The
Charminar in Hyderabad, at the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, is
a massive arch built by Mohammed Quli Qutab Shah. The famous monument
of not only Hyderabad, but of South India, Charminar is an impressive
square monument with four minarets. The travel icon of the Pearl
city towering to a hieght of 180 ft., Charminar located in the centre
of the old city, is a picture of beauty. Built in 1591 AD by the
founders of Hyderabad in memory of the eradication of plague, the
monument with its four minarets, profusely crafted leaves is an
inerasable imprint on the minds of the tourists.
The
arch is illuminated daily in the evening, an unforgettable sight
to view. The city of Hyderabad, with its delightful blend of the
past and the present, exhibits to the visitors an interesting skyline
with modern buildings standing shoulder to shoulder along with the
splendid 400 year old edifices.
Charminar
is always on the top of the attraction list of any tourist visiting
Hyderabad. To say that Charminar is a major landmark in the city
is to repeat a buzzword. The great monument is a synonym for Hyderabad
and the pivot around which the glory and history of the city have
developed. This beautiful massive structure in granite, lime, mortar
and, some say, pulverised marble, was at one time the heart of the
city. Apart from being the core of the city’s cultural ambience,
it has become a brand name.
» The
Architecture
Charminar
is a square shaped structure with four towers in the four corners
of the square, each of whose sides is 20 m in length. Every side
opens into a plaza through giant arches, which overlook four major
passages and dwarf other features of the building except the minarets.
Each arch is 11 m wide and soars 20 m to the top from the plinth.
The minarets soar skywards by 24 m from the roof of Charminar. Each
minaret has 4 storeys, each appears like a delicately carved ring
around the minaret. Some Anglophiles call Charminar the Arc de Triomphe
of the East. From the ground to the top, the minarets cover a length
of 48.7 m.
» How
to reach Char Minar
By
Air : Hyderabad being the capital city is well connected by air
and has got its own airport.
By Rail : Hyderabad has got its own railhead, which connects it
to all the major cities within the state as well as in the country.
By Road : Hyderbad, being Capital city is well connected by Road
from all major cities in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Tamilnadu,
Maharastra and Orissa.
