Monday, 1 December 2014

The Charm of Charminar of Hyderabad


















Char Minar’  are two Hindi Words,  ‘Char’ and ’Minar’, which mean  ‘Four’ and ‘Tower’  respectively.  It has been constructed as a Mosque-cum-Monument  with Four Towers .  So ‘Char Minar’  is a  Mosque-cum-Monument with  Four Towers.  It is the Most Famous Mosque -cum- Monument of Hyderabad, the Capital City of the State of  Andhra Pradesh, India.
It has been built by Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutab Shah, the 5th Ruler of Qutab Shahi Dynasty, in Indian and Mughal Architectural Styles.  It has been constructed in 1591 to honour  his Hindu wife, Bhagmati  as also  to commemorate the eradication of plague  from city.  Before that he had also shifted his capital from Golconda to Hyderabad.    Built up with granite, lime mortars, pulverized marbles, etc, it is a magnificent architectural edifice.
Location
Located  at  Old City of Hyderabad around the shops of Laad Bazar  which gilittter with  bangles,  pearls,  etc , its Design is based on Shia ‘Tazias’.   It looks fabulous  at night when  illuminated.   Mosque on Second Floor has been erected to pay respects to  Hussain, son-in-law of Prophet Mohammed.
Square structure
It is a Square Shape Structure with Four Towers in Four Corners  with length of 20 meters and height of 24 meters.  Each side opens up to a plaza through Big Arches that overlook four main  lanes which dwarf every  structure of the Edifice save and except  Towers.  Each Arch has width  of 11 meters and height of  20 meters to top from the  plinth level.  Clocks above each Arch had been  installed in 1889.  Each Tower has Four Floors which stand on Lotus Leaf Bases.  In between floors of each Tower  there are Spiral Staircases with 149 steps to ascend to triple tiers of balconies to empower you to enjoy the wonderful  views of the area.  Attractive Features  of the Towers are they  taper off to Bulbous Domes, they are ornamented   with petal- like motifs, they are crowned by  brass  spires, etc.
Its  First Floor  had been  used as Madrasa or School during the Qutab Shahi Reign.  Its Second Floor houses the Mosque. 
The Four  Towers  tower  over  the  landscape of  the region as  height of each Tower is  180 feet from ground.  It has an Eminent Array of Neighbours, namely,  Chow Mohalla Palace, Shahali  Banda, Laad Bazar, Kali Kaman, Mecca  Masjid, etc.
It is 7 km from Hyderabad Railway Station and 5 km from Bus Station.
Other Attractions nearby are Local Markets,  Salarjung  Art Museum,  Falaknuma Palace,  Husain Sagar Lake,   Mecca Masjid, etc  and  Golconda Fort, 16 km.
How To Reach
By Air
Hyderabad is an International City of Repute and as such you can land here from any part of the globe.
By Train
It is a Big Railway Junction and so you can reach here by train from any part of India.
By Road
It has good network of roads and so you can reach here easily from any part of India by any mode of road transpor

No comments:

Post a Comment