Day Eleven in Hyderabad -- Tombs and Museums

We woke to an overcast but otherwise beautiful day! Another delicious breakfast, and the company of Max and Devika made for a great start of this day.

We arranged for Madhu, the guide who took us to the Golkonda Fort the other day to take us to another area of the city to see the Paigah tombs, the HEH Nizam Museum, and the Salarjung Museum. We were picked up by our driver at 11:00 and taken on our way.








Driving to the Paigah Tombs, we ended up on a VERY narrow road, with goats and people having to get out of our way -- Wow. We stopped outside a gate, and all I could think of was, "you've got to be kidding" -- but I was quickly shamed out of that western mindset. Walking through the gate we were treated to a view of a wonderful set of tombs dating back to the late 18th century. On the left is an image looking from the street to the gate to the tombs. On the right is a view from inside the tombs out onto the street -- hopefully this will help give some perspective.








The tomb is free to tour. There is an active Mosque on site, and people are living on the property to care for it. You have to remove your shoes to enter the tombs. Madhu told us that the Paigahs were close to the Nizams -- they took care of security and defense for them. In addition, the "deal was sealed" when a number of Paigah men married the daughters of the Nizams. Their tombs were made of marble and were elegant -- a flat topped tomb indicates the tomb of a woman. A tomb with something that looks like a house on top of it indicates the tomb of a man. One tomb was encrusted with semi precious stones, which were looted years ago. The tombs are all made of beautiful marble.








The scroll work and the minarets on the buildings are beautiful! There are a series of small buildings linked together to make up the complex. There are still members of the Paigah family living in Hyderabad, and Madhu showed us the area they are being buried in now as they pass away. One man stopped and spoke to us -- he didn't speak English, but his friend spoke a little English. Madhu translated. He was very proud of the tombs, and showed us the guest book and asked us to sign it.








We headed over to the HEH Nizam Museum, which is a lesser known museum in Hyderabad. It is on the grounds of the Purani Haveli, the former palace of the Nizams. It currently houses the VII Nizam's Silver Jubilee gifts that he was given when his jubilee was celebrated in 1936. Among the many gifts, because this was his silver jubilee, were blueprints made of silver of the various buildings he had constructed while he was King. It was unbelievable the number of gifts he was given -- room after room of them -- and almost all in silver. In addition, there was a display of photographs from when this Nazim died -- over one million people joined the funeral procession. He was much loved for the infrastructure he created while King.








One of the most interesting rooms was the wardrobe -- it was HUGE! Apparently one of the Nizams only wore his clothes once -- then gave them away. This didn't stop the need for closet space -- there were wives and concubines to consider as well. This long hall was double deckered -- with closets for clothes on the first level, and cabinets for shoes and hats, etc. on the second level. I have tried to depict that with the pictures we took here. I'm standing in the one picture -- the long shot -- with the security guard and Madhu, our guide. The other is of the "upper deck" -- there is a cat walk up there -- you enter from either end of the long room -- no stairway in the middle!








What is also interesting about this former palace is that it now houses a school and a college as well as this museum. It also has goats on the grounds! Most fascinating is that the former palace is virtually the way it was set up 450 years ago, save the royalty running around. It has been preserved well -- imagine being a student and running around these beautiful buildings with the arches, etc. Amazing and wonderful! I had Steve take a picture of one of the signs on the grounds -- I'm going to have to think of a clever way to weave that into a sermon or future writing. Also, here is a picture of Madhu and me -- Madhu, when he laughs, looks and sounds just like our own Bob Williams at the Diocese.

We then headed off to the Salarjung Museum, famous here in Hyderabad. We were not able to take pictures inside, and as we had an hour we asked Madhu to take us to the highlights -- he did! Salarjung 1, 2 and 3 were all Prime Ministers to the Nizam -- and it was Grandfather, Father and Son. Salarjung I amassed 10 percent of the collection, Salarjung II added the second 10 percent, and Salarjung III added 80 percent of the collection. These were items from all over the world -- rooms and rooms full -- that they were either given or purchased. Jade, tapestries, paintings, you name it. Among the famous works there are the Veiled Rebecca in marble and the carved wood man in the front/woman in the back statue. More, the Indian art was magnificent!

