You cannot talk about Hyderabad and leave out Charminar! If you have read my previous blog post, you might remember that my intent for that particular trip was to visit and capture Charminar. I covered Street Photography captures in that article to lead up into this one.
I am sure you have seen a much more impressive collection of pictures of Charminar over the years as the monument and its surroundings have transformed and withstood the test of time.
My intent was to capture them raw, as things stand now and highlight the current state of the Monument and its surroundings as I saw them. Here are some of my captures of that historic monument from my visit in July 2019.
The first thing that impressed me with this visit was that traffic is no more allowed around the monument. I realized later that this was a result of the 'Charminar Pedestrainization Project' (a rough translation from the local language), the intent of which is to stop vehicular traffic around the structure and also stop illegal encroachment by street vendors and hawkers.
Apparently the local businesses do not really favor this development but I am sure this is actually attracting more visitors and has made Charminar more accessible to serious visitors and tourists.
I thoroughly enjoyed the freedom you now have when now want to walk around the structure, the easy access to Laad Bazaar and Mecca Masjid without the hassle of cutting through traffic or fending away the hawkers.
I immensely enjoyed leisurely consuming Irani Chai and Osmania Biscuits at Nimrah Cafe & Bakery with @navinsigamany even as one of the curious shop keepers came up to us to chat with us about our photography.
Also, I am sure the scaffolding around the structures are bothering your view of this magnificent structure. Especially the ones around the minarets that do not seem to be straight :)
I am hoping they are safe and ultimately we will see the structure in all its pristine glory pretty soon.
A trick question for you: Did you notice that none of the four sides of Charminar look the same, even though they appear to be?
I am not sure about you but the web of cables around the structure immensely irritated me. I deliberately did not try to work around them to highlight how much of an eye sore those cables are. You can also see that, clearly, no one made an attempt to ensure that the historic structure is a visual delight to its thousands of visitors and tourists.
Anyways, as I migrated into the structure (parts of which were inaccessible due to the restoration work that is going on), one cannot ignore that the structure is as magnificent on the inside as it is outside. I was impressed by the sheen and texture of the internal walls just as I entered the staircase.
You cannot but notice the gross negligence and also vandalism that the structure has endured over its four plus centuries of existence.
Once you are up by the balconies though, you will most probably encounter excited visitors taking selfies around the structure. Just as the exteriors, the interiors are also filled with intricate carving and arches. You have access to walk across to each of the minarets, view the center of the structure as well as view the streets leading out of each of the four sides of the Charminar.
As I looked out into the streets, I could see the impact of not allowing vehicular traffic and street vendors closer to the structure. I think there is a lot more that could be done to give the historic structure the credit it deserves. But for now, here are the views as you look into the street that leads to the Mecca Masjid. Imagine if there were no bill boards, cell towers or cables that block the view?
The above are a view of one of the Char Kaman's & Gulzar Houz, which are also victims of sheer neglect and Mecca Masjid.
I hope you enjoyed viewing the magnificence of this amazing historical structure from Hyderabad as much as I enjoyed capturing them. I sincerely hope to get to visit frequently so that I can continue to document the Charminar.
I went on to visit the other landmarks from this beautiful city - Golconda and Qutub Shahi Tombs which I plan to share in my upcoming articles so please stay tuned!
@nmorum, @navinsigamany, #narenscaptures, @stevemccurryofficial, #StreetPhotography, #Hyderabad, #Charminar, #EnvironmentalPortraits, #ArchitecturePhotography, #MeccaMasjid, #GulzarHouz, #LaadBazaar
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