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Photo: Naveenji, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The industrial house of the Birlas have the tradition of building magnificent marble temples in cities of India, all of which are known as Birla Mandir. This one is one of the best. The temple manifests a blend of South Indian, Rajasthani and Utkala temple architectures. It is made of 2,000 tonnes of Rajasthani white marble. The granite of the presiding deity is about 3.4 m tall and a carved lotus forms an umbrella on the roof. The consorts of Lord Venkateswara, Padmavati and Andal are housed in separate shrines. There is a brass flagpole in the temple premises which rises to a height of 13 m on top of Naubat Pahad (mountain). This clean, sparkling white temple dedicated to Venkateswara has viewing areas that afford a great view of the city. Sadly, no electronics are allowed, including cameras and phones; your bags are checked at the entrance. Shoes are not allowed, so come early in the morning so the ground will not be too hot. There is a free cloakroom available for both electronics and shoes.
Birla Mandir is a Hindu temple built on a 280 feet (85 m) high hillock called Naubath Pahad 13 acres (53,000 m2) plot in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Naubat Pahad which was once also known as Band Rock so called because long ago all official communications from Mughals to the Nizams were proclaimed from this hill accompanied by music.
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The show at the Planetarium lasts 35 min and is moderately interesting. The Science Museum, on the other hand, is poorly maintained. The Dinosaurium at the upper level is interesting. It contains a complete skeleton of a dinosaur Kotasaurus yamanpalliensis discovered in the village of Yemanapalli in 1988. Modern Art Gallery is near the Dinosaurium (ignore the signboard near parking directing to lower level). It's the personal collection of Nirmala Birla; also quite interesting.
An art gallery
The secretariat housing the Government of Telangana in Hyderabad. Built in Indo-Saracenic style, the building also blends the Indo-Islamic architectural features generally with domes. It was built in 2021-2023 to replace the earlier secretariat housing the Government of Andhra Pradesh till 2020.
See water cascades, go on guided car rides. Go on a boat ride and see the Buddha statue at the centre of the lake. It also offers nice Laser Shows in the evening which is first in India.