History And Legend In Hyderabad
The Book: History And Legend In Hyderabad
Department of Information and Public Relations
1953
Preface
[p.1]: Along the stream of time, the region between the Godavari and the Krishna River has always been the home of history and legend.
Briefly, there have been three main stages in the march of time in the Deccan. The prehistoric going back to the Stone Age and even the food-gathering period of the primitive man; the protohistoric with its epical richness as depicted in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata; and finally the historic which, of course, overlaps the protohistoric from days preceding the advent of Buddha.
Perhaps in no other compact region in our country, the three periods are more representatively illustrated in stone and plaster, in caves and rocks, in paint and pigment and in relics, inscriptions and sites having scenic associations with ancient glory.
Primitive artifacts, megalithic tombs and terracotta figurines take us thousands of years back from the age of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, The land of the three lingas, Telingana (trilingana), and its numerous associations with the Ramayana link us up intimately with the protohistoric period. The discoveries at Maski, the Asokan inscriptions and Ajanta and Ellora portray the greatness of the Buddhistic period, while many archaeological monuments tell of the great days of the Andhras, including those of the last of the Andhras, the Kakatiyas.
Then come the massive footprints left behind by the Muslim conquerors from Muhammad Tughlaq right down to the Moghuls, and the Vijayanagar interlude which has its own conspicuous place in the annals of the Deccan.
All this living past is there not merely for the delight of the archaeologist, the antiquarian and the historian, but also for all those who take pride in our rich cultural heritage, yet how few can claim to have even heard of them, except perhaps of Ajanta and Ellora.
Space and time prevent a detailed description of all the places of interest and nearly 5,000 monuments which embellish the Deccan, but it is hoped that this slim, volume will
[p.2]: make up for the singular lack of any comprehensive publication, as well as serve as a guide to visitors, tourists and enthusiasts.
For practical reasons the treatment here is district-wise. This would seem to put into background the most important places, but the visitor and the sight-seer would be well-advised to consult the State’s- tourist organization, which, incidently, happens to be included in the Department of Information and Public Relations, Hyderabad, before drawing up an itinerary.
While railways and buses can take the visitor almost anywhere in the State, the question of accommodation and facilities cannot be answered here for want of relevant data, but with pre-planning it is always possible to arrange for both if only the proper quarters are contacted. In most places there are traveller’s bungalows and similar places for staying overnight if necessary. In many cases it is possible to visit a site and return to the district headquarters within the day, where there is rarely any serious lack of hotel or other accommodation for the visitor.
Contents
- Adilabad.....p.3
- Lakshettipet, Onakdeo .....p.5
- Aurangabad .....p.7
- Ajanta .....p.9
- Ellora .....p.1 1
- Ahalyabai temple, Antur, Aurangabad city and caves .....p.13
- Bhokardan, Daulatabad .....p.14
- Paithan .....p.17
- Pithalkhora, Sillod .....p.19
- Bhir .....p.21
- Bhir city .....p.22
- Bidar.....p.25
- Bidar fort .....p.28
- Bidar City .....p.30
- Suburbs .....p.32
- Seven springs .....p.34
- Udgir .....p.38
- Gulbarga .....p.39
- Gulbarga City .....p.41
- Hyderabad .....p.49
- Secunderabad .....p.66
- Golconda .....p.68
- Tanks .....p.71
- Karimnagar .....p.73
- Huzurabad, Jagtial, Sultanabad .....p.74
- Mamboobnagar .....p.77
- Amrabad, Gadwal, Jagcherla,Mamboobnagar .....p.79
- Medak .....p.81
- Kondapur .....p.83
- Komatur .....p.84
- Medak city, Patancheru, Sangareddy .....p.85
- Nalgonda .....p.87
- Gajulibanda .....p.89
- Nagulapahad .....p.90
- Panigiri .....p.91
- Nanded .....p.93
- Huzur Sahib Gurdwara .....p.95
- Kandahar .....p.97
- Nizamabad .....p.99
- Osmanabad .....p.101
- Tuljapur .....p.102
- Parbhlani .....p.107
- Raichur .....p.109
- Alampur .....p.111
- Anegundi .....p.112
- Raichur city .....p.116
- Warangal .....p.117
- 1000-pillar temple, Warangal fort .....p.120
- Ramappa, Laknavaram .....p.121
- Pakhal, Hasanparti, Kazipet, Khammam .....p.122
- Mulug, Katachpur, Waradhannapet .....p.123
- Bhadrachalam .....p.123