Kala Bhavan

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.

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.

A former royal palace built in 1913 during the reign of Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, and is considered one of the architectural masterpieces of Hyderabad. The building has since hosted the Legislative Council of Andhra Pradesh and later Telangana.

Known as the Bagh-e-aam (Garden for the commoners), it has well laid-out gardens and is surrounded by the imposing State Legislative Assembly building, the Jubilee Hall, the Jawahar Bal Bhavan, the Health Museum and the State Archaeological Museum. This was the old zoo and now is a beautiful place for both children and adults.