Chowmahalla Palace : Embraces the grace

Chowmahalla Palace

This is the 'ONE' which will help you to have the feeling of royalty and elegance. The Chowmahalla Palace  is under the must visit list in Hyderabad tour. So believing in that I visited the palace and stood amazed by its 'Everything'. 

Now the best twist is the location. You can't assume that a whole and humongous palace is hiding beside a busy, daily road and the playground. As google map is my best friend so the husky voice took me to the exact destination. I stood still when I entered to the gate and felt myself a great discoverer seeing the ancient history with its beauty. After the security check and the successfully declined the guide I started my own discoveries. I always believe that we should travel as per our interest and explore the places the way we want. 

First thing which will take your breathe away that is the architectural style and the elegant colour combination. The word which suits best is the 'Magnificent' . The palace was built over 200 years ago and it is meticulously restored. 

The Nizams,  the beholder of the great tastes stood always the legendary patronage of art, architecture and science. The construction of the palace was initiated by the Nizam Salabhat Jung in 1750 and the Nizam Afzar-ud-Dawla Bahadur who ensured the completion  between the 1857 and 1869. Literary the Chowmahalla means four . It spreads over 45 acres but unfortunately 12 acres remains. 

So after the small history Let me tell you the arrangement of the architectural spaces. Once you enter you will find the beautiful fountain inside a rectangular pool. The palace stood behind the pool.

There are two courtyards , southern and northern. The southern courtyard is the oldest complex in the premises. It is under restoration. It includes the four big palaces -Afzal Mahal, Mahtab Mahal, Tahniyat Mahal and Aftab Mahal. In these Aftab Mahal is the grandest in appearance. It is two stored building with elegant marble and wood work. It shows the influence of European facades of Corinthian pillars.  The Northern courtyard is fully restored and opened for visitors. It opens a long corridor with number of rooms which indicates the administrative wing. 

The noticeable feature is the architectural planning of the palace. The whole place is divided included the open green premises meticulously. Walking around it , the ambiance will take to the age of it, you can feel the royalty and the glorious history. The contradiction of the history and the contemporary will definitely  create a tension, passion and solitary feeling which can not be shaded off easily. 

                                           

The amazing vintage car collection is the next which can't be missed. These are the another signature tastes of the royalty. The collection includes Rolls Royce, Ford Tourer, Wolseley and many more. 

                       

The description of the glorious history will remain incomplete if I don't mention the elaborate ammunition collection of the Nizam's. The humongous collection included never ended variety of weapons across the dynasties. The walls are fully occupied up to the ceiling with the collection and indeed the aura of display gives the final touch to make it more vibrant.

                       

Hope these will give you the nitty- gritty about the palace. Time to wind up of this chapter and there are more lined up. So visit Hyderabad, eat drink and cherish the flavour of the Nizams in your heart.