions one after another, you can find yourself in an entertainment theme park, a Japanese garden, near an artificial waterfall, in caves, airport terminals, hospitals, railway stations, churches, mosques, shopping areas, palace interiors, a castle, and also visit the cities of Ancient India, the Great Mughals or the American Wild West. And this, it seems, is not all!
Other attractions
The mid-19th century neoclassical Purani Haveli complex was once the main residence of Mahbub Ali Pasha. In the eastern wing (Masarat Mahal) there are preserved interiors telling about the life of the owners, including a gigantic 73 m2 wardrobe, where two-tiered wardrobes with a mechanical lift are hung with identical tweed suits (they say there are exactly 75 of them, and all of them were purchased from the Scottish factory). Other must-sees: porcelain collection, photographs, silverware.
Museum lovers may also want to check out Salarjang, which houses an eclectic collection of 40,000 items that belonged to the Prime Minister of Hyderabad in the early 20th century. The pride of the exhibition is Mughal jade, an ivory screen, and a 13th century Koran.
Notable in Hyderabad are the hospital buildings - Osmania (1925), opposite which are the buildings of the Boys' High School and the Supreme Court made of pink granite and red sandstone, as well as the Unani Hospital (1920s), where methods of traditional Greek-Arab medicine were previously used .
Finally, you should not miss the ancient building of the Royal Morning House (Ashurkhana). Built in 1595, today it houses a collection of women's best friends - diamonds, as well as amazingly elegant gold and silver jewelry.
Basic moments
Hyderabad was founded in 1591 when Mohammed Quli of the Qutb Shahi dynasty decided to move the capital here from nearby Golconda. In 1687, the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb overthrew the Qutb dynasty and appointed a viceroy, whose successors, who bore the title of Nizams, ruled Hyderabad until 1949.
He looks like an elderly, gorgeously dressed princess whose time has passed. Today, the spirit of the centuries is still alive in the Old Town with its old Islamic monuments and even older charm. In fact, the entire city is a scattering of architectural diamonds: patterned tombs, mosques, palaces and houses from the past are hidden, lurking and enchanting passers-by in every corner of the city. Look around carefully.
In recent decades, with the growth of western Hyderabad - the sexy and popular granddaughter of our elderly princess - a new style has emerged. "Cyberabad", along with Bengaluru (Bangalore) and Pune, is home to India's most powerful software dynasties and generates jobs, wealth and luxury vacation spots.
The main attraction of the city is the famous Charminar (Charminar) (“four minarets”), dating from 1591. It is a majestic square archway supported by four 56-meter towers.
Nearby stands one of the largest mosques in India, Mecca Masjid. (Mass Masjid), built of black granite. According to legend, the red bricks of the central aisle are made of clay brought from Mecca. Charminar is surrounded by bazaars - narrow, cobblestone streets lined with rows of shops selling spices, tobacco, grains, essential oils and other goods unique to Hyderabad. There is also a pearl market.
It seems that prosperity is in the genes of this city.
Story
Hyderabad owes its existence to the shortage of water in Golconda at the end of the 16th century. The Kuto Shahs who ruled at that time were forced to move, and therefore Muhammad Quli (Mohammed Quli) and the entire ruling family left the Golconda fortress and headed to the banks of the Musi River. A new city was founded, with a brand new Charminar in the center.
In 1687, the city passed to the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and all subsequent rulers of Hyderabad were appointed by the Mughal administration in Delhi.
In 1724, the Viceroy of Hyderabad, Asaf Jah (Asaf Jah) took advantage of the weakening of the Mughal Empire and proclaimed Hyderabad an independent state and himself as its head. Thus began the dynasty of the Nizams of Hyderabad, and with it the flowering of Islamic traditions. Hyderabad became the center of arts, culture, science and Islamic India. And the abundance of rare diamonds and minerals in it - the world famous Kohinoor diamond comes from there - gave the Nizams enormous wealth. (William Dalrymple's White Mughals gives an excellent description of the city at that time.)
When independence came in 1947, the then Nizam, Osman Ali Khan (Osman Ali Khan), chose unification with Pakistan - and then achieved sovereignty. Tensions grew between the Mughulans and the Hindus, and as a result of military intervention, Hyderabad joined the Indian Union in 1948.
