Hyderabad by Walk - Anathagiri Hills and the Source of the Musi

This walk was by myself even though Deccan Archives had a walk planned on the Sunday and I was curious to see the stepwell and the origin of the Musi as mentioned in their book 'A Brief History of the River Musi'. I have anyway been keen to check this place that is so close to Hyderabad out and it wa sa good time to go because A was in town and we decided to do a overnighter.

The step well

The Telangana Tourism has a huge place with about 42 rooms on the edge of the cliff, normally they get the best sites, but the service and upkeep is generally a bit wobbly. Since I did not know of any other I booked online and we headed off on the two hour drive to Ananthagiri which is about 80 kms away. The road goes past the Chevella-Moinabad route and seems to be on the route for greater prosperity with huge road being built. Currently much of it is under construction and the road is mostly two lane. As one gets closer to Vikarabad the greenery gets lush and the trees get taller and the general outlook gets better.

Origin of the Musi

Sarais from Qutb Shahi era 

We went and found no one at the reception and had some trouble finding the person to check us in. The canteen is outsourced and they have their own limitations - no breakfast on normally days and only on weekends, the menu is rather limited. The staff was low on account of Dussehra and overall the wobbliness of the entire experience was that much more. And oh, they have a bar called Madhushala.

Steps

A temple

The evening was the time to head to the Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple which is where the main attraction was for me. We drove into the foresty area, past a place where the Medical College is (with signs of No Entry). Once there was a TB Sanatorium here and I remember coming here when I was a child - perhaps that is what has been converted into the college. The temple shows up to the right.

Another temple - look at the stone formations

It looks ancient and one has to go into a cave like inner sanctum. There is a tale on the net that the Nizam got a dream to build a temple and he built it - or donated money towards it. But the older story of the river Musi which was also called Muchukunda comes from the tale of how one Rajarshi Muchukunda got a boon of undisturbed sleep from Lord Indra - who disturbs his sleep dies ( a bit tricky this boon because he could as well kill the person who disturbs his sleep without waking the sleeper). A demon Kalayavana who occupies Dwaraka follows Lord Krishna to Ananthagiri where he disturbs Muchukunda and dies. Lord Krishna blesses Muchukunda and makes him live on permanently as Muchukonda Nadi. 

Entrance to the temple

Another story in the Skanda Purana is that of the Sage Markandeya who installed the temple and would do his Yoga Sadhana here and go through a tunnel to Kasi to bathe in the Ganga. Once when he is unable, God grants that the Ganga flows near these hills.

The forest is dense and beautiful and suddenly one gets the feeling that we have been transported to some ancient place as one sees old rocks with cave like structures dug into them, ancient trees, no sign of development. The steps lead downwards, a couple of hundred perhaps. To the left one can see a stepwell with a fountain, very pretty and inaccessible. Behind that, are Qutb Shahi era sarais and mandapams, small temples. A wall and a gate separate us from the origin of the Musi - some entry fee is stipulated but no one was there to collect it and we went in. To the left is a little paved pond with a sign board that says it is the origin of Musi. Sign boards all over give information about the hills, the birds in the forest, the many movies that have been shot here - Aithe, Life is Beautiful, Varsham and so on.

Anantha Padmanabha Swamy

The Anantha Giri hills are ancient and are part of the earliest habitat areas with ancient caves and medieval fort structures. Its quite beautiful. After seeing a 100 year old mango tree and the path that goes into the forest for trekking, we climbed the steps back, found a place that sells mirchi bajjis and headed back to our stay. 

Caves

Trees

The temple

I noticed that Deccan Trails has some nice cottages and facilities right next to the Haritha place and that may be  a better option next time. Overall glad we went and saw some stars and experienced a quiet that is rare in the city.                

A Brief History of the River Musi - The Deccan Archives Foundation

The Deccan Archives Foundation, founded in 2018, 'is a heritage and design collective dedicated to documenting and interpreting the cultural landscapes of the Deccan'. Apart from the more serious work of research, documentation, publication, exhibitions and archives, it conducts  heritage walks which is how I experienced their work. I have been on quite a few walks with them in the past two years when my interest in the city where I was born and bred grew - and in my opinion they do great work to keep the heritage and history of Hyderabad alive. The Foundation's team  - Sibgathullah Khan (founder and author of this book), Wahajullah Khan, Gattu Mani Sahith, Mohammed Safwan and Dheeraj Vanarasa, and others, are all knowledgeable and driven. The Foundation is eminently qualified to write several books on Hyderabad I feel. 

Having read this book on the Musi, I now see the significance of choosing the angle of the largely underrated or forgotten river that is central to the story of Hyderabad. This is the river that shaped the city's fortunes and yet does not get enough credit for it. The book brings the river's origins, history, importance and makes it comes alive in all its glory and power. As with the Deccan Archives walks and talks, the book is slim and concise at 120 pages or so, but packed with highly relevant content.

