Chowmahalla Palace : Jewel of Hyderabad
Compared to the slow-moving Nizam era, modern Hyderabad is a fast-paced, vast, and high-tech city, yet it nevertheless retains some of the courteous and aristocratic characteristics that have made it known as the ‘jewel city of India’. The city's older neighborhoods still exude an old-world charm and are home to several stunning historical landmarks. One of such magnificent gems is without a doubt the Chowmahalla Palace (also known as Chowmahallatuu or Chowmahallah). The Chowmahalla Palace. Photographed by Lala Deen Dayal in 1887. From the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum (Courtesy: Getty’s Open Content Program) The sprawling Chowmahalla Palace is an amalgamation of different architectural styles, including Persian, Indo-Saracenic, European, and Rajasthani. It is located southeast of Laad Bazar, in the center of old Hyderabad, and only ten minutes' walk from the more famous and significantly older Charminar. In Persian-Arabic, the term ‘Chowmahalla(चौमहला)’ refers to a g
