Introduction :

The State of Telangana has become an inevitable part of the tourism bucket in terms of its natural splendour, architecture and history. The unblemished beauty of Telangana with its lush green vegetation cover, beautiful hill stations, sparkling rivers, forests, pristine beaches, historical monuments, temples, etc makes it a gorgeous state that can appeal to any type of travellers.

The monuments that are architecturally and historically impressive, highlights the most admiring feature of Telangana. Among the other renowned monuments of the state, the Chowmahalla Palace is an astounding architectural wonder that presents a spectacular fusion of Rajasthani, European, Persian and Indo-Saracenic architectural styles. Find your way around the Northern and Southern courtyard of the Chowmahalla Palace where you stumble on other four palaces, Bara Imam, Khilwat Mubarak, the Clock Tower, Council Hall, Roshan Bangla, and Shishe-Alat.

The marble columns, chandeliers and Belgian crystal of the Palace will leave you in awe. Chowmahalla Palace is now converted into a museum and the artefacts, royal attires, weaponry and the amazing collection of the vintage cars will take you to a ride along the luxurious lives of the Hyderabadi royals. There is a souvenir shop in front of the Palace to entice the shopaholics with jewellery ranging from bangles, pearl necklaces to earrings, carved showpieces, and other attractive items.

Nearby places

Both the exteriors as well as the interiors of the Chowmahalla Palace are a wonder to gaze at.

The Northern and Southern Courtyard of the Chowmahalla Palace forms the major attraction of the site.

Bara Imam, Khilwat Mubarak, the Clock Tower, Council Hall, Roshan Bangla and the Shishe-Alat are the features that call attention to the Northern Courtyard.

The four palaces namely, Afzal Mahal, Tahniyat Mahal, Mahtab Mahal, and Aftab Mahal makes the Southern Courtyard an outstanding part of Chowmahalla Palace.

The European styled Aftab Mahal that forms the largest among the four palaces is just out of the ordinary.

The clock tower with its Khilwat Clock that has been ticking for around 250 years, ever since the construction of the Palace make everyone dumbfounded.

The lovely green lawn with the massive water fountain in front of the palace makes a perfect picture post-card site.

Chowmahalla Palace is now converted into a museum that exhibits the valuable collections of the Nizam era.

The museum has a Quran section which has an incredible collection of various kinds of Qurans ranging from handwritten Qurans, miniature Qurans printed in metal, to those that are inscribed in gold.

The terrific collection of vintage cars especially the 1912 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost car of the Nizam forms the major crowd pleaser at the museum.

Speciality Of The Place

Chowmahalla Palace was once the official residence of the Nizams of Hyderabad.

Chowmahalla translates to “four palaces” in English. And Afzal Mahal, Tahniyat Mahal, Mahtab Mahal, and Aftab Mahal forms the four palaces in Chowmahalla Palace.

Chowmahalla Palace bears a resemblance to the palace in Tehran that belonged to the Shah of Iran.

Chowmahalla Palace has won the UNESCO's Asia Pacific Merit award in 2010 for being the site that conserves the cultural heritage of the region.

The construction of the Chowmahalla Palace began in 1750 and was completed in the year 1869.

The architecture of Chowmahalla Palace is a spectacular mash-up of Rajasthani, European, Persian and Indo-Saracenic architectural styles.

Chowmahalla is a magnificent Palace that originally sprawls across an area of 45 acres but only 12 acres remain today.

Best time to visit

October to March.

Entry & Exit Timings

All days of the week except Friday and National Holidays,10 AM to 5 PM.

Entry Fee

For Indians: INR 50.

For Children (Below 12 Yrs.): INR 10.

For Foreign Tourists: INR 200.

For Still Camera: INR 50.

For Video Camera: INR 100.

Activities Suggested

Explore the Chowmahalla Palace.

Sightseeing.

Shopping.

Way to reach

By Air :Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad is the nearest airport to Chowmahalla Palace which is situated at a distance of 22.2 Km.

By Train :Hyderabad Railway Station is the nearest railway station to Chowmahalla Palace which is situated at a distance of 5.3 Km.

By Road :Central Bus Station, Hyderabad is the nearest bus station to Chowmahalla Palace which is situated at a distance of 3.8 Km.