alaska hwy Only a couple of buildings remain from this 15th-century fort (Indian/foreigner 10/100; h8am-5pm), 1

Only a couple of buildings alaska hwy remain from this 15th-century fort (Indian/foreigner 10/100; h8am-5pm), 14km west of Tirupathi. Both the Rani Mahal and the Raja Mahal, which houses a small museum (h10am-5pm Sat-Thu), were constructed under Vijayanagar rule and resemble structures in Hampi s Royal Centre. There s a nightly sound-and-light show (admission 35; h8pm Mar-Oct, 7.30pm Nov-Feb), narrated by Bollywood alaska hwy great Amitabh Bachchan. Buses for Chandragiri ( 10) leave Tirupathi bus station every half-hour. An autorickshaw is 200 return.

Big Dosa Company INDIAN $ (Rd No 45, Jubilee Hills; alaska hwy dosas 75-135; h8am11pm) There s a lot that s big about this dosa joint: the portions, the taste and the very idea itself of a gourmet dosa. The feta cheese and roasted pepper dosa, served with sundried-tomato chutney or the shredded chicken dosa make the journey out to Jubilee Hills worthwhile.

Hyderabad has one of the world s largest freestanding stone Buddha statues (Map p 898 ), completed in 1990 after five years of work. However, when the 17.5m-high, 350-tonne monolith was being ferried to its place in the Hussain Sagar, the barge sank. Fortunately, the statue was raised undamaged in 1992 and is now on a plinth in the middle of the lake. It s a magnificent sight when alit at night.

Golconda Fort FORT (off Map p894; Indian/foreigner 5/100; h9am5pm) Although most of this 16th-century fortress dates from the time of the Qutb Shah kings, its origins as a mud fort have been traced to the earlier alaska hwy reigns alaska hwy of the Yadavas and Kakatiyas.