Chowmahalla Palace

Grandeur of Nizams and their luxury way of living you can still feel in Chowmahalla Palace.

Then we visited the Chowmahalla Palace, which means four palaces together (Afzal Mahal, Mahtab Mahal, Tahniyat Mahal and Aftab Mahal) It was the Palace of Nizams of Hyderabad. I liked the palace’s grand Khilwat (Darbar hall) which has eye sparkling 19 belgian crystal Chandeliers that too pure white shining constantly.The whole Palace has Southern, Northern Courtyard which has various Persian elements with ornate stucco work.Centre of attraction here lies for the collection of vintage cars like Rolls Royce which were once used by Nizams.

We ate the famous Hyderabad biriyani from the famous restaurant located there which has also dined many celebrities including Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil dev and many more. Then we forged on to the well known Chowmahalla palace. It is well know for its articulation of antiques and historical installments. The palace is never boring instead more than interesting since it not only concentrates on one artifacts. It includes the ancient language scripts, the culinary and weapons of times, the religious and spiritual transcripts and museum of vintage cars and photographs and drawings and much more. There is also installation of different chandeliers in the palace and statues. In short, if you visit Hyderabad you should visit Chowmahalla palace.

Chowmahalla Palace is about magnificent palace situated in the Old City of Hyderabad, around few minutes drive from Charminar. It was a palace of Nizams in Hyderabad, which has been converted into museum open for public. The palace was awarded Asia Pacific Merit Award by UNESCO in 2010. The palace is divided into Southern and Northern Courtyard, housing the famous arms and ammunition of Nizam era. The palace also has a collection of vintage cars used by the Nizams. The palace is a nice heritage walk for photographers.

Grandeur of rulers, glory of its past, glimpse of their enigmatic way of living, are still alive in the form of palaces like Chowmahalla Palace, a place worth visiting when on a Hyderabad tour.The literal meaning of this place is “Four Palaces” with “Chow” means four in Urdu and “Mahalat” which is the plural of “Mahalel” meaning palaces. Chowmahalla palace is said to resemble Shah Palace of Tehran in Iran.One can reach the palace by hiring a cab. Buses are also available frequently to Charminar which is situated approximately 750m from Chowmahalla palace. One can come by mmts and get down at dabirpura and then hire an auto to the palace.Entry fee is 50 for adults and 50 for taking photos in mobile or still camera. Dslr, slr are not allowed.Time to cover is 3-4 hours.A huge water fountain in front of the palace, with artistically carved pillars is the first thing to offer a peek into the architectural excellence of this Chowmahalla palace.