Golconda Fortress
Indians/foreigners 5/100 rupees;
9.00-17.00
Although almost the entire fort was built during the reign of Qutub Shah in the 16th century, its origins as a defensive structure go back to the early years of the Yadava and Kakatiya dynasties.
The citadel is built on a 120 m high granite hill and is surrounded by crenellated ramparts built from large stone blocks. The massive ports were equipped with iron spikes to hold back the war elephants. Outside the fortress there is another rampart, the perimeter of which is 11 km, and another wall behind it. To Naya Qila (Naya Quila; new fort), which borders the golf course, you will find a magnificent 400-year-old baobab tree (Hathiyan - “elephant tree”) with a circumference of 25 m, which is said to have been grown from grain brought by African troops from Abyssinia (Abyssia). While exploring the crumbling ramparts in this area you will find cannons scattered throughout (some with beautiful inscriptions) and excellent views of the fortress and burial grounds.
Survival in the fortress also depended on water and audibility. A series of hidden ground clay pipes ensured a reliable water supply, while the Grand Portico's ingenious diamond-shaped ceiling design creates an acoustic system that carries even the smallest echo through the entire fortress to its highest point - used as a security system. Guides can demonstrate the same impressive acoustics in the royal palace, which were designed specifically to catch plotters: whispers in one corner can be clearly heard through the walls in the opposite.
Erudite guides (1.5 hour tour 600 rupees) can be booked from Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department. There are also small guides to the fortress available.
If you want peace and quiet, take a walk there in the morning. Autorickshaw from Abids (Abids) costs about 150 rupees. You can also get there in an hour by bus - from Nampally on route 119 or from Charminar on route 66G.
There is also a cool light and sound show here. (entrance 50 rupees; in English 18.30 from November to February, 19.00 from March to October).
Laad Bazaar
If you want to get lost in Hyderabad, a great place to do so is the crowded Laad Bazaar, located to the west of Charminar. You can find literally everything here, from fine perfumes, clothes and jewelry to second-hand saris and kitchen utensils. The artisans here are skilled in creating jewelry and scented oils, large pots and veils. The lanes in the Charminar area are also the pearl trading hub of India. If you're into it, you can find some really cheap stuff here.
Salar Jung Museum
www.salarjungmuseum.in; Salar Jung Marg; Indians/foreigners 10/150 rupees;
10.00-17.00 Saturday-Thursday
A huge and varied collection, some of whose exhibits date back to the 1st century. AD, put together by Mir Yuzaf Ali Khan (Salar Jung III) and Grand Vizier of the seventh Nizam Osman Ali Khan (reigned 1910-1949). 35,000 exhibits from all corners of the globe, including sculptures, wood carvings, ivory (including a sadly ironic set of elephants), religious paraphernalia, Persian artistic miniatures, illuminated manuscripts, weapons, toys and more than 50,000 books. You can also sometimes see the stunning collection of jewelry of the Nizams. Photo and video filming is prohibited. Avoid Sundays when they are chaotic. From any bus station in the Abids area, take bus along route No. 7, which stops at Afzal Gunj stop (Afzal Gunj), which is located north of the nearest bridge over the Musi River.
West of the bridge is the beautiful Osmania Community Hospital (Osmania General Hospital), on the north and south sides there is a court (High Court) and City College (Government City College), all the buildings were built during the time of the seventh Nizam in the Indo-Saracenic style.
Chowmahalla Palace
www.chowmahalla.com;
Indians/foreigners 30/150 rupees,
photo and video shooting 50 rupees;
10.00-17.00 Sat-Thurs
The Nizam's family sponsored the restoration of this dazzling palace - or, technically speaking, four (char; char) palaces (mahalla; mahalla). Begun in 1750, it continued for the next hundred years, absorbing Persian, Indo-Saracenic, Rajasthani and European styles.
There is a mahal in the southern courtyard (castle), whose rooms have been restored with the best furniture of the Nizams; another mahal gives an insight into life in the zenana (zenana; female part); Also in the southern part you will find antique cars and various interesting things, such as elephant saddles and a Remington Urdu typewriter.
In the northern courtyard is the Khilwat Mubarak, a magnificent reception hall with exhibitions of photographs, weapons and clothing.
