Falaknuma Palace is the jewel in the crown of Hyderabad.
Its shining glory, its very own signature luxury symbol is a heritage property
dating back to 19th CE.
Quli Qutb Shah, established the city of Hyderabad in
1591. The Qutb Shahi dynasty ruled Hyderabad for nearly a century before it was
captured by the Mughals.
It was in 1724 that Asif Jah, a Mughal viceroy, declared his sovereignty over Hyderabad and created his own dynasty which came to be known as the Nizams of Hyderabad.
It was in 1724 that Asif Jah, a Mughal viceroy, declared his sovereignty over Hyderabad and created his own dynasty which came to be known as the Nizams of Hyderabad.
Nizams constructed some of the historical buildings in
different parts of Hyderabad city. One among them: A jewel among the clouds “Falaknuma
Palace, spreading across 32 acres, this former palace of the Nizam, offers
spectacular view of the Hyderabad skyline from each of its 60 luxurious rooms.
No photo and words can do justice to the beauty and charm of the palace, one has to visit the palace to feel this. The palace has been recognized by New York Times as among the 20 places in the world to visit once during one’s lifetime.
The Palace is famous for its various unique things, few
among them are: --------
(1)
The library at Falaknuma Palace is as majestic as Windsor Castle’s library in
England. Modeled after Windsor Castle’s library, it treasures a large
collection of rare manuscripts and books from the Nizam’s repertoire
(2)
The 2 ton manually operated Piano in the ballroom. The Falaknuma Palace do have
a very impressive collections of unique artifacts like Paintings, Furniture’s,
Statues, Books and Manuscripts.
(3)
The billiards table in the billiards room is one of the two pieces of its kind.
The other is at the Buckingham Palace in London.
(4)
In Falaknuma Palace, you will find a world’s unique jade collection which
belongs to Nizam and his family
(5)
The center of attraction is the colossal dining hall with the world’s longest
table (108 feet) that can accommodate 100 people at a time.
(6)
The Palace do have the amazing collection of Venetian Chandelier’s
(7) The Guest are welcomed in Nizam Style that means in a
Buggy.
History of Falaknuma Palace
Sir
Viqar ul-Umara, (1856–1902) was a dominant figure in Hyderabad and wanted a
unique palace built for him, but building the palace almost bankrupted him. Rs.
40 lacs in 1893 was an astronomical sum even for kings.
He served as the Prime Minister of Hyderabad from 1893 to
1901 and Amir-e- Paigah 1881 to 1902.
 |
| Princess Esra and Mukarram Jah |
History of Falaknuma Palace
Sir
Viqar ul-Umara, (1856–1902) was a dominant figure in Hyderabad and wanted a
unique palace built for him, but building the palace almost bankrupted him. Rs.
40 lacs in 1893 was an astronomical sum even for kings.
He served as the Prime Minister of Hyderabad from 1893 to
1901 and Amir-e- Paigah 1881 to 1902.
Viqar
ul-Umara was the maternal grandson of the Nizam III Nawab Sikandar Jah. Viqar
ul-Umara was married to older sister Princess Jahandarunnisa Begam
Sahiba, older
sister of Nizam VI Nawab Mir Mahbub Ali.
The Falaknuma Palace was so costly to build that even Sir
Viqar-Ul-Umra had to borrow money to complete it and realized that he had gone
beyond his means.
His
very intelligent wife, Lady Viqar -ul -Umra, thought up a solution and advised
her husband to invite Mehboob Ali Pasha Nizam VI to the palace.
As
anticipated, the Nizam liked the palace so much that he extended his stay and
this prompted Sir Viqar to offer that if his sovereign liked the palace he
would be honoured to give it to him.
The Nizam liked the gesture
but, being the grand man he was, he had his treasurer send the entire amount
spent on the palace to Sir Viqar, thus easing his paigah noble from a financial
crunch.
The Nizam VI in 1897 used
the palace as a royal guest house till his death in March
1911. After him, no Nizam ever stayed at the palace. as it had a commanding
view of the entire city.
Falaknuma Palace
turned into Taj Falaknuma Palace Hotel
Palace remained unused and
neglected. Finally, the current Nizam Prince Mukarram Jah’s divorced wife
Princess Esra took charge.
In 2000 Taj Hotels Group
entered into an agreement with Esra Birgen and the royal family. The main brief
to restorers was to ‘preserve as much as possible’.
 |
| Princess Esra |
After a long and tedious
renovation and many hiccups the palace finally opened up as a luxury hotel in
2010. New name was Taj Falaknuma Palace Hotel and Resort.
Nightly
rates in the hotel begin at Rs. 32,000 and can go as high as Rs. 380,000. The
royal rooms, the grand architectures and the top-notch services do justify
these rates.
Itinerary of
Falaknuma Palace (with /without high Tea), Chowmahallah Palace & Golconda Fort Sound
and Light Show.
A tour of Falaknuma Palace, a dream of every travelers
to Hyderabad, is managed by “Telangana state tourism Development Corporation”.
This tour with optional high tea is included in the half-day Nizam Palaces Tour, on Saturdays and Sundays. Chowmahalla Palace and the Golconda Fort Sound and Light Show are the other attractions on the itinerary.
This tour with optional high tea is included in the half-day Nizam Palaces Tour, on Saturdays and Sundays. Chowmahalla Palace and the Golconda Fort Sound and Light Show are the other attractions on the itinerary.
With-out
High Tea Package
Rs.2000/-
per Adult
Rs.1850/-
per Child
With
High Tea Package
Rs.3100/-
per Adult
Rs.2950/-
per Child
Inclusions:
A/C
transportation with tour escort services
Entry
tickets for Falaknuma Palace, Chowmahallah Palace & Golconda Fort Sound and
Light Show
High-tea
at Falaknuma Palace
Itinerary
of Telangana Tourism Nizam Palace Tour
01.00
pm - Departure from Tourism Plaza, Begumpet.
01.20
pm - Departure from Hotel Taj Krishna.
01.45
pm - Departure from Hotel Golkonda (Masab Tank).
02.30
pm - Arrival: Chowmahalla Palace.
02.30
pm to 03.30 pm - Visit of Chowmahalla Palace.
04.00 pm to 05.30 pm - Visit and Hi-tea at
Falaknuma Palace.
06.45
pm to 08.00 pm - Golconda Sound & Light Show.
09.00
pm - Drop at respective pick-up points.
This blog has been compiled with different
materials available on net and photos are from sources with thanks