As we needed another suitcase (yes, really) we had Madhu take us to an area to make our purchase -- he was very helpful, and I now have a new purple (of course you knew I'd do that) suitcase to pack all the things we've been given or clothes purchased here in India.




Back to the hotel to say goodbye to Madhu and rest. We ended up going to dinner at a restaurant I read about that sounded wonderful -- Sahib Sindh Sultan -- it is created like an old English/Indian train station -- and I made reservations so we could sit in the train. The service was horrible, and the food mediocre. Oh well -- here we are at dinner.

Our last full day in India will be tomorrow. Very little on the agenda expect a high English Tea and Palace tour -- and of course, more packing.




I leave you with one of the signs in the mall -- wishing shoppers a happy/good Ramadan --

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Location:Road No 1, Hyderabad, India

Day Ten in Hyderabad -- waiting

Today was the day we hurried up and waited.

Jardine was picked up at 6:30 this morning to head for the airport. She had a 10 hour layover in Dubai -- thank goodness she was told that airport was like a shopping mall -- she should be fine, although that's a heck of a layover.

Boo and Larry left at 2:00 pm in a cab to go to the airport. They are on their way to Tel Aviv for a long awaited trip to the Holy Land. They will go there via Mumbai from here.

At 5:00 pm Allan was picked up to go to the airport. As his friend Jens from Germany was supposed to come with him, he is going back through Frankfurt to London.

So, with the exception of Jardine we ate breakfast together one last time. It has been so wonderful to be with such good friends during this celebratory time in our lives.

One thing that Allan had not done was to take a ride in an auto rickshaw. I took care of that by taking him quickly back to the store called Max (yes, really) to buy one more kurta. I love traveling in auto rickshaws, but the only problem is the diesel and other smells from the cars around you on the street and just the regular street smells. It's an exercise in holding ones breath! Later Steve took Allan over for a special drip coffee by Basra Pride, which gave me some time to write and relax.

We've been leaving Max and Devika alone -- while they have been eating breakfast with us, the rest of the day is for whatever they want to do.

Our one big adventure today was to go down to the lakefront restaurant at the hotel for dinner. After the patio is fumigated for mosquitos at 7:00 pm, the restaurant opens at 7:30. As the lake smells a bit when it rains (and it's been raining a lot here), the restaurant burns incense to negate the smell of the lake. Citronella coils are placed under each of the tables as well to take care of any mosquitos that either survived fumigation or are brave enough to come in from the water. I didn't hesitate to go to this restaurant -- the staff here at the hotel have been wonderful, and the food has been exceptional. It was going to be our easy adventure for the day.




Max and Devika joined us at dinner. Max had met the head chef when he was checking out the hotel a few weeks before we arrived. The chef came out and greeted Max warmly -- he doesn't speak any English, so he and Max spoke Urdu -- the chef was so impressed by Max. He told us what dishes he thinks are best, and actually offered to make us one what is no longer on the menu -- we opted for a mutton kebob, a chicken kebob and a fish kebob with a special bread that I can't remember the name of that flaked like a finely done croissant but it was made in the tandoor. Here is a picture of Max speaking with the chef at our table.

We had so much fun at dinner -- we were there over 2 hours enjoying the beautiful evening and the great company. Steve was especially excited because the chefs let him come behind the counter and watch them cook various dishes. Max was on hand to translate.

Tomorrow Steve and I will tour some tombs near Char Minar, go to a few museums and shop. We're taking a few days here to relax and see some sights before we head home very early on Tuesday morning.

I leave you with pictures of our adventure at the lakeside restaurant.

Location:Road No 1, Hyderabad, India

Day Nine in Hyderabad -- the day after the BIG DAY

Many of we family members got to bed around 3 in the morning (the early morning after the wedding) and were up before 9 am, which made for a very bleary eyed breakfast. We were all so excited for Devika and Max that it was hard to sleep.

Allan, Boo, Larry, Jardine, Steve and I were at breakfast when the bride and groom came down -- we clapped for them and welcomed them to our table (we are all staying at the same hotel.) It was fun to share some of the pictures we had taken the night before with them -- they loved it, and we loved sharing with them some of the highlights of the night.