His Highness the Nizam Museum
adult/student 70/15 rupees;
10.00-17.00 Saturday-Thursday
In the 16th century, Purani Haveli was the home of the sixth Nizam, Fath Jang Mah-bub Ali Khan (reigned 1869-1911), who was rumored to never wear the same thing twice. Confirming these rumors is its 72-meter, 2-story teak Burmese wardrobe, which will be the first room you enter. In the premises of the former servants of the palace there are personal belongings of the seventh Nizam, Osman Ali Khan (1886-1967) , gifts from his "Silver Jubilee" - luxurious exhibits, including a collection of silver art deco mailboxes.
The remainder of the Purani Haveli is now a school, but you can wander around and explore the administrative buildings that were once the residence of the Nizam.
Nehru Centenary Tribal Museum
Masab Tank (Masab Tank);
Indian/foreigner 10/100 rupees;
10.30-17.00 Mon-Sat
The 33 tribal groups inhabiting mainly northeastern Andhra Pradesh state number several million. The newly renovated museum, maintained and managed by the government's Tribal Welfare Department, features exhibitions of photographs, dioramas of rural life, musical instruments and several exquisite Naikpod tribal masks. You will get a basic idea of the culture of the peoples of this region. There is also an excellent library with a collection of 13,500 books on the tribal groups of India. Nearby, in Girijan, you can buy products produced in tribal communities.
Paigah Tombs
Fisalbanda, Santoshnagar;
10.00-17.00 Saturday-Thursday
Members of the aristocratic Paigah family, supposedly descendants of the second Islamic caliph and ardent supporters of the Nizams, were in their government service, philanthropists and generals, both under their leadership and alongside them. The necropolis of the Paigahs, located in a quiet location four kilometers from Charminar to the southeast, is a small group of exquisite mausoleums built from marble imported from Agra and covered with lime plaster. The main complex contains 27 intricately inlaid tombs, surrounded by exquisitely decorated walls and canopies, stunning filigree window grilles with geometric patterns, and crowned by tall, graceful turrets. The tombs open into a small alley near Owasi Hospital (Owasi). Look for the Preston Junior College sign. Information booklet “Tombs of the Paigahs” (20 rupees) sold in the Andhra Pradesh Museum, but not here.
Buddha statue and Hussain Sagar
Hyderabad has one of the largest free-standing stone structures, which was completed after five years of work in 1990. However, when the monolith, 17.5 meters high and weighing 350 tons, was transported by ferry to its permanent location, the barge sank. Fortunately, in 1992 the old one was recovered from the bottom unharmed, and now it stands on a pedestal in the middle of the lake. The view is especially magnificent when night falls.
Boats often go to the statue (adult/child 50/25 rupees), and within half an hour you can go there and back like with Eat (14.00-20.40) , and from Lumbini Park (entrance 10 rupees; 9.00-21.00). There you can enjoy the sunset and the famous musical fountain. A walk along Tankbud Road (Tankbund Rd) on the eastern bank, Hussain Sagar promises magnificent views of the Buddha statue.
Andhra Pradesh State Museum
Public Gardens Road, Nampally;
entry 10 rupees; photo/video shooting 500 rupees;
10.30-17.00 Saturday-Thursday.
The continuously restored government museum houses a rather dusty collection of important archaeological finds from the region, as well as an exhibition on the Buddhist history of Andhra. There are also galleries dedicated to Jainism and bronze sculptures, a decorative arts gallery and a 4,500-year-old Egyptian mummy. The museum, as well as the magnificent Judicial Assembly building down the road (both appeared during the reign of the seventh Nizam) illuminated at night.
Birla Mandir and Planetarium
working hours 7.00-12.00 and 14.00-21.00
Birla Mandir built in 1976 using white Rajasthani marble carved from Kalabahad (Black Mountain), one of the two rocky mountains on the shores of Hussain Sagar Lake. The temple is dedicated to Venkateswara and is a popular Hindu pilgrimage center, offering excellent views of the city, especially at sunset. Library (16.00-20.00) The temple is worth a look.
Nearby is Birla Planetarium and Science Museum (museum/planetarium 20/35 rupees, 10.30-20.00, until 15.00 Friday, planetarium shows 11.30, 16.00 and 18.00) and an interesting contemporary art gallery (entrance 10 rupees, 10.30-18.00).