The Musi, known as Moosa Nadi, Musunuru, and Muchukonda (the last name based on a mythological reference to an ancestor of Rama) has its origins at Ananthagiri hills, 70 kms from Hyderabad, in a spot marked by the Forest department as the place where the Musi originates (I went there last week and thanks to the book, could actually see it). It lies a few hundred steps below the Anantha Padmanabhaswamy temple in Ananthagiri in a very scenic foresty place. As one descends the steps one comes across a step of the Qutb Shahi times, a sarai and mandapams and structures of the same time period. A gate leads into the forest area and just across the gate to the left is a paved pond which is the Musi's origin - there is a board that states the fact. From its humble origins here in the hills, the feisty Musi heads eastward, largely unfettered until it reaches the Osman Sagar reservoir (Gandipet lake) constructed in 1921 - the chief water supply reservoir for Hyderabad. From the Osman Sagar where it takes a breather, the river flows past Golconda, Sangam or Bapu Ghat at Langar Houz, Karwan, Puranapul, the Hyderabad district and converges into the Krishna river at Vadapally near Miryalaguda in Nalgonda district, traversing a total length of some 240 km. Seeing the feeble flows of the Musi in the past, I would have never thought that it had such a history. 

But then, this Musi that one sees near the Puranapul is not just one river but two - Esa and Musa rivers. At the Sangam near Langar Houz where there is a Bapu Ghat where Gandhiji's ashes were immersed, the Musa Nadi meets the river Esa, which originates near Parigi. Interestingly the Esa and Moosa are named after the Abrahmic Prophets, Moses and Jesus and one wonders how these names came to be. Also known as Sankal or Pedda Vagu, Esa is dammed across at Himayat Sagar (1927) as a drinking water source. The two rivers are hydrologically connected the book says, as perhaps all of nature is, and are intertwined as an integrated system, before they join up at the Sangam and flow downward.

How old is the Musi? The reference to King Muchukonda who was Lord Rama's ancestor places it pretty far back but then the earliest reference to the river was on a copper plate inscription dating to 770 CE of Yuvaraja Govinda II period. At Tummlagudem a charter was issued at the confluence of the Krishna and the Musi - evidence that the name Musi has been in vogue for 13 centuries and more. During the Satavahana and Ikshvaku eras, the Wazirabad fort guarded the Sangam of the Musi and Krishna river. In the 5th century the Musi valley had a key role under the Vishnukundana dynasty which had its capital at Tummalaguda. Prakrit rock inscriptions are carved into the bank. After the fall of the Kakatiyas, the Recherla Nayakas of Rachakonda used the river to build moats for their Rachakonda fort. Suffice to say, the river has been central to many kingdoms over time. In an interesting bit of information I learned from the book, traces of civilisation show up in the area from the Iron Age in the form of megalithic burial sites, prehistoric tool sites etc discovered at Kokapet, Lingampally and Gachibowli, now safely buried under tons of steel and concrete forever. 

The Musi stepped out of the sidelines and took a central part when the idea of the city of Hyderabad was conceived in 1591 by the 5th Qutb Shahi Sultan, Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah, primarily to overcome water shortage and overcrowding in the city of Qila Mohammad Nagar within the Golconda fort. Though it provided water and nurtured the city's growing dreams and aspirations, the temperamental Musi was also prone to seasonal flooding. A bridge, Puranapul (old bridge) was built in 1578 CE by the fourth Qutb Shahi Sultan Ibrahim Qutb Shah. It's a rather unimaginative name for an otherwise historic and beautiful bridge which does not get as much importance just as the river it's built on (perhaps Sirat-al-Mustakhim, the bridge's original name that translated to 'the straight path' was apt) but when a 'new bridge' was built downstream, this bridge simply became the 'old bridge'. Puranapul was apparently modelled after the Si-o-Se pul in Isfafan in Iran. One of my early doubts in school was why there were so many Irani cafes in Hyderabad and it was only after learning that the Qutb Shahis  had origins in Iran in my recent explorations that it all made sense!

At around the same time that the Purana Pul was built across the Musi giving it greater importance and paving 'the straight path' to Masulipatnam port for trade, Sultan Ibrahim also planned a new city named after himself, Ibrahim Bagh, which lies outside the Golconda. The plans for the city failed due to water supply shortage - he somehow seemed to have ignored the Musi then. One can see the buildings of that era in Mahal Neknampur area - Taramati Baradari, Premamati mosque etc which bear witness to his plan. Ibrahim however was a relentless builder and he went about creating Hussain Sagar lake, the Ibrahimpatnam lake, the Naya Qila portion of the Golconda fort and so on.    

The city of Hyderabad however was conceived and built on more solid grounds on the banks of the Musi river by Ibrahim's son, the poet king, Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah, putting paid to water shortage issues and starting off a glorious era. Sultan Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah was not short on ambition and he desired that his city be built in the image of paradise. His brief to the designer and architect of the city Mir Momin was as much and the scholar-administrator went about creating the city as such. Modelled after Isfahan and made in the image of paradise as per the Sultan's desire, the city consisted of four quadrants in a double gridiron layout, with Charminar at its centre, the Musi to the North, palaces, gardens and public buildings spread around. Trees, orchards, gardens and magnificent buildings made it a beautiful city and many travellers of that time (ancestors of content creators of today) wrote effusively of the city and its beauty nestling on the banks of our protagonist. 

In his invocation, the poet, king and founder of Hyderabad, Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah penned his thoughts, praying to God to 'make my city full of people, like you keep the river full of fish' and so it has been with people flocking in from all over. Interestingly, the book has at its end, many fish themes that are incorporated in the design of the buildings. In the original plans of Hyderabad (Bagnagar as it was called then) were Charmahal, Nadi Mahal (High Court stands there), Amin Bagh and Hina Mahal (Victoria Zenana hospital - which has a lovely Qutb Shahi fountain apparently). Amin Bagh belonged to Amin-Ul-Mulk, the Lord of Patancheru - I have not read much about him, yet. 

