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Published: December 14th 2019
Green Chillies for Sale
A huge pile of chillies for sale at the wholesale vegetable marketOur auto rickshaw driver from yesterday was waiting in the car park for us at 6.30am this morning, as arranged. We need an early start as we’re heading to the Gudimalkapur wholesale flower markets, and if we arrive later in the morning, will miss all the action.
Our driver pulled up outside a wholesale vegetable market and told us the flower market was behind it. This market was a bonus, huge piles of super fresh green chillies, garlic, potatoes and vegetables I didn’t recognise laid out for sale. We walked through, heading to the buildings at the rear, and could smell the flowers before we actually saw them.
Never have I seen flowers in such volume, some in sacks, others in crates, but most in heaps on the ground. Marigold, chrysanthemum, carnation and rose heads, ready to be turned into temple offerings. Men were sitting crossed legged at the back of their stands, hands continually dipping into a bag of flower heads, as they threaded or twisted them with string, hanging the finished strand on the front of their stand, now for sale. Lots of noise, colour and deals been made here this morning.
We were the only
A Friendly Vendor
This fellow is selling unopened zucchini flowers foreigners there, wandering around with cameras in our hands, getting in the way. Everyone was so easy going and happy to poise for photos or have a quick chat with us. There was a lot of friendly ribbing between the men, smiling and laughing with us while they pointed out friends who, they said, wanted to have their photo taken. Ginny was given the red rose she picked up to smell. It was a lovely way to start the day...
After we left here we headed to Golconda Fort, our rickshaw passing through dusty suburban streets, to get us to the fort just as it opened for the day. So, we were among the first to enter and had the place very much to ourselves for an hour or so. An elderly man, a guide, attached himself to us from the moment we entered but soon disappeared when we refused to pay the R1500 ($30) he wanted, to take us on a 45 minute guided walk.
Constructed in 1143, the fort has a perimeter of around 11 kilometres, with five metre high walls. It has huge gates, with pointed iron spikes, which protected the fort from war elephant
attacks. Golconda Fort is a complex layout of palaces, mosques and pavilions, all of which are in ruins today.
The system of acoustics in the Fort is astounding. We could stand in a particular spot inside the entrance, clap our hands, and hear it vibrate in the pavilions ceiling. This clap could be heard at the ‘Bala Hissar' which is the highest point in the Fort and almost a kilometre away. This system was apparently used for communication purposes, especially in case of attack.
Because of the vicinity of diamond mines, Golconda flourished as a trade centre, producing an impressive list of the world's most famous diamonds, including the colorless Koh-i-Noor and the blue Hope. Collectively they are known as the Golconda diamonds. The dungeons of the fort were used as a secure holding area for diamonds bought and sold during the medieval diamond trade.
Next stop was the Qutb Shahi Tombs, just a kilometre or so from the Fort. Here we found tombs and mosques built by the various kings of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. The galleries of the smaller tombs are of a single storey while the larger ones are two storied. In the centre
Gudimalkapur Flower Markets
This guy posed for us after a lot of ribbing from his laughing friends of each tomb is a sarcophagus which overlies the actual burial vault in a crypt below. The domes were originally overlaid with blue and green tiles, of which only a few pieces now remain.
This complex is under restoration, with several of the larger tombs now inaccessible, closed off behind corrugated iron fencing. The complex is rather a mess with pathing partially finished, unkempt landscaping and building rubble everywhere. All the tombs we entered had pigeons roosting in them, the floor a mess of droppings.
It was starting to get hot so we decided to return to the hotel for a break. We slept a couple of hours and decided to venture out again around 3.30. We walked to Hussain Sagar Lake, about 30 minutes from our hotel with the idea of finding the M S Maqta Art District which bordered the lake, and check out some street art.
The outing was a dud. After being dropped off way past the area we wanted to be in by a pushy rickshaw driver, we walked all the way back to the hotel, not one piece of street art in sight. The walk took us back along Necklace Road
which followed the lake back to Lumbini Park.
The edges of the lake are choked with fermenting rubbish, the footpaths non existent in places, obstructed by piles of sand and carelessly thrown paving bricks from unfinished work, and the beeping of horns and exhaust fumes from the traffic was relentless. We could have accepted a lift from one of the many rickshaws which stopped beside us, but we had plenty of time, so declined every offer. Even though the afternoon didn’t pan out as planned, our walk gave us the opportunity to see part of the city we wouldn’t otherwise have seen.
Buddha Statue, on it’s concrete island in the lake was visible through the haze. Made from white marble, it has the fame of being the tallest monolithic statue of Buddha in the world.
We had to cross at a busy intersection during our walk, which was manned by one of the few sets of traffic lights we have seen here. We were amazed to find they were manually controlled by a police officer. Standing in a booth off to one side, he was flicking his ancient switch to change the lights.
We stopped at a
street stand and bought cheese dosa for dinner, which we ate sitting on plastic stools next to the road, another cheap meal. We bought bottles of water and returned to our room. Another day behind us...
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