Kitchabad
In the mix of Hyderabad's world attractions, some stand out from the overall picture and provide an opportunity to take a little breather from contemplating “decent and correct” places.
Ramoji Film City
www.ramojifilmcity.com;
adult/child 500/450 rupees;
9.30-17.30
Home to India's resurgent film industry, also known as Tollywood (Tollywood), is the Ramoji Film City, which, without a doubt, should be the first stop on a trip to the “non-spiritual” Hyderabad. This is the largest film studio complex in the world, covering an area of more than 670 hectares. It produces films in various eastern languages - Telu, Tamil, Hindi and so on. While you won't be able to directly observe the film being made, the four-hour tour will take you through rickety sets and beautiful fountains, with stops to watch dance performances and stunts. The film studio is located on the outskirts of the city, 20 km from Abids, and you can get there by taking a bus near Koti Women's College on route 205 or 206. The journey there will take you about an hour.
Health Museum
Public Garden Road (Public Gardens Rd), Nampally (Nampally);
admission is free;
10.30-17.00 Saturday-Thursday
It houses a whimsical collection of medical and sanitary supplies, immersing you in the atmosphere of a 1950s classroom. Also here you can see a terrifying exhibit - a giant model of a pubic lice.
Snow world
Lower Tankbund;
entrance 300 rupees;
11.00-20.00
Snow World is a beautiful and, importantly, the coldest place in the city, which will allow you to escape the heat. Suddenly you find yourself in warm, waterproof clothes among people throwing snowballs, sledding and playing snow volleyball. Every hour it snows amidst cheers. The park also has a snow disco and light show.
Suddhi Car Museum
www.sudhacars.net;
Bahadurpura (Bahadurpura);
Indian/foreigner 30/150 rupees;
9.30-18.30
The museum presents the ingenious work of Sudhakar. Here you will find working cars in the shape of a toilet, computer, cricket bat, hamburger, condom and other eccentric shapes. He also owns a world achievement, certified by the Guinness Book of Records - the largest tricycle, the height of which is 12.8 m. You can also look into the workshop and see what the master is currently working on (at the time of writing it was a "car" in the shape of a stiletto heel). The museum is located east of the Nehru Zoo (Nehru Zoologicai Park).
NTR Park
children/adults 10/20 rupees;
14.30-20.30
In this park, everything is done to make it pleasant to walk around - beautiful gardens, attractions, games. And if you want to eat a cake, you can do so in a restaurant with a fancy design in the form of a giant bowl of fruit.
Amurutha Castle
www.bestwesternamruthacastle.com;
Saifabad (Saifabad);
day from 4800 rupees
Always dreamed of staying in a Bavarian castle during your stay in Hyderabad? Maybe not, but if you decide to, then this massive castle hotel, built on the model of Schloss Neuschwanstein, is at your service. Although this pleasure is not cheap.
Drink and have fun in Hyderabad
There are more and more places for such recreation in Hyderabad, but drinking establishments are limited by a curfew and are open until 22.00. Unless otherwise stated, bars are open until 10 p.m. (but don't go before 9 p.m.). On certain evenings they are allowed inside (500-1000 rupees) only couples, i.e. the guy needs a girl to get in. Beer starts from 150 rupees, cocktails from 300 rupees.
Information
Internet
Anand Internet (hour 15 rupees; 10.30-21.30) Opposite Sekhun Darabad Railway Station.
Net World (Taramandal Complex, Saifabad; hourly 15 rupees; 9.30-19.00 Mon-Sat)
Reliance Internet (Himayathnagar; hour 15 rupees 8.00-22.00)
Reliance Web World (MPM Mall, Abids Circle; for 4 hours 100 rupees; 10.30-21.30 Mon-Sat. 12.30-21.00 Sun)
mass media
Good guidebooks with posters are Channel 6 (www.channel6magazine.com), GO Hyderabad and City Info. The most colorful - “wow Hyderabad” (www.wowhyderabad.com; 25 rupees). The local newspaper Deccan Chronicle is also good; There are also posters in the Hyderabad Chronicle. All newspapers are published in one of the official languages, incl. in English.
Medical services
Apollo Pharmacy;
23431734;
Hyderguda Main Rd;24 hours; Delivery.
Sage Hospital Banjara Hills (30418888; Rd No. 1); Nampally (30417777; Mukarramjahi Rd) A hospital with a good reputation and a 24-hour pharmacy.