The other public utility buildings that came into being in the new city were Badshahi Ashurkhana (1596) , Darul Shifa (1597) a public hospital, the Bagh-i Mohammad Shahi garden encompassing the hospital (currently the Dewan Deodi and the Salar Jung Musuem sit on it). Across the river was the Bagh-i-Dilkusha, a Charbagh garden that started at the Naubat Pahad (where Birla Mandir stands today), and the garden stretched over Basheer Bagh, Nampally, Fateh Maidan, Begum Bazar, Afzal Gunj and the Residency - pretty much from the Naubat Pahad till the Musi banks one could say (I cannot imagine it). The Naubat Ghat was pulled down in 1946. Another garden of those times was the Bagh Lingampally. In 1627, the 7th Sultan Abdullah  Qutb Shah, built the Gosha Mahal palace with 1000 halls (today is exists as the Free Masons Building or something).

Before all these developments however, Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah, had the Hussain Sagar Lake constructed in 1561, engineered by his able son-in-law, holy man, architect and poet, Hussain Shah Wali, in his foresight. There is some story I read that the people associated the lake with Hussain Shah Wali, its engineer, and the Sultan magnanimously let it be named after him - while he embarked on constructing the other lake named after himself, Ibrahim Cheruvu. Owing to the Hussain Sagar lake not being filled up with water, a 58 km feeder channel was dug from the Musi, originating from Bulkapur, to fill the lake up. And in such seemingly disparate connections did I understand slowly how the Musi becomes central to the idea of the city.

As the city grew, the Musi acted as a defence and as its water supply source. Under the looming threat from the Mughals, the new city became a walled city with Tana Shah, the last of the Qutb Shah kings building walls along the Musi. The Purana Pul darwaza was the first gate to the walled city (still there, the gate, minus the wall). The wall itself took a long time to complete - it was completed by Mubrez Khan, the Mughal Governor and the Asaf Jah 1 by 1761. Once completed it has 13 gates and 13 doors or khidkis. Two of the darwazas or gates exist today - the Purana Pul darwaza and the Dabeerpura darwaza. 

In 1724, Asaf jah 1, declared autonomy from the Mughals, though he chose to serve as Subedar of the Mughal empire, and reconstructed the walled city. Those must have been tough times with a new, large, unstable kingdom and the Marathas on the rampage. Four gates were added on the river bank - Champa Darwaza, Delhi Darwaza, Afzal Darwaza and Chadarghat Darwaza. The Chadarghat bund was built across the Musi near Malakpet connecting the Imlibun island to the banks of the river. As the water flowed over the bund it formed a white sheet (chadar) of water and thus came to be known as Chadar Ghat.

The British and the French started making their presence felt even more after the Asaf Jah 1 passed away - he did not much entertain the two parties. So persistent and keen to improve their footprint in this land of riches were the two parties (and many other parties I am sure) that from 1779 officers were posted at the Nizam's Court trying to gain advantage of one type or another. The monuments that the British and the French left behind include the French cantonment at Moosarambagh (wonder what it is, needs a look), the Gunfoundry where cannon balls and cannons were manufactured and the man behind Gundoundry, Monsieur Raymond's tomb. Monsieur Raymond was much loved by Hindus and Muslims and they venerated him by calling him Musa Ram and Musa Rahim according to their religion - Moosa Ram Bagh seems to come from there. The British left behind the famous British Residency (1803) and the tent city of Lashkar, Secunderabad (1805), where their garrison was stationed.

Back to the water ways. At around the same time, after the British victory over the French, Mir Alam, the Prime Minister of that time, got a considerable share of the loot after the victory over Tipu Sultan and he used much of the funds to build the Mir Alam Tank (near the Zoo) and the Mir Alam Mandi market. To fill the Mir Alam tank, a canal was dug from the Esi river at Attapur. In 1831, the Oliphant bridge (built by James Oliphant, the engineer, who it appears built another bridge at Secunderabad if I am not mistaken) was constructed, becoming the second bridge across the Musi after the Puranapul. This bridge is now known popularly as the Chadarghat bridge which normally goes under water when the Musi rises surges - causing a new elevated bridge to be planned across the river in that spot.

From 1846 there was a flurry of development around the Musi with the Hyderabad Medical School being commissioned by Sir Salar Jung I. In 1866 the Afzal Gunj Hospital was built where the famous chloroform commission was held. This hospital was next to the Afazal Gunj mosque where the entrance to the Osmania General Hospital is. Further down was the Begum Bazar, named after Qudsia Begum, mother of Nizam Ali Khan, Asaf Jah II. In 1901, Ghalib Jung built the Musallam Jung bridge connecting the Champa Gate to Begum Bazar and apparently there is an inscription still there near the Champa Gate which I must check on next time I find myself wandering in those parts. In 1832 the first Gurudwara at Baram Bala was constructed followed by another near Charmahal in 1912 ad another one in 1926 at Afzal Gunj. In 1906 the Prince and Princess of Wales visited on an official tour and the foundation for the Victoria Zenana Hospital was laid by the Princess of Wales.          

The Great Flood of 1908

The great flood of 1908 serves as a grim reminder of the fury of the Musi. The Tughyani, which means the flood in Urdu, happened on the 28th of September, 1908. It has been recorded that the Musi was prone to severe flooding once in a century causing widespread damage. The first recorded flood was during the reign of Abdullah Qutb Shah in 1776. Then in 1808. Even the Mughals suffered from the Musi floods in 1656. The flood of 1820 is recorded on the inscription on Puranapul gate. Clearly, the Musi was unpredictable.

