The resting emperor

Few kilometres away from the Taj Mahal it was a picture contrast at Sikandra, with no queue at the ticket counter or any tightened security at the entrance or without the overwhelming crowd of photo enthusiasts like the Taj Mahal the premises of the tomb of greatest mughal emperor at Sikandra looked like a palatial nest of eternal peace. Animals and birds in the premises of nicely maintained garden have added a natural look in the serenely imposing ambience.

Entrance of Sikandra,Agra

His long reign of nearly five decades forms the bright chapter of the Indian History during which the country made rapid progress in all walks of life. He introduced a new Divine faith (Din-i-Ilahi) combining the good points of all religions. The brave general and capable administrator of a huge empire, he was passionate for knowledge in spite of illiteracy, under his patronage art, architecture, literature attained new heights. He was Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, greatest of the Mughal emperors and one of the ablest kings the world has ever seen.

Sikandra,Agra

Akbar`s lifetime was associated with interminable incidents and stories in Agra, he founded Fatehpur Sikri, refurbished the Agra fort. Prolific examples of composite architectural styles within the Agra fort, Fatehpur Sikri, were his brain child. Akbar himself initiated the work of his tomb at Sikandra in his life time. Akbar died in 1605 and was buried at Sikandra, Agra and the tomb was completed by his son Jehangir in 1612 as per the design of Akbar.

Inside Sikandra,Agra

Sikandra has many features to mesmerize the tourists. Right from the entrance gate, the calligraphic inscriptions in Persian were eye catching, the environment was definitely an exception among the other crowded monuments of Agra. Dome less structure of Sikandra tomb was built on red sandstone, and its top only was made of white marble, with its four marble minarets at the gate were placed by Jahangir, believed to have inspired by the architecture of Charminar, Hyderbad. In the spacious room of the actual tomb of Akbar, the building acoustic was extremely fascinating. We heard an effect of sound to fade away soothingly after getting nicely reverberated in the surrounding. Not sunk under the burden of prestigious title, the four hundred years old architecture, housing the tomb of the greatest mughal emperor will surely reign in the heart of history lovers for an endless century.

view of the tomb of Akbar,Sikandra,Agra

The City of Pearls

Hyderbad from Golkonda fort,Hyderabad

Establishment of Hyderabad city was an initiative by the King of Golkonda, to decentralize the increasing pressure of crowd from the Golkonda. Charminar has an inscription of the King of Golkonda, praying to god to fill the city of Hyderabad with population. Since then, Hyderabad has expanded a lot with increasing number of populations and went on adding new chapters towards fulfilling the dream of the King.

Charminar,Hyderabad

Surrounding the area of Charminar, array of jewellery shops called Laad Bazar showcase the ethnic heritage of the city in their design and in way of their manufacture. Initially with more than ten thousand shops, the history of Laad Bazaar can be compared with the formation of Hyderabad city. A stroll in the premises of Laad Bazar invokes charismatic impetus to have a close look on ethnic Indian Jewelleries. The sparkling lacquer bangles are a speciality of Laad Bazar along with the wide varieties of Pearl jewelleries.

Shop of Laad Bazar,Hyderabad

My memories of holidaying in Hyderabad remind a unique opportunity of witnessing enliven examples depicting utmost love for the cultural traditions and adorability towards the inheritance of ethnicity in varied manner defying the inclination towards other cultures. Combining the fragmented frames of daily life in Hyderabad, their ethnically designed outfits, cuisines, jewelleries represent vivid pictures of cultural heritage and symbolize adorability in preserving the legacies of ethnicity. Surrounded by the historic landmarks, my visit to the wealthy city of Nizams was like an experience of entering into the age of Nawabs with colourful examples of cultural ethnicity and my invaluable experience of witnessing the spirit of the city in the confluences of rich traditions with modernity, rich history and the promises of better tomorrow, as Hyderabad the “city of Pearls” is truly worth for the title in every respect.

Ethnically dressed women in Hyderabad