Money
The best exchange rate is at banks. ATMs are everywhere. State Bank of India (23231986; HACA Bhavan, Saifabad; 10.30-16.00 Mon-Fri)
Post office (8.00-20.30 Mon-Sat, 10.00-14.00 Sun) Secunderabad (Rashtrapati Rd); Abids (Abids Circle)
Tourist Information
Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC; 24/7 info 23450444; www.aptdc.in; 7.00-20.30) Bashirbagh (Bashirbagh; 23298456; NSF Shakar Bhavan, Opposite Police Post); Secunderabad (27893100; Yatri Nivas Hotel, Sardar Patel Rd); Tankbund Rd (65581555; 10.30-17.00) Organize tours.
India Tourism (Government of India; 23261360, 23260770; Netaji Bhavan, Himayathnagar Rd; 9.30-18.00 Mon-Fri, until 12.00 Sat) Very useful for information about Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and other areas.
Transport in Hyderabad
To/from the airport
The new airport is magnificent and is a 45 minute drive into the city.
Public buses depart frequently from RTS towards Jubilee and Imlibun stations. You can get there in greater comfort on AC Aeroexress buses (18004192008; 24 hours; 175 rupees), which run every half hour to Charminar, Secunderabad, Begumpet, Mehdipatnam and Hitech City.
For a prepaid taxi, pay at the appropriate counter in the terminal and pick up the car at RTS.
"Radiotaxi" Meru (44224422) and Easy (43434343) stand in line at the exit of the arrival terminal and cost 15 rupees per km, and 18.75 at night. A trip to Abids or Banjara Hills costs no more than 450 rupees. If you are going to the airport, try calling Yellow Taxi (44004400) .
Autorickshaw
The minimum taxi fare is 12 rupees for the first km and 7 rupees for each subsequent km. From 22.00 to 5.00 - 50% surcharge. Unfortunately, new electronic meters do not always work, and drivers do not always use them, so be prepared to bargain.
Bus
Most local buses depart from Kochi station (23443320; Rani Jhansi Rd), so if you come here there is a chance of finding a place. Single pass for 1 day (regular/express 40/50 rupees), which can be purchased directly on the bus from the conductor, gives the right to unlimited travel throughout the city on the day of purchase. Tiny guide to bus routes "City Bus Route Guide" (10 rupees) can be purchased from bookstores in Kochi area.
Automobile
There are several places near Hyderabad railway station where you can rent a car. Links Travels (9348770007) is a reliable company for renting a car both for trips around the city and over long distances.
Train
MMTS trains (www.mmts.co.in) convenient, especially for the three main railway stations. There are two main branches: from Hyderabad (Napmalli) to Lingampally (Lingampalli; northeast Banjara Hills) consists of 11 stops, including Lakdikapul (lakdikapul), Khairatabad (Khairatabad), necleis road (Necklace Rd), Begumpet (Begumpet) and Hitech City (Hitec City); branch from Falaknuma (Falaknuma; south of the Old Town) to Secunderabad passes through Yakutpura (Yakutpura), Dabirpuru (Dabirpura), Malakpet (Malakpet), Kachiguda (Kachiguda) and others. The trains indicate the point of departure and the point of arrival: HL is Hyderabad-Lingampalli (Hyderabad-Lingampalli), FS Falaknuma-Secunderabad (Falaknuma-Secunderabad) and so on. Trains are an efficient way to travel, but they run every 30-40 minutes. Tickets cost 3 and 10 rupees.
Road to Hyderabad and back
Airplane
Hyderabad has a large and modern international airport. Rajiv Gandhi (Ra iv Gandhi International Airport; 66546370; www.hyderabad.aero). It is located 22 km southwest, in the city of Shamshabad (Shamshabad).
You can find the best deals yourself online or through travel agencies. Try Neo Globe Tours & Travels (66751786; Saifabad; 10.00-19.30 Mon-Sat. 11.00-14.00 Sun), next to Nizam Club.
Airline offices are usually open from Monday to Friday from 9.30 to 17.30, with a one-hour lunch break, and on Saturdays until 13.30.