The Tughyani on September 28, 1908, left 15000 dead and rendered 80000 homeless. There was a monsoon surge, aided by deforestation that helped the run off. Tanks filled up and in a short span of 24-48 hours there was 18.9 inches of rain. By 2 am on September 28th the water flowed over the Puranapul and people were asked to move to higher places. What people did not know or realise was that of the 788 tanks on the Esi and Musi, 221 had breached, bringing an excesive volume of water into the river and causing unimaginable havoc. By 6 am the water level had reached a height of 60 feet. Mud houses along the banks collapsed. The Afzal, Musallam and Chaderghat bridge were washed away - the Puranapul remained standing however. The Victoria Zenana Hospital got destroyed trapping patients inside as did the Afzal Gunj hospital on the other bank. Only an hour before noon did the river abate and the flood recede. Legend goes that the 6th Nizam Mahboob Ali Pasha, walked barefoot and shirtless, wearing a janeu like a brahmin into the river and offered a saree and flowers to appease the angry river. Soon after that the river calmed down.

Relief camps were arranged. The Badshahi Ashurkhana, Purani Haveli, Darul Shifa were thrown open for the homeless. Catholic priests were at the forefront offering help and relief. Also noted were the heroic efforts of the nurses of the Victoria Zenana Hospital who moved the patients to the terraces to escape the flood. Women's committees led by Lady Hydari, Sarojini Naidu, Mrs Walker and Sughra Humayuun Mirza participated in relief work for the women. The great Tamarind tree in Afzal Park (now standing in Osmania General Hospital) saved 150 lives as people clung to it until the water abated.  Many areas were completely wiped out.

Seeing the unprecedented damage, the Nizam's administration approached Sir Visveswarayya to help help design measures to prevent floods in April 1909. Sir Viswesvarayya figured that of the 221 tanks that breached, 181 were on the Esi and 39 on the Musi and calculated that the volume rose from 110000 Cu Secs to 425000 Cu Secs due to the breaches. He submitted a report by October 1909 with a proposal to strengthen the banks of the river between Puranapul and Chaderghat and also to create reservoirs upstream. Known as the Musi Valley Project (1913 ), a foundation was laid for reservoirs to supply water and contain flooding. A light railway line was laid to transport material and equipment to Gandipet and an aqueduct constructed (can see traces near Narsingi). 

In 1921, Osman Sagar was constructed across the Musi and was named after the 7th Nizam Osman Ali Khan. In 1927, Himayat Sagar was constructed across the Esi and was named after the elder son of the 7th Nizam, Himayat. The two reservoirs had a combined storage of 6.8 TMC and were were interconnected to balance flood waters. Himayat Sagar had a catchment area that was twice that of Osman Sagar.

Viswesvarayya's proposal also envisaged a sewerage disposal system as the city had no sewerage disposal system and was  breeding ground for mosquitoes (no wonder Ronald Ross found his success here) - the sewerage was diverted away from the Musi into a sewerage farm. The banks of the Musi were strengthened by building several buildings - later known as Osmanian architecture named after the Nizam Osman Ali Khan. Designed by British architect Vincent Esch were iconic buildings such as the High Court, City College, Asafia Library, Osmania General Hospital, Shahi Masjid, State Archaeology Museum, Jubilee Hall, the Azakhana-e-Zehra. All these developments were part of the City Improvement Board's recommendations.

Irrigation

One Nemali Kalwa, feeder to the tank, as per an inscription from the Kakatiya period dates irrigation work on the Musi to that period. Two channels called the Firangi Nala and the Bulkapur channel were dug during the Qutb Shahi period in the 16th century. The Bulkapur channel links Musi to the Hussain Sagar and is a 58 km earthern channel constructed in 1562. Also called the Nehr-e-Hussaini. the channel can still be seen at Neopolis, Kokapet, Narsingi, Shaikpet, Tolichowki, First Lancer, Banjara Hills and Khairatabad. The Firangi Nala starts at Chandanvelli and proceeds to Ibrahimpatnam - and the elevated aqueduct can be seen at Kamuni Cheruvu near Shamshabad airport. The construction of Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar made the channels obsolete. 

An Appeal and a Perspective

The book ends on a nice note with a passionate appeal to recognise the Musi and its importance to the city of Hyderabad. Sibghat writes that rivers are worshiped as deities in India and so is the Musi. During the festival of Bathukamma women offer the flowers to the river for the well being of the society and their families. Interestingly there was a Sati mould near Afzal Gunj bridge - widows were dropped from the city walls into the burning pyres of their husbands on the mould. The practice of Sati was banned by the 7th Nizam Osman Ali Khan and the mould removed during Visweswarayya's revamp. Karbala maidan was near Puranapul and another one near Hussain Sagar on the northern bank. The river has been immortalised in Sarojini Naidu's poem 'Nightfall in the City of Hyderabad' and Amjad Hyderbadi's 'Quayamat-e-Soghra'. 

'A Brief History of the River Musi' captures the significance of the river and underlines that the Musi has seen it all - kingdoms, dynasties, famines, war, bloodshed, spirituality, religions, capitals, trade, poets, pilgrims, art, culture. It is not a polluted drain as many seem to refer to it. Sibghat writes -  "To recover the Musi is to recover the memory of a landscape that gave birth to Hyderabad, a living archive of the past. Musi is the reason Hyderabad exists. It is its collective inheritance." 

