Sultan's Palace, Yogyakarta

The morning after the Wayang Puppet Show, I went to see the Sultan's Palace, otherwise known as the Kraton. It is essentially a walled city, with a population of around 25,000, complete with its own mosque, shops, schools, and more. The façade of this building read 1925, the date when some European touches were added, but the innermost section where the sultan still resides dates back to 1755. 

This grand complex, with its spacious halls, beautiful pavilions, smooth marble floors, and decorative symbolic touches, is considered the epitome of Javanese architecture. 

I especially loved this pavilion, with its music-themed Dutch stained glass and pretty flooring.

The lavish ceiling decorations and chandeliers reminded me of the Chow Mohalla in Hyderabad, India. Both palaces were an interesting combination of European and local elements, with grand imported chandeliers.

 Our palace guide shared with us (in her very thick Indonesian accent) some of the symbolism that abounds in almost everything in the palace - from the trees and flowers all the way down to the decorations. From the image above, the date of that building's renovation could be determined (1 = crown on the serpent's head, 8 = serpent, 5 = giant, 3 = leech).

More beautiful Dutch stained glass and some ornamental teak columns

Many of the buildings we saw were made into a museum holding furniture, clothing, puppets, family photos, gifts to the sultan, and other collections of the ruler.

Over 1,000 residents are employed at the Kraton. 

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Auto Rickshaws Set to Increase

Chennai residents should prepare themselves for more of the three-wheeled contraptions with bus-yellow open sides and black tops. These are also known as tuk-tuks or autos for short. A 12-year old ban on registration of new auto rickshaws has just been lifted, as the government decided that the current number was low, particularly when compared to other Indian cities.

Currently there are 52,000 auto rickshaws in Chennai. Compare this to Hyderabad which has 64,000 and Bangalore at 78,000, even though the cities are smaller than Chennai. The article did mention though that the DMK (current Tamil Nadu party in power) government did issue permits for 10,000 auto rickshaws since assuming office, despite the ban. Bribes tend to work quite well here for getting your way....

The Minister of Transportation figured that an increased number of auto rickshaws would bring down the current fare. Yea, right.

He also expressed frustration that grants for fixing meters was not working, as auto drivers were "not ready" to use the meters. No surprise there. They can make so much more arbitrarily charging higher amounts to all, particularly non-Indians. In cities that use meters, prices are significantly lower. Yes, I know, it's still a lot cheaper than taking a taxi, but you do have to deal with negatives such as coming to school with wild wind-swept hair, getting splashed on during the rainy season, inhaling the fumes, and simply being in a thin metal crazy swerving contraption with no doors and a squeaky rubber bulb for a horn.

In the photo: Auto rickshaw all decked out for Ayda Pooja festival, complete with banana stalks, pooja markings, and floral garland. Note the horn on the side.

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Charminar, Hyderabad

The next morning, having showered (shared a bathroom with pigeons) and eaten at the hospital’s canteen, I took a public bus down to Charminar, located in the heart of Hyderabad’s old city. My first destination was the building of Charminar, a triumphal arch now Hyderabad’s city symbol. It was built in 1591 to commemorate the elimination of the plague in Hyderabad. As its name suggests, Charminar has four minarets, each 56 m (184 ft) high. There was a mosque on the roof, but it is no longer being used. The surface of the structure is slightly yellow in color, having gotten its color from a special stucco made from marble powder, gram, and egg yolk. Massive arches occupy most of the bottom area, each about 11 m (36 feet) high. Above the arch on each side is a clock, installed in 1889. Looking through the arches, I could see free-standing arch structures a short distance up each of the four streets. I tried to imagine what the streets going through these arches must have looked like hundreds of years ago, once being royal streets. Perhaps some of the same items were being sold, transactions occurring much like today. The area back then was likely still a gathering place.

Ascending the winding, narrow stairs up the tower, I had great views of the streets that passed through it. On one side, hordes of autorickshaws clustered together. The Mecca Masjid was within easy sight, with pigeons regularly ascending and descending onto the structure and its pool. Off other sides, I could see bazaars, streets specializing in pearls, and another with produce. Looking through the small arches of the structure afforded different views. Light streamed in from the large arches below, illuminating the pigeons that had gathered along the ledges of the opening. A few pigeons rested on top of the head of a relief dragon-like creature carved along with some Arabic writing. On the round ceiling above, a circular relief design echoed the graceful, ornamental look of the structure.
Next I walked down Lad Bazaar, one of the oldest streets in Hyderabad. It is the place to go if preparing for a Hyderabad marriage. Here you can find jewelry, spices, clothes, copper kettles, trimming for wedding dresses, and more. At 10 am, things were pretty quiet yet, many stores not yet open. Walking farther, I reached Mahboob Chowk, a market square featuring a mosque and Victorian clocktower. I continued to wander through the streets, watching Muslim men making lac bangles (including very sparkly ones that took 1-2 days and were made for weddings), a man making kites, stores selling burquas, pearl shops, dental booths promoting creation of dentures, and stores selling gorgeous saris.

While walking towards the bus station, a man on a tricycle pulling an empty flat cart approached me and asked if I could take his photo. So thankful, he insisted that I ride on his cart to the bus station. Riding on the cart afforded me a unique view of the now-bustling market streets. People waved to me and said hi as they passed by on their motorcycles and bikes. Out of the back of a crammed autorickshaw popped the heads of several women in burquas, also sharing their greetings. One Muslim woman on the back of a motorcycle pulled out her cell phone and began recording the scene.