I had made arrangements the day before to have a private guide and car ready to take us to Golkonda Fort today at 1:00 -- the driver and the guide were on time and ready to go! Boo wasn't feeling well, so she and Larry stayed behind to rest. Steve, Allan, Jardine and I were tired but ready to go.
Our guide, Mahu, was very knowledgable about the area. From the moment we got in the car he shared the history of Hyderabad, the number of current inhabitants, and the general cultural and economic situation in the area. While of course I knew that Hyderabad was known for its pearls and for being a "tech" city, he rattled off some of the companies that use call centers located in Hyderabad and mentioned that the newest section/area in the greater Hyderabad area is CYBERABAD. No lie. Really.







When we got to the Golkonda Fort, Mahu helped us arranged for our tickets. I'm going to share what I remember from his talk with us -- please remember I was tired, and right now I'm too lazy to double check the facts that I think I remember with any sources -- so bear with me. Mahu started explaining that the fort was originally a Hindu Palace/stronghold, and then was taken over by Muslims and expanded. The people who took over the original Hindu palace were very secular -- they allowed the Hindu temple that still remains and is used in the fort to continue -- they built a separate mosque on the site. The Hindu temple there has been in use since the 12th century. The temple was busy -- there is a Hindu festival held every Sunday in July -- many of the walls and just about all the stairs had markings made with tumeric and vermillion as a marking for the festival. In addition, there were broken coconuts scattered along many of the stairs. Mahu explained that the coconuts represent purification when broken in a ritualistic way. As pilgrims made their way to the temple (near the top of the fort), they would mark the stairs and break coconuts. Here's a picture of one of the marked walls, and of the temple at the top of the fort.








The first dynasty Muslim kings that lived at Golkonda did use at high levels of government Hindus. I believe more than one King married a Hindu woman. It was a time of great prosperity -- Hyderabad (or the area that became Hyderabad) was one of if not the largest (and most wealthy) kingdoms in India. The fort was expanded under Muslim rulership, and became quite large. The fort, with its large outer walls and series of inner walls made of mostly granite was hard to penetrate. The Mughals Kings in Delhi were upset with the kings in Hyderabad because they allowed the Hindus to not only continue in their religious tradition but to be part of the governing body of the area, so the Mughals in Delhi attacked Golkonda. We hiked to the top of the fort -- the view was breathtaking from there.



The area around Golkonda Fort was known for its diamond mining. The Hope diamond and the Kohinoor diamonds were mined there. We were able to see the ruins of the palace where the king and his family lived. There was an elaborate water system installed, bringing water up three stories! In addition in order to communicate, the acoustics in certain areas was so fine due to the building of certain types of arches and ceilings, that people could communicate from one area to another through a series of claps -- kind of like morse code.




Remember we were at Taramati Baradari a few days ago for the Mehendi dinner? The legend goes that the King used to sit at the top of Golkonda Fort and listen to the music of Taramati at the caravan station across the way -- and fell in love with her. He allegedly married her and created a mosque on the grounds of the Golkonda Fort named for her.








After the tour of Golkonda Fort (and I only gave you the tip of the iceberg here -- it is well worth a visit, especially with an experienced guide) we headed over to the Qutub Shahi Tombs where the kings were buried along with members of their families and the higher level officials. We saw the building and room were bodies were prepared for burial. We were also able to see a number of the tombs themselves, including the tomb of the third king whose tomb has the only existing bit of original tile work on the outside -- apparently all the other tile work along with anything of value was looted a long time ago. You can see the blue, yellow and green tile work in the upper right hand corner of one of the photos here.
It was so peaceful to walk around the grounds of the tombs -- you can see some of them from the Golkonda Fort.








We headed back to the hotel, showered and rested a bit before heading over to Serene Domain for the Hyderabadi custom Gul Poshi -- where the bride, the day after the wedding, returning to her mother's home along with her new in laws for the exchange of flower garlands. It was a very moving short family-only ceremony. Garlands were placed on Devika's parents by Devika's Grandmother. All the family put garlands around the necks of Devika and Max, and Smita put garlands around our necks. It was beautiful! It made Allan -- and all of us -- very teary. Gifts were given by Devika's family to Devika and Max.