National airline offices:
- GoAir (airport 9223222111,1800222111; Rajiv Gandhi International Airport)
- Indian Airlines (23430334, Airport 24255161/2; HACA Bhavan, Saifabad)
- IndiGo (23233590, airport 24255052; Interglobe Air Transport, Chapel Rd) Jet Airways (39893333, airport 39893322; Hill Fort Rd; 9.00-19.00 Mon-Sat) Also booking tickets from JetLite.
- JetLite (30302020; Rajiv Gandhi International Airport)
- Kingfisher Airlines (40328400, Airport 66605603; Balayogi Paryatak Bhavan, Begumpet) SpiceJet (18001803333; Rajiv Gandhi International Airport)
International airlines:
- Air India (1800227722, Airport 66605163; HACA Bhavan, Saifabad)
- AirAsia (66666464, Airport 66605163; HACA Bhavan, Saifabad)
- Emirates (66234444; Rd No 1, Banjara Hills)
- GSA Transworld Travels (3298495; Chapel Rd) For Qantas.
- Lufthansa (4888888; Rajiv Gandhi International Airport)
- Sri Lankan Airlines (23372429/30; Raj Bhavan Rd, Somaji Guda) Opposite Yashoda Hospital (Yashoda Hospital).
- Qatar Airways (1244566000, Airport 66605121; Rd No 1, Banjara Hills)
- Thai Airways (23333030; Rd No 1, Banjara Hills)
Bus
Hyderabad intercity bus station works very efficiently. At the bus station. Mahatma Gandhi (Mahatma Gandhi bus station; 24614406), better known as Imbulun (Imlibun), there is a pre-booking ticket office (23434269; 8.00-22.00) . To Karnataka (Karnataka) travel by KSRTC buses (24656430) . For departure times and prices, visit www.apsrtc.co.in.
From Jubilee bus station (Jubilee bus station; 27802203) Volvo buses operate from Secunderabad to the following destinations: Bengaluru (801 rupees, 11 hours, 6 per day), Chennai (844 rupees, 12 hours, daily) and Visakhapatnam (Visakhapatnam; 701 rupees, 13 hours, daily).
Private bus companies (with air-conditioned buses) are located in Nampally on High Road (High Road), near the entrance to the railway station.
Train
Secunderabad, Hyderabad - also known as Nampally - and Kacheguda are the three main railway stations. Most of the passing trains stop at Secunderabad and Kacheguda, from where it is convenient to travel to Abids. Tickets can be booked at Hyderabad and Secunderabad railway stations from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm from Monday to Saturday (until 14.00 on Sunday). Both stations have a tourist information desk. General information 139; questions related to booking 135.
Do you need a visa to go there?
It is necessary, but it is given very easily. To obtain a tourist visa to India, you do not need anything at all except a valid passport, plane tickets and hotel reservation. The visa center near the Sukharevskaya metro station is small, there are not many people there, the employees are friendly. The visa is issued in a few days.
We needed a visa to attend the conference - Indians have a separate type of visa (they travel to Europe for conferences on a regular tourist visa). Therefore, with us everything was a little more complicated, and not without the omnipresent Indian flavor.
To obtain a visa for the conference, among other documents, the consulate required a certain paper from the organizing committee - something like permission to hold the conference. At first we tried to shake this paper out of the organizing committee ourselves, but after a week of communication by e-mail and international telephone, we entrusted this difficult task to the consulate staff. So that they themselves explain to their compatriots what they want from them. The process took a long time. The rest of the documents had been collected a long time ago, we were sitting on pins and needles. We even got our own consulate employee who you could call on his cell phone and ask how things were going. There was less than a week left before departure.
Finally, two days before departure, the consulate and the organizing committee found a common language. We submitted the documents and received ready-made visas the day before departure. We delegated a representative from our company to the consulate. There, at first they tried to be indignant that visas are issued from five to six and what is he doing here at lunchtime. But an Indian running past recognized him - oh, so it’s you! - and brought him our passports. It’s that simple - no document, no power of attorney, no receipt, no one.
Mess on the one hand, humanity on the other. I’m trying to imagine this in Schengen, but I can’t.
How to get there
The easiest way is by plane. In our case, it was Emirates airline, a flight from Moscow to Hyderabad with a transfer in Dubai. The flight from Moscow to Dubai takes 5 hours, from Dubai to Hyderabad 3.5 hours. The transfer was 9 hours on the way there and 5.5 on the way back.
