These are the uncropped, and untouched-up photos from some sightseeing I managed to fit in while I was in Hyderabad.
This was my room at the Grand Kakatiya... needless to stay I was not slumming it (business travel can be good sometimes)....
The next several photos are from the tombs of the Qutb Shah kings, who were the rulers of the Hyderabad area from about 1500 and something to when the Mughals took over in the 1600 and something. There were seven kings, and they're all buried here.... unfortunately they're only just restoring these now, so most are a bit dilapidated, and many of the plaques are almost unreadable. They were all Muslims, hence some of the architecture.
The elevated photos were taken from the tomb of one of the queens buried in the area. There was a staircase leading off the main tomb (completely full of dead branches and no light) which my driver Robert showed me. We clambered up the stairs (multi-level tombs!), and had a look around...
It's interesting that a lot of Indian people seem to come into the grounds of the tombs in the weekend and have picnics with kids playing cricket and the like. May have something to do with the Rs5 entry fee (US10c). Strangely enough this price applies to foreigners too (usually they charge foreigners 100Rs or more for sightseeing at historical sites).
This is a tree near the Golconda fort. It was planted something like 400 years ago, and is pretty big. Interestingly enough the interior of the trunk is hollow, and there is a small room INSIDE the tree. You can apparently stay there for the night for Rs50.... ladder is required as the exterior of the tree is very smooth (there is Robert the driver with the ladder :-)
