parks highway alaska Kondapalli fort (admission 5, camera 100; h10.30am-5pm), strategically situated on the old Machilipa

Nowhere suits the term fit for royalty better than at the Falaknuma Palace, the former residence of the sixth nizam. Taking over a decade to restore, the Taj Group s latest luxury hotel has most certainly been worth the wait. The cheapest rooms have Italian marble floors, colonial furniture and great city views, while the Presidential Suite (an astounding 500,000 per night) was

Kondapalli fort (admission 5, camera 100; h10.30am-5pm), strategically situated on the old Machilipatnam Golconda trade route, was built in 1360 by the Reddy kings, and was held by the Gajapathis, the Qutb Shahis, the Mughals and the nizams before becoming a British parks highway alaska military camp in 1767. Today it s a quiet, lovely ruin. On weekdays, you ll likely have the place to yourself and you can easily parks highway alaska spend a few hours hiking around. Kondapalli village, 1km downhill, is famous for its wooden dolls. The fort is 21km from Vijayawada; an autorickshaw is 400 return.

In 1724 the Hyderabad parks highway alaska viceroy, Asaf Jah, took advantage of waning Mughal power and declared Hyderabad an independent state with himself as leader. parks highway alaska The dynasty of the nizams of Hyderabad began, and the traditions of Islam flourished. Hyderabad became a focus for the arts, culture and learning, and the centre of Islamic India. Its abundance of rare gems and minerals the world-famous Kohinoor diamond parks highway alaska is from here furnished the nizams with enormous wealth. (William Dalrymple s White Mughals is a fascinating portrait of the city at this time.)