Ghazal, the family's close friend from Lucknow and a creative writer in Urdu, authored a poem for Devika and Max -- and here is a picture of her reciting the poem. You can see Nani sitting on the coach in the background with a bandage on her head. She fell today and ended up with stitches.
We then had a most delicious dinner of Haleem and biryani. It was the last "official" event for this wedding. I think Devika's family must be exhausted, but everything was done extremely well, and the hospitality has been unsurpassed. What an amazing life event this has been for our families! I can't wait to see the video and pictures from the wedding.
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Location:Road No 1, Hyderabad, India

Day Eight in Hyderabad -- THE WEDDING!

The reason why we are here in Hyderabad -- THE WEDDING!

We all woke up a little late -- and enjoyed a leisurely and late breakfast. After all, today was all about resting before the big event! There was a lot of napping that occurred today -- we had a few very late nights out, and tonight was to be more of the same. We needed to be prepared!

We each had our jobs. Allan was in charge of the money for the band, the lights and the horse. Jardine ran errands as necessary. Steve and I were in charge of being with Max -- being a loving presence for him. Larry (and Boo too) were to be in charge of affixing the flowers to Max's hat for the wedding. As a side note, ever since he arrive Allan has been mistaken for Max on more than one occasion -- in fact when Max changed rooms to move to the bridal room to be with Devika tonight, a cousin of Devika's working on logistics asked Allan for his key -- thinking it was the key to the new room. What a surprise to find out it wasn't!




When the time came to start downstairs, Manju met us in the lobby to help with the headdress for Max. The flowers were beautiful -- at the Mehndi party, Boo and I thought they were paperwhites -- they weren't. They were the same as the ones to be hung on Max's hat -- to make a headdress. They were jasmine! Manju, the wonderful woman from New Jersey who helped me put on my sari the other day was there to assist Larry (and Boo) in attaching the veil of flowers to Max's hat. It weighed a great deal! I'm not sure how Max was able to see through all the flowers -- good thing he's not allergic to jasmine! Here is a picture of Manju and Larry working on the headdress with Aditya and Boo looking on.





The time came when we had to make our way outside. While it had been raining off and on all day, we had a patch of "no rain" -- so it was a good time to make a run for it! There was a car in front of the hotel all decorated to take us down to the bottom of the driveway where the horse and the band were. It isn't far at all, and there was only room for 4 of us in the car -- so the other members of our party (Reva, Allan, Boo and Larry, Max's friend from UT Austin and 3 of his colleagues as well as Aishwayra had to walk down. Here's a picture of the car we (Max, Jardine, Steve and yours truly) rode down the hill in.




When we arrived at the bottom of the hill, we were greeted by the horse and its handler, the band, and the people carrying the lights. The lights were kerosene powered, and the people carrying them carried them on one shoulder. They lit our way up the hill. You can see the red jug of kerosene with the lights shining as Aishwarya is dancing in the foreground and Max on the horse in the background.




The horse was very gentle and beautifully decorated. I couldn't figure out how the horse didn't get freaked out by the very load music of the band. Boo found out that the horse's name was Sugar. The horse had the most beautiful eyes! More, it was "dressed" for the event. Max got on top of the horse and looked so regal as we started our way up the hill. The horse's handler walked Max and the horse up the hill. Every time we stopped for the band to play, the saddle was a bit loose so Max would sway back and forth.







The band stopped a number of times to play. Max's former student and Aishwarya were great at getting the dancing going. The more we walked, the more we stopped and they played. As we got towards the top, the last time we stopped before getting to the top the band played the same song that was played as the groom entered in the movie Monsoon Wedding. As they began to play this song -- it started to rain very hard! Just like the movie Monsoon Wedding, we all got SOAKED!




Devika's family met us at the entrance to the banquet and wedding -- and then there came Devika down the hallway. We were lead down the hallway and entered the area where the wedding took place. Max and Devika took off their shoes and entered the Mandap -- a covered area that was beautifully decorated with flowers. The Pandit was kind, and the service lasted about an hour or so. As we found was customary, food and drinks were distributed to the guests during the service, and talking went on around the festivities. It was mentioned to me that that would be a great benefit to American weddings -- distribute food and drinks during the service. Hmmm. I don't think so! Here's a picture of Devika coming down the hallway.

I leave you with pictures of Devika, some of the wedding and some of the pictures of the reception.












































































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Location:Road No 1, Hyderabad, India