One understands the pain behind the appeal to give the Musi its rightful place in our memory. Having read the book I am far more enlightened in the way it shaped the city and how central it has been to the city we love. The effort by the Deccan Archives team to collate all the information and present it in such a concise, cogent manner is indeed praiseworthy. The book is scholarly in its approach, yet accessible to the common reader. As with all the Deccan Archives initiatives, I loved the book and its content and even more so, the intent. I can see a shift in my own approach to the Musi and I do not think i will ever look at it with anything but reverence when I pass by it henceforth. Great job by Sibghat and the Deccan Archives team. It is well written, well structured, with appropriate pictures and maps, well edited by Navin Sigamany, and well produced.

One can reach the Deccan Archives Foundation for copies at www.deccanarchive.com. I fully recommend it and am looking forward to more such books from the Deccan Archives.

Heritage Capital Hyderabad Picture Book - The Express Group

Mukthyar, who has a great love for Hyderabad's heritage and history and has transitioned from being an onlooker like me to being a full time heritage tour leader with his organisation 'Tareekh-e-Dakshin' gifted me this lovely picture book, a ready referencer for all the monuments and building of heritage value in Hyderabad. Its about 150 pages, produced beautifully by the Express Group, showing the history of the city with pictures. The book has pictures of protected archaeological monuments, heritage buildings and even heritage precincts, dating from the Qutb Shahi period and the Asaf Jahi period. Each monument is given a short bio, a lovely picture and its location in case one needs to go see it. There is a section of buildings that have disappeared too!

Protected Monuments

The protected heritage monuments include - Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Golconda fort, Qutb Shahi Tombs, Paigah Tombs, Akkanna Sarai, Badshahi Ashurkhana, Purani Idgah, Dabirpura Gate, Saidanima Tomb, Shah Raju Tomb, Raymond's Tomb, Patancheru Tombs, Toli Masjid, Khairath Khair Tomb, Hayath Bakshi Begum Mosque, Taramati Baradari, Mushirabad Mosque, Premamati Mosque, Miyan Mushk Mosque, Puranapul Darwaza, Khairath Begum's Mosque, Khairath Begum's Tomb, Uppal Mosque, Hakim's Tomb and Mosque, Shamsheer Kotha, Shaikpet Mosque and Sarai, Armenian Cemetery, Gunfoundry, Kulsum Begum Mosque and Khazana building. Of 

I have not visited Akkanna Sarai, Purani Idgah, Patancheru Tombs, Hayath Bakshi Begum Mosque, Mushirabad Mosque, Uppal Mosque, Hakim's Mosque, Shamsheer Kotha, Armenian Cemetery and Kulsum Begum mosque.

Heritage Buildings 

The heritage buildings list is way longer and includes  (the ones that I have seen) Falaknuma Palace, Chowmahalla Palace, Osmania General Hospital, Arts College, British Residency, High Court, City College, Hyderabad Public School, Central Library, Char Kaman, Clock Tower, Amberpet Burj, Parsi Dharamshala, Sultan Bazar Clock Tower, Dewan Deodi Gate, Nizamia Observatory, Chatta Bazaar Kaman, Shahi Jillu Khana, Aliabad Sarai, Puranapul bridge, Deodi iqbal Ud Dowlah, Alladin Building, Golden Threshold, Gandhi Medical College, Spanish Mosque, St John's Church, Jamay Masjid, Darul Shifa and Mosque, Dargah Yousufain, Afzal Gunj Mosque, St Mary's Church, Moghulpura Tombs, James Street, Paigah Plaza, Vikhar Manzil, Errum Manzil, Chiran Fort Palace, King Kothi Palace, Mahboob Mansion, Asmangarh Palace, Purani Haveli, Greenlands Guesthouse, Dhanrajgir Palace, Bella Vista, Nawab Muquarrrab Jung palace (Directorate of Industries), Nizam College, Monty's, Princess Esra Women's Education Centre, Lady Hydari Club, State Archaeological Museum, Moazzam Jahi Market, Victoria Maternity Hospital, Andhra Patrika building, Homeopathic Hospital, Nizam Club, Sardar Mahal, Kishen Pershad Deodi, Fakhr Ul Mulk Tomb, Mehboob Chowk and Mosque, Chandulal Temple, Fatehmaidan Clock Tower, Jawahar Bal Bhavan, Mohanlal Malani's Residence, Goshamahal Baradari, Yousuf Tekri, Dilkusha Guest House, Mahboobia Girls School, Aliya School, Reddy hostel, Nursing College, Raj Bhavan, Bal Bhavan, Taj Mahal Hotel, Kurshid Jah Deodi, Unani Hospital, ENT Hospital, Jubilee Hall, Old MCH Office, Victoria Memorial Orphanage, Prem Chand Residence.  

