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Statue of Equality – Sri Ramanuja big statue
Sri Ramanuja was a great proponent of equality of all in front of the almighty. It felt great to see this gigantic statue of the Vaishnavaite saint, called Statue of Equality installed a few kilometres from Hyderabad Airport. Reminded me of the Big Buddha (Mount of Tian Tan) in Hong Kong. Statue of equality has this giant Sri Ramanuja image, a smaller golden replica of the large statue for prayers and recreation of all the 108 Vaishnavaite Divya Desams (Holy temples) of Lord Vishnu. Recreating these many garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorums) with individual Moolavar (main deity) and Utsavar (festival deity) idols is not easy, though they were not close to the divinity…
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Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad
Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad exceeded my expectations with the variety and the nature of its collections. Everyone visiting the city should spend a minimum of half-a-day here. While the other two important museums in India I had visited earlier, the National Museum in Janpath, New Delhi and the Indian Museum, Kolkata (Imperial Museum at Calcutta) were established or benefitted with the collections of Indian Government (and earlier by British India), the Salar Jung museum owes its founding and breathtaking artefacts to a private (aristocratic) family, mainly the Prime Minister of Hyderabad during the Nizam’s rule, Mr Mir Yousuf Ali Khan aka Salar Jung III (1889–1949). The present-day building was…
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The Charminar, Hyderabad
The Charminar is always a beauty. Seeing it in real, it was more impressive than I had imagined. On an evening during the Ramadan festival, it gets more colourful and buzzing with activity. When I visited a few days ago (Sunday, 3rd April 2022) the area was heavily crowded, which reminded me of Ranganathan Street, Chennai. There were hawkers selling everything imaginable. From Bangles, Necklaces, Ladies’ wear, Kidswear, Footwear, Handbags, Suitcases, Household items and more. The Charminar (‘four minarets’) constructed in 1591, is the landmark of Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
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Visit to Golconda Fort, Hyderabad
As I walked down from the top of the fort, half-way-down, a young man in his late twenties, wearing a smart jean and sports t-shirt who was climbing up, approached me. Drenched in sweat and gasping, he asked “Excuse me sir, do you have water?”. Luckily, I had half-a-bottle of water left with me, which I gladly gave, grabbing it, he drank it at once, thanked me profoundly and continued his climb. I stood there for a few minutes trying to understand what had just happened! The above incident happened last week, during my visit to the Golconda fort. 💎The present fort was built by the Qutb Shahi dynasty (c.…
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Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai
After my brief visit to Rameswaram, I am staying for two days in Madurai. Today, I went to Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai. This follows my trip to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, the residence of Mahatma Gandhi, and the Raj Ghat in Delhi, the memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai was established in 1959, in memory of the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi. The museum preserves and exhibits the blood-stained garment worn by Gandhi when he was assassinated. The museum is on a campus called Tamukkam, which in Telugu means a sports pavilion. The museum is free for entry and is open on all days…
