Discovering Hyderabad's street food, impressive fort & photogenic Charminar; the cities landmark mosque

I hadn’t planned on visiting Hyderabad initially, but a change in my travel plans meant I had a few days to play with before heading to Kathmandu, Nepal. Hyderabad seemed like a fun city with lots of interesting architecture, so I searched Airbnb and booked a cute room in an apartment owned by a young Hyderabadi couple. After travelling solo through Tamil Nadu and up the east coast of India for two months and meeting very few backpackers along the way, I was looking for some company and good conversation, which is why I swerved staying in a hotel. 

A group of boys at Qutb Shahi Tombs in Hyderabad

Sneha and Lokesh's apartment in Kondapur, a suburban part of the city, was easy enough to travel to using the metro or by taking an auto-rickshaw, and as soon as I arrived, they took me in like a long-lost friend. We spent the next few days drinking whiskey at their kitchen table and discussing the intricacies of Jainism, yoga, and the art of being comfortable alone. Throughout my stay, they drove me around Hyderabad, telling me facts about the city and introducing me to their family. I learnt so much through them, and got to see parts of the city I would have missed had I stayed in a hotel.

What to see and do in Hyderabad

1. Try the street food

On my first night, they took me out to some of their favorite street food stalls, where we ate dosas, idlis (savoury rice & lentil cakes), and a popular rice dish known as pongal. For dessert, we bought insanely sweet cakes from a brightly lit glass counter, hundreds of variations lined up ready for the upcoming holiday of Diwali. Later, we cooled down with hand-made ice pops from another street-side stall, each one made to order and covered with fluorescent, super-sweet syrups that left us high for the rest of the night.

2. Head to Qutb Shahi Tombs

The next day, while Sneha and Lokesh worked, I hailed an auto-rickshaw and headed to Qutb Shahi Tombs. Placed elegantly in gardens of flowering trees and perfect pathways, the beautiful dome-topped tombs provided a peaceful few hours of people watching and sightseeing. The unusual shape of the tombs makes them some of the most impressive I’ve seen.

One of Qutb Shahi tombs

3. Don't miss the Golconda Fort

Not far from the Qutb Shahi tombs is the equally impressive hand-built 16^th-century Golconda Fort and citadel. Built on what look like very precariously balanced boulders, the views from the top across the city are unrivalled. My rickshaw driver also wanted me to see a rare Banyan Tree, which he made me climb up to look inside. The trunk had been completely hollowed out, leaving a secret hiding place. The legend surrounding the tree involves a king leaving his wife inside the hollowed trunk to die after he found out she’d been having an affair. I never found out if this was a true story, but I liked the rickshaw driver's storytelling all the same.

Golconda Fort

4. Say hi to the largest free-standing stone Buddha in the world

A few days later, I took the metro to Hussain Sagar Lake, where I hopped on a boat to visit the world's largest free-standing stone Buddha. This colossal statue is particularly impressive at dusk when swallows fly and flit around it, and the lights of the city gently dance on the lake's surface, giving the place a magical feel.

Stone Buddha statue on Hussain Sagar Lake, Hyderabad

5. Photograph Charminar

On my last day, Lokesh and Sneha took me to see Charminar, one of the most beautiful temples in India. This iconic mosque with its four minarets and surrounding market was one of my highlights of the city. 

Charminar, Hyderabad

6. Be dazzled at Laad Bazaar and don't miss Osmania Biscuits

It's in this area that I also found Laad Bazaar, where stalls are stacked with thousands of colourful bangles and intricate gold jewellery. It was near here where I also ate some of the best biscuits I've ever tried in my entire life—the city's famous Osmania biscuit. Similar to shortbread and named after the last ruler of Hyderabad, Osman Ali Khan, they're best eaten straight out of the oven when they're still warm from the renowned cafe and bakery, Nimrah.

Staying with locals and people who knew the ins and outs of Hyderabad made my time in the city so memorable. And seeing as though Hyderabad wasn't even a fixture on my original itinerary, it ended up being an unexpected highlight of my two months in beautiful India.