The heritage buildings I have not yet seen are - Dargah Nooruddin Shah, Deodi Shamsheer Ganj, Bhagwan Das Kamaan, Baquer Bagh, Mahal Wanaparthi, Central Coop Trianing College, Panj Mahalla, Parwarish Bagh, Baitul Ashraf, Imaad Jung Bahadur Deodi,  Bansilal Deodi, Asman Mahal, Shyam Rao Chungi Residence, Khusro Manzil, Raza ALi Bungalow, Lakshmi Paper Mart, Malwala Palace, Shamraj Bahadur Gate, Kishan Bagh Temple, Puranmal Tombs, Vilayat Manzil, Darga Syed Shah, Mir Mahmood Wali, Qila Kohra and mosque, Jham Singh temple, Sitaram Bagh temple, Ameen Mahal, Mehdi Nawaz Jung Deodi, Mushk Mahal, Manjhli Begum Haveli, Roshan Mahal, Deodi Akram Ali Khan, Dargah Hazrath Shujauddin, Aliabad Sarai.

Heritage Precincts

Heritage Precincts include rocks estimated to be some 2500 million years old, amongst the oldest and hardest rocks in the world. They include hillocks around Durgam Cheruvu, 'Bear's Nose' in Shilparamam, 'Obelisk' on Road no 66 Jubilee Hills, 'Cliff Rock' between Road no 45 and 46 in Jubilee Hills, 'Toadstool' next to Blue Cross, Jubilee Hills, 'Tortoise Rock' in Nandi Hills, Jubilee Hills, 'Mushroom Rock' in University of Hyderabad, 'Monster Rock' near Film Nagar, 

Brilliant guide book for me. Thanks a ton Mukthyar!

   

The Shallows -Nicholas Carr

 The byline 'How the Intenet is Changing the Way we Think, Read and Remember' says it all. Originally published in 2010 when Carr had his doubts about the Internet and how it was changing him, it has come with a new edition where he is now pretty much convinced that it does and will change us unless we safeguard ourselves.  As usual Abhinay gifted me this book which broaden my perspective so much, so thank you Abhinay.

Carr begins by going back to the 2010s and before when everyone was sure that the Internet was going to make  humans smarter, because they will have more information and can make better choices. But then they did not realise that not everyone on the internet had these naive ideas - because pretty soon the people who ran the Internet started making the choices for us. Carr quotes a study or a book by Marshall Macluhan in 1964 titled 'Understanding Media - The Extension of Man' where he says 'the media is the message which primarily means that whenever a new media comes along people get caught up in the information while the technology behind it disappears (we do not give a thought to how the technology can slowly change our behaviors - like children who are given a dangerous toy we forget about what's behind it). Carr says the content does not matter because the medium influences the way we think and act. Technology alters patterns of perception steadily without any resistance from us ( we are busy with our toys). He quotes a film critic who says 'doubts can be rendered feeble in the face of the certainty of the medium'.

Carr says he feels like Hal the computer in Kubrick's 1968 film - 2001: A Space Odyssey which laments that it is losing its mind. Carr says he has found that his concentration while reading has reduced (me too) and he feels that the net has turned him into a flesh and blood word processor. There is a change in the way we read - we skim now, and read deeply less - and it changes the way we read and write. Carr refers to many studies that proved that unlike the earlier thought that the brain is constant and cannot change, newer studies prove that the cells of our brains develop and grow with use and atrophy with disuse. Brains are neuro plastic and change with use and disuse. He quotes William James who spoke of two minds - the physical and mechanical brain and the subconscious spiritual mind. Brains change and can reprogram itself on the fly, altering the way it functions. He cites a case where a paralysed man used the paralysed side everyday and healed himself - changed the wiring in his brain so to say. Even more powerful is this thought - its not just repeated physical activity but even purely mental activity can alter neural circuitry. For example the London taxi drivers of yore before maps who had to remember complex routes - a part of their brain was bigger. Suffice to say that our thoughts exert a physical influence on or at least cause a physical reaction in our brains.

No wonder neuro plasticity has been linked to depression and OCD and tinnitis - the more the sufferer concentrates on his symptoms the deeper the symptoms are etched into his neural activity. Carr gives the example of how the human mind changed with new technologies like maps and clocks which altered our perception of space and time and changed the way we thought. Carr says that technology is an expression of human will and it can be used to 1) extend physical strength (plough, needle, jet) 2) sensitivity (microscope, birth control pills), reshaping nature to fulfil our needs and desires and 4) intellectual technology (maps, clocks) to extend and support our mental powers. Of all, this is the most intimate (and dangerous as all things intimate are). The broader implications of intellectual tech Carr says are that the inventors intellectual ethic has the most profound effect on us. Used unethically he says that human beings become a little more than the sex organs of the machine world.

He says that the debate between determinists (anti tech) and instrumentalists (pro tech) will never end. But technology influences how our minds change by influencing how we find, store and interpret information, how we direct and engage our senses, how we remember and forget. Maps and clocks changed our language. Dependence on a particular technology will alter the mind and make it shallow (we can lend that part to tech and forget about it). Carr says how readign made people more atentive, imaginative and enabled them to lose themselves. Guetnberg came along with his printing press and reading improved people's experience of life and nature. 

But now we have people who multi task - distracted from distractions by distractions - which make fundamental changes to our mental makeup. Heavy Internet usage has neuro consequences. Experiments have been conducted on multi media versus text only groups and the text only group scored better. Multi taskers sacrifice the primary task for interruption. 

Carr bemoans the Taylor algorithm of productivity - measure everything and improve it. Google has taken that to an extreme and they do not believe in subjectivity - its all measurement. Initially started with the idea of making people use their computers more effectively Google is now on a mission to organise the world's information and make it accessible and useful. However since Google is a profit making corporation it has figured out Adwords which is a subtle way to place ads based on what you search for (and speak about and think perhaps). The more they keep people online, the more they find ways in which to place ads and the more revenue and profits they generate. Not just directly they also sell complementary products. Through all this Carr says Google definitely shapes our behavior, thinking and the way we act.