Dubai Airport is a special experience. Firstly, it’s +40 there. It feels like sitting on a bus in winter with a stove blowing on your feet. Only it’s not the stove, it’s all the air. Secondly, it is a melting pot. The center of the world, where the roads of five continents converge. Here you can see representatives of all cultures that have mastered air travel. Hindus in bright clothes. Muslims: women tightly wrapped in burqas embroidered with gold, men in white loose robes. Africans and Asians. Dominican nuns of Indian origin. Europeans are in a miserable minority. It seems that you can live here for a month - and collect a mountain of cultural material that you could not collect even over the years of expeditions.
And I would also like to express my delight at Emirates airline. Because I have never seen such excellent service in economy class for reasonable money anywhere else. The plane is huge, each passenger is entitled to a pillow, a blanket and a screen with music, films, games and cameras looking outside the plane. Very high quality food and metal cutlery. Flight attendants wear eye-catching uniforms and speak multiple languages from different regions of the world. And somewhere there is not only business class, but also first class. They have a separate entrance, and I don’t know what they do with people there - maybe they offer a bed and a personal masseuse. A real oriental palace of fairy tales.
Where to live there
There is accommodation to suit every taste in Hyderabad. If you want to feel the local flavor, choose a cheaper hotel or even a hostel. If you want to look at the local color from a comfortable room with all amenities, welcome to a more expensive hotel.
We stayed in a hotel called Justa the Residence. It had three stars and some elements of local color. The local flavor was expressed in breakfasts from local cuisine and hyper-helpful staff. Breakfast on the first day caused confusion in the form of “what is it and how do they eat it”; however, we figured it out almost immediately and continued to eat it with pleasure. The staff carried our things, opened the door for us and brought us a newspaper in the morning. We attributed it all to the residual coloniality of consciousness. The rooms are modest, but everything you need is there. The room comes with tea bags, instant coffee and a coffee maker, which can also be used for boiling water. There is a restaurant on the roof of the hotel, which has an indoor and outdoor area. We had breakfast in the closed part of it, and went out into the open part to stare at the lake and the low-rise buildings of the quarter, drowning in the jungle. Tropical downpour and the sour smell of rotten meat are included.
Outdoor terrace of the restaurant
View of the lake from the hotel roof
View from the hotel roof away from the lake
Abstract sculpture in one of the corridors
The conference took place at the five-star Mariott Hotel. The lobby and conference room have luxurious decoration, not inferior to that in similar hotels in Europe. I wasn’t in the rooms, but I assume that everything there is also up to par. The hotel courtyard is well-groomed, with many unusual trees and flowers. The hotel area is surrounded by electrified barbed wire, and there are barriers and metal detectors at the entrance. So that no local color breaks through.
Sculptural group on the territory of Marriott
And both of these hotels manage to be located in a poor neighborhood with pencil-case houses, goats and cows. So, alas, you won’t be able to completely avoid the local color even at Marriott.
What to eat there
All Indian cuisine is divided into two categories: spicy and vegetarian. You quickly get used to the spicy food, because you still want meat. The meat is most often chicken, although sometimes there are other options. The side dish is mainly rice and vegetables. It is customary to eat Indian cuisine with your hands, but Europeanized Indians use utensils, and Europeans are also given them.
The food at the conference was such that there was no need to eat anywhere else; perhaps this was also done to protect the delicate psyche of Europeans. We only ate in town once. Then we came across a very nice restaurant with Chinese cuisine. The portions in the restaurant were large; The Indian employee was very surprised at the volume of the order and, in particular, the volume of tea ordered (only a teapot per brother). However, we managed. I think that in the city center you can find restaurants for every taste and budget.
Before eating street food in India, you should think ten times, they write in all guidebooks for Europeans. We tried drinking sugarcane juice once, and we didn't get anything for it. It seems to me that it is best to rely on your gut feeling and common sense.
What to see there
India is a large country, and interesting places are spread across it in a thin, even layer. There are three main attractions in Hyderabad where we were taken: Charminar, Golconda and the complex of tombs of the Qutub Shahi Sultans. Char Minar and the complex of tombs are monuments of Muslim architecture of the 16th-17th centuries. They are not at all well-groomed, but their former beauty emerges from under the dirt and smudges. If someone had restored them, they would have been sweets. Golconda produces a completely different impression: picturesque castle ruins on a green hill. The stone carving there is amazing.