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Golconda Fort, Hyderabad

Although the light was fading, we went to our final destination, the Golconda Fort. Located about 11 km (6 miles) west of Hyderabad, it took a while to get through the traffic to reach the fort. Once the capital of the seven Qutb Shahhi kings who ruled from 1518 through the end of the 16^th century before the court moved to Hyderabad, Golconda is quite large. We had a short time to explore the complex, so I decided to head up to the top, up its many stairs. The guidebook stated that the fort is one of the best-preserved forts in India, but I couldn’t really see this from the part I visited. You could still see portions of the wall, once 18 m (60 ft) high. On the way up we passed a Hindu temple that had a painting on a rock of the goddess Kalli. We also passed by some rainwater collection pools (now dilapidated and/or full of garbage), the mosque of Ibrahim Qutb Shah, and the three-storey Durbar Hall located on the top. From here I had a great view of Hyderabad and the setting sun. The walls of the building were scrawled with people’s names. Several people asked if they could take a family picture with me in it. Now I was the celebrity…

That evening the two eye doctors and I visited a pretty Hindu temple located high on a hill. To get up there, we ascended steps which were bordered on both sides by booths selling religious items, cheap Chinese trinkets, bangles, pearls, and more. Like all Hindu temples, we had to remove our shoes. Here we also had to turn in our cell phones, cameras, and other items. Ascending marble stairs, we joined the queue snaking around the temple. This temple seemed to be a mixture of Hindu temples found in various states; a gopuram seen in Tamil Nadu, a more plain Andhra style, A bit of Jain elements, and still another similar to what I saw in Orissa.

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Sudha Car Museum - That's Some Car!

We then visited the Sudha Car Museum, which prided itself on its eclectic handmade vehicles, including the world’s largest tricycle. A worker from the museum (the first and only handmade wacky car museum in the world) gave us a short tour, explaining what some of the vehicles were – all labors of creative dedication by K Sudhakar. Within the sheds, one could see dune buggies, modified cards, and really wacky vehicles such as a cup & saucer car, computer car, one in the shape of a bed, soccer ball, camera, lotus pond – and even a condom!

Our next destination was the Nehru Zoo Park. Too bad it wasn’t Monday (when it is closed). Thankfully it was only a 20 rupee entrance fee. The grounds were mainly picnic spots for locals. The color black was the dominant clothing color, worn by most Muslim women in the form of burquas. Despite the sign prohibiting plastic, picnic-goers carried much of their items in plastic. Bags tumbled about in the light breeze. We all took a rickety zoo train that chugged along and toured some of the zoo. Not many animals were to be seen though.

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Hyderabad City Tour - Nizam's Museum, Salarjung Museum, Chow Mohalla

Boarding a green bus that looked like a caterpillar (along with antennas), we began our city tour. As usual, I was the only non-Indian. One of the first places we visited was Nizam’s Museum, a sprawling 19th century Neo-Classical complex of buildings once the main residence of the 6th Nizam (ruler). The exterior of the buildings were in need of restoration. Herded to the far end of the main building, we then went inside where we saw the Nizam’s gigantic wooden wardrobe – a 73 square meter (786 sq feet) room with two levels of closets and a mechanical elevator. In addition to the large wardrobe collection, silver objects (many of buildings and maps given to the Nizam for the silver jubilee), china, and photos were displayed.

We also toured the Salarjung Museum, which contained an eclectic collection of over 40,000 objects once belonging to Hyderabad’s Prime Minister (1899-1949). Some of the items were quite beautiful (and likely expensive), while other items bordered on being kitsch. In a large open room, people sat in rows of seats, waiting for a clock to chime the hour and display its animation. I particularly liked some of the marble sculptures (European), Indian bronze sculptures, and miniature paintings such as those I saw in Udaipur. Once again we were not given enough time to truly see and appreciate the massive collection.

Moving onward, we visited the Chow Mohalla Palace. Designed in a mixture of Mogul and European style, the palace was built in several phases between 1750 and 1869. A beautiful garden surrounds the complex. In one section, a large pool reflects the classical style yellow building. Fountains spout in other areas. The Durbar Hall was particularly beautiful, with its huge glass chandeliers imported from Belgium, tall ceiling, white marble floors, columns, and walls also containing white and golden marble, topped with decorative flourishes. The Chow Mohalla Palace gives people an idea of the opulence once enjoyed by the Nizams.

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Hyderabad - Arrival

This is the first of several postings pertaining to my short trip to Hyderabad and on to Agra.

After a pleasant overnight train, I arrived in Andhra Pradesh's capital city of  a bit ahead of schedule. While waiting for a doctor friend (whom I met while traveling in Vizag) to arrive, I took in the scenes before me. Probably around 70°F (21°C), many of the locals were dressed for winter. Many had on the striped caps I so enjoyed seeing in Chennai. Others had on stocking caps. Earmuffs were also very common. Babies were snuggled in fleece sleepers. Some women had on winter jackets over their saris. As in any public place, autorickshaw drivers flooded the area, descending upon people as they stepped out of the train or past the exit. Taking an uncrowded local bus (which was much nicer than most I’ve ridden in Chennai), we arrived at the grounds of the public eye hospital my friend worked at. I was to stay in the guesthouse there. After washing up, we headed out to get some south Indian breakfast, accompanied by a doctor from Orissa who was there for training. We signed up for a local tour of Hyderabad, which would take the latter part of the morning and to the evening.

Hyderabad’s nearly equal proportion of Muslim and Hindu residents was immediately apparent – so very different than Chennai. Mosques, far from being rarities tucked in a few places as in Chennai, dominated the skyline. A large number of women wore burquas and hijabs. Saris were also present, but not nearly as prevalent. White caps of Muslims were perhaps even more noticed than the forehead markings of Hindus. Signs were often marked in Telegu (local language of Andhra Pradesh), Arabic, Hindu, and English. In Chennai, one would typically see Tamil and English.

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