Hyderabad is the capital city of the Indian state Andhra Pradesh. It is the fifth largest city in India. Hyderabad is a cosmopolitan city, which is linked with other capital cities like Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai via rail, road and air.

Hyderabad is a beautiful city provided with all modern structures and facilities but it has still maintained its old charm. This city is full of several ancient monuments of historic importance. There are lots of ancient Mosques, forts, magnificent palaces, serene lakes and picnic spots. The art galleries and public garden attract thousands of tourists in the city. The mean temperature in summer is around 22°C while it increases up to a maximum of 40°C at times. The winter temperature drifts between a minimum of 12°C and a maximum of 22°C. Some of the important tourist places of Hyderabad are given here:

Charminar in Hyderabad
Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah built this historical structure in 1591. It is located in the heart of the old city. The wonderful architecture and grand construction of Charminar makes the visitors speechless. A small Mosque can be seen within it. There are four famous minarets in Charminar. It is a much-liked subject of many portraits and wall hangers.

Mahavir Harin Vanashali in Hyderabad
This is a beautiful and exciting wildlife sanctuary and the deer park of the Hyderabad city. This is situated on the Hyderabad - Vijayawada route. A large number of visitors are attracted to this sanctuary to have a glance of the animals.

Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad
This is a beautiful lake of Hyderabad, which has its origin back to the days of Qutub Shahi. There are 33 life size statues of eminent personalities. These statues were erected as part of Buddha Purnima Project. A huge monolithic structure of the Lord Buddha of 18 meter height and 350 tonne weight is also seen in the middle of the lake.

Birla Mandir in Hyderabad
The Birla Mandir of Hyderabad is built with perfect white marbles of Rajasthan. Thirumala Tirupathi is the presiding deity of this temple. The shrine here is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara. It was constructed with an inspiring combination of the traditional architecture of the north and south. One can see beautiful carvings; fine sculptures and the ornate workmanship are excellent. This temple contains the idols of some other deities also, which are all made of marble in the lush green gardens. This temple is situated atop a scenic hill and a panoramic view of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad can be seen from here. The visiting time is from 07:00 hrs to 12:00 hrs and 15:00 hrs to 21:00 hrs.

Ghandipet in Hyderabad
This place is situated about 18 km from Hyderabad. A beautiful river `Musi` flows down here. Above this river, the Osmansagar Dam was constructed 55 years ago with excellent gardens and serene waters around it. This place becomes a good picnic spot with all its surroundings. Rest houses are available, where the tourists can enjoy a peaceful time.

Azakhana-E-Zohra in Hyderabad
It is a stunning white building with green tombs. The last Nizam built this in 1930. It can be seen from the north bank of the river Musi. It is also known as Madre-E-Deccan or Mother of Deccan Ashurkhana. The ceilings and inner walls of it are enamel coated.

Nizam Sagar in Hyderabad
Nizam Sagar is a reservoir of Hyderabad. It is situated about 144 km on the north-west of Hyderabad. The splendid dam across the river `Manjira` forms this Nizam Sagar. It is also a good picnic spot. An exciting view of the lavish surroundings can be enjoyed from a 14 feet wide road across the huge dam. The tourists can also avail comfortable accommodation facilities here.

Basar Saraswati temple in Hyderabad
This place is famous for the temple of the Saraswati, the goddess for Arts and Learning and the consort of Lord Brahma, the creator of the Universe. It is believed that Adikavi Valmiki installed the presiding deity here. Near the temple, the image of the sage Valmiki and his `Samadhi` can be seen. This temple is believed to be one of the temples built by the Rashtrakutas near the confluence of the sacred rivers Manjira and Godavari.

The image of goddess Lakshmi can be seen besides Goddess Saraswati inside the sanctum sanctorum. Basar is considered as the holy abode of divine trinity where the devotees are blessed with all the three vital traits of the three goddess named Saraswati, Lakshmi and Kali. A huge granary built in the year 1642 can also be seen here.

Ashurkhana in Hyderabad
This is the mourning house used during Moharrum. The middle section of it has been destroyed and the surrounding rooms and corridors with carved stone trays corroborate the ancient glory of the whole structure. It stands in front of the Safa Mosque. Beautiful wooden incense stands and some other artifacts are also seen here.

Badshahi Ashurkhana in Hyderabad
This complex was built in 1596 for the purpose of mourning for the `Shia` sect of Muslims during Moharrum. They mourn remembering the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain who played an important role in the Karbala battle. It is said to be the oldest structure of its kind in Hyderabad. Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah built the inner wall and outer hall was constructed by Asif Jah II. During the rule of Sultan Muhammad, this building of Hyderabad was decorated with some beautiful enamel tiles. The tourists can visit this building only on Thursdays.