But the main thing worth seeing in India is not even the sights. This is a way of life completely different from what we are used to. This is a completely different culture and a completely different view of the world. In India, looking around, you understand a lot about how different our world is and how much people’s lives can differ from what we see in Europe.
How to move in space
Transport around the country is by planes and trains. And for moving within the city there are several options.
The first thing they try to do is put all foreigners into a taxi and transport them exclusively in it. In addition to the standard option for us, when a taxi simply takes you from point A to point B (Indians call this drop-off), for foreigners there are so-called packages. You can choose a package for 1, 3, 6 hours or another amount of time. And all this time the taxi will take you for a ride: take you where you need to go, wait and then take you to the next point. Tourists use this for shopping and sightseeing. A taxi is comfortable and inexpensive by our standards: drop-off is about 100-200 rubles, packages are proportionally more expensive. But this is completely uninteresting.
Much more interesting than a rickshaw. You can catch them from the flow of Indian life and persuade them to take you to the right place for money convenient for you. Their tarantaykas are equipped with meters, but tourists are categorically not recommended to use the meter: the cunning natives will take you to the next block half a city away, just to overcharge it more. It is better to agree on the price with the rickshaw driver in advance. It is also not recommended to agree to the first price offered: it is guaranteed to be three times higher than the actual cost of the trip. Before you go, you need to bargain with the rickshaw and lower the price. You should bargain actively using sign language, since rickshaw pullers usually don’t speak English very well. We had fun with this quite successfully.
There are also buses in Hyderabad, but we avoided these crowded monsters. Walking and riding a rickshaw is still funnier.
Where to shop
For shopping in Hyderabad there is a special quarter called Basheer Bagh. There is a great variety of shops there; we have mastered one of them - Woman’s World, a national women’s clothing store.
Buying national clothes in India is a separate art. The first two floors of the store were entirely occupied by saris. On the third floor other clothes were sold: dresses, shirts, tunics and pants. A special tailor can fit clothes to your figure right in the store, within a couple of hours. Some dresses come with sleeves included separately. You can ask them to sew them on, or you can leave them as is.
The clothes are budget-friendly and at the same time bright and unusual - just how I like them. The quality, however, is not superb - but for such money it’s almost not offensive at all. It's more offensive that this beauty is short-lived.
And the main Hyderabad souvenir is considered to be pearls. But we didn’t buy it - somehow we didn’t get around to it.
Unsanitary conditions: our experience
Indian unsanitary conditions are one of the favorite horror stories for tourists. Travel sites write about it and relatives talk about it, advising, following the example of their cousin-diplomat, to definitely take potassium permanganate with you to wash fruits.
Nowadays you can’t find potassium permanganate during the day with fire, but I wanted to somehow protect myself from Indian unsanitary conditions. In addition to the standard traveler's first aid kit, we took with us a whole set of various medications for gastrointestinal disorders, antiseptic wet wipes and hand rub with alcohol.
Fortunately, almost none of this was useful to us. It turned out that in India, in order not to have problems with your health, it is enough to follow the usual rules of hygiene. We washed our hands with soap before eating, and wiped them with napkins or hand sanitizer from time to time throughout the day. We used boiled water to brush our teeth. We drank bottled water, which was distributed to everyone at the conference. The bottles were small, 200 ml, and absolutely charming, for which they were christened bottles. Fruits were also always washed with soap before eating.
Particularly impressionable people should be wary of psychosomatics, multiplied by surrounding aromas. On the first day, after trying the local food, we ate activated carbon - more out of fear than according to indications. Then they stopped being scared, and the need to eat activated carbon also disappeared.
Even in India it is not recommended to swim in fresh water. There sits a guinea worm that crawls under a person’s skin, and it turns out badly.
As you stay in India, there is a gradual weakening of vigilance regarding gastrointestinal matters - apparently in parallel with the body getting used to local conditions. Europeans who have lived in India for a long time write that they were no longer afraid to take tap water into their mouths by the middle of the first month. For me, this moment came the evening before leaving: I thought about it while brushing my teeth. And nothing bad happened to me. It’s like with food: gut instinct and common sense are our best friends.