Off loading of memory to external data threatens depth and distinctiveness of self. Carr says that culture is more than just the world's information. When we outsource memory to machines, culture withers. The price of technology Carr says is alienation. Technology mutes the faculties it is supposed to amplify.

Carr says we are bringing in frenziedness into our souls. Our intelligence flattens with AI. One study says that Americans now spend half their time looking at screens - on smartphones they spend an average of 5,05 hours with 85 unlocks. The performance of students in an experiment where they had a phone beside them with its screen down, phone in the bag and away from them and phone in another room showed distinct results - phone next to them affected scores adversely while phone in next room worked best. Its almost like the phone is an extension of themselves. People showed lesser sense of reasoning, social skills and maintaining relationships. 

Carr says smart phones are super normal stimulus and that we are being programmed by unethical technology use. We suffer the illusion of knowing more when we actually know less. Data, he says, is memory without history. When we construct our capacity for reasoning or recall, or transfer those skills to a machine we sacrifice the ability to turn information into knowledge. As Yuval Noah Harari says, we become cows.

Carr takes great pains to explain how our thinking changed from the times of Socrates who believed that writing would affect memory (it would because now we know we can access it later which means we concentrate lesser), the development of language, of writing, of the press, of studies on brains, on Google. He makes a convincing case and shares how he tried to get away from technology by moving to a small place, keeping the phone away and all that - and how he is slowly going back to his old ways. I am going through the same phase now and am trying to keep it in balance but I can see my screen time increasing, unlocks increasing, find myself surfing stuff I never used to earlier. Drastic measures may need to be taken so we do not become shallower than what we have become.

It's a lovely book and thought its not an easy read, has great content and well argued. Thanks Abhinay for another wonderful book that opens up a new area for me (he has given me books on sleep, on breath, on comfort and several others so far).                     

Hyderabad by Walk - Chudi Bazar - Jumeraat Bazar

Tanya announced a walk in the Chudi Bazar - Jumeraat Bazar area and I signed up since its one part of the city I have not really explored. I started early because the walk was at 7 am which is a good time to walk, found a place to park and waited a few minutes before Tanya and a quorum showed up. Tanya explained by way of a map (she always has maps and pictures to show on her ipad to give us an idea of what to expect - and she hands over her trademark picture postcards with the maps and other details in the back to each participant) how we were at standing the top of a triangle and that we would walk along the two arms - Chudi Bazaar and Jumeraat Bazar. Now Chudi Bazar probably means bangle bazar and I know Jumeraat bazar is an old second hand household goods market - the physical Amazon of the olden days that operates on Thursdays. Being Sunday, the street was empty so we could walk easily. 

Rani Avantibai chowk

Chudi bazaar to the left-Jumeraat bazaar to the right

We started by walking on the Chudi Bazar road after passing the imposing Rani Avantibai statue on a horse back - I originally mistook her for Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi but when I looked at the map closely I found that it mentioned it as Rani Avantibai Chowk. The queen-regent of Ramgarh (currently Dindori) in Madhya Pradesh had a role to play akin to Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi in the 1857 uprising and died at the age of 26, choosing to kill herself in a battle against the British that she was losing. Famous of her act of bringing together small kingdoms together to fight the British by sending them bangles and urging them to fight against the British she managed to defeat the British in the first war. She is revered by the Lodhi community. There is a postal stamp issued in her name.

Sri Khemdas ji's samadhi

Cherub painted on the samadhi

Tanya led us into a small gate to the left that opened into a mutt - the Khemdas Mutt. I would never have imagined that so much land existed within that gate. The temple arches were being constructed anew but once we were inside the main area it was quite amazing too see what lay within these walls - a 200 year old mutt, a wooden dalan, a beautiful samadhi of Sri Khemdas, several shrines for various gods all amidst greenery and a peaceful environment one would not associate with this area of town. 

Samadhi

The wooden dalan

Portrait of Sri Khemdas ji

Towards the right side was a new structure made entirely of marble with idols of the saints. The pandits were very amicable, allowed us to take pictures, offered prasad and tea, explained the mutt's history, even showed documents and maps. The head priest really knew his history (he said he had studied history). Behind the structures was an old baoli which Tanya offered to help restore if the management was ready. One can spend a lot of time within these walls - it's very peaceful. 

Hanuman temple

Choose your vehicle

On the road outside, two barbers sat on the road. From there we went to another small temple, Ram temple. Again, there was an old world quiet and devotion in this temple as people sat and quietly prayed or meditated or chanted. We walked to the back of the temple where we saw a old tree and some shrines. 

Ram Candra temple

From there we walked to the Sanatana Dharma Sabha Building which was an impressive building built on a large area. It appears to be used for functions and such. Poor upkeep but very impressive. The area is full of akharas and vyayamshalas now I know why they always refer to the pahelwans of Begumpet Bazar. 

Kishan Das Mutt

Sanatan Dharam Sabha building

We crossed over to the Jumeraat Bazar and walked into the Nadi Nath Ganesh temple. It was a beautiful temple that led into a street leading us to the Musi. On the banks of the Musi was an interesting structure, a Nadi Hanuman temple which apparently gets submerged in the rains. The gentleman praying there told me that one should examine the stone within the temple to get an idea of how old it is. He mistook me for a Professor. On the way back some ladies asked me if I was part of a film shoot.

Jagannathdwara Mutt

There was an Arundhathi Seva Mandal with Ambedkar's photo, quite a big building. I also noticed other stones and banners referring to Mediga Bandhu Mitra Sangam. Interestingly in this small, compact area with so many temples and mutts one could see all sections of society coexist.

 

Nadi Hanuman temple by the river Musi

On the way back we saw an old police station, now in disuse, but Tanya pointed out the architecture of that era that was evident. A few steps more and we reached the place where I had parked the car.

Small temple in the river

Rani Avantibai

Quite a fascinating walk. I would have never imagined that so many temples were in that vicinity. Thanks Tanya.  

Hyderabad by Walk - Qilich Khan Walk

Deccan Archives announced it's Saturday walk - Qilich Khan - the grandfather of the first Nizam and a Mughal nobleman. Qilich Khan translates to 'Swords Man' said Wahaj who led the walk with his usual panache and elegance. Originally Khaja Abid, he was born in Aliabad near Samarkhand, and joined the Mughal army as it marched on to the Deccan.

The enclosure

Qilich Khan's tomb in the centre

I had read of Qilich Khan earlier but since the tomb was in a remote place, never went. So when the walk was announced I recruited Ramaraju for the walk - I realise it's a good way to catch up with old friends on the drive, the walk, maybe a chai and breakfast after. That's if they like these kind of outings that is. It took us close to an hour to reach the place near Kismetpur, right next to the ORR, not far from the Himayat Sagar bund that you can see if you walk on to the road. There was a small group of 6-7 and we were joined by Serish Nanisetty who is another expert on the history of Hyderabad, having written the wonderful Golconda/Bagnagar book.

The Qawahghar - or whatever it was called

An idea of the expanse of this area

Wahaj gave us a bit of history of Qilich Khan who was part of Aurangzeb's army that conquered Bijapur and then joined the forces as they tried to conquer Golconda. There were drought like conditions and it was a long 9 month siege before the Mughals conquered Golconda. In the war however, a cannon ball hits Qilich Khan blowing his right arm off a few miles away. Qilich Khan as the legend goes does not discount despite his severe wounds and rides back to camp to get treated. While getting treated he sips his coffee and expresses his confidence that he will join the fight in a few days. Unfortunately he dies three days after. This was the 1687 battle which the Mughals won.

Another view of the enclosure

Tombs of other nobles

He is buried in Kismetpur. His right arm is found and recognised as his thanks to the signet ring and it is buried separately. The accounts are confusing but there seems to be one tomb here at Kismetpur and the other at Attapur.

The tomb in in a huge area which is rectangular in shape and thankfully walled because there is immense pressure of buildings all around it. Nets for volleyball, badminton, some goal posts, kids playing cricket make it an ideal space for games. There is a Qutb Shahi era mosque, a madarassa. In its prime Wahaj says it was designed in the Char Bagh design. In the centre is a building which was the royal gawakhana or quawah khana, a place for the royals to sip coffee (before the British brought in tea). 

The Qutb Shahi era mosque

The tomb itself is a simple, open to sky structure, in line with the austere ways of Aurangzeb. Chadars are placed on it as is a turban. It's a dargah so people come and sit and pray. A few tombs around it belong to family members or those close to him. Behind the main tomb area there are a few more tombs. 

Pineapple motif

The minarets carry the pineapple and corn motifs - these two were brought to India by the Portuguese. To one corner is a Qutb Shahi mosque with all the makings of classic Qutb Shahi architecture. Wahaj pointed out that since the artisans were not Persian some local elements would creep into the architecture like a mandapa or so.

Osmanian mosque 1930s

Qilich Khan's son Feroz Jung married the daughter of the Prime Minister of Shah Jehan and it's their eldest son Mir Qamaruddin Khan who became the first Nizam. Qilich Khan's tomb prominently mentions the name Shaik Shahabuddin Suhrawadi and it says that his geneology reached the Sufi saint. 

Book on the Musi by the Deccan Archives

We walked from this area on the road across the bridge over river Esi which is now a mere trickle. One can see the Himayat Sagar bund from the road. The two rivers Musi and Esi (named after Musa and Esa - feminine versions being Musi and Esi) - merge at the sangam near Bapu ghat, Langar Houz. Musi originates at Anantagiri while Esi originates at Pargi. Unlike Musi, Esi flows through lesser populated areas and thus is less prone to mischief. Wahaj explained how the Himayat Sagar is an earthen dam unlike Osman Sagar which is built between two hillocks. He also threw some light on how the water system allowed the water to flow from one to another depending on need. I am always amazed at the amount of knowledge and information Sibgat and Wahaj have over the history, geography, architecture, culture, governance of Hyderabad and how succinctly they explain. 

We walked on to the Osmanian mosque built around the 1930s, some old houses of that era built there, walked back to see the Esi close up and then back to the tomb area. Had a nice time chatting with Serish about his book and movie theatres and so on. I also bought a book brought out by the Deccan Archives on the Musi. A group pic and me and Ram headed back homeward bound. 

Morning we'll spent. 

Miranda Days - INDIA Block Protest March

A post by Anish Gawande on the protest march by INDIA Block on October 12, 2026, which was attended by 'the coolest people' - A is part of the brigade.