driving the alaska highway Taj Mahal Hotel HOTEL $$ (Map p898; %24758250; tajmahal_abid@rediffmail. com; cnr Abids & King Kothi

Taj Mahal Hotel HOTEL $$ (Map p898; %24758250; tajmahal_abid@rediffmail. com; cnr Abids & King Kothi Rds; s/d with AC from 1200/1650; a) This rambling 1924 heritage building has a magnificent exterior, plants peppered about and decent, though ultimately overpriced rooms. Each is different so ask to see a few: the better ones have boudoirs, crystal-knobbed armoires and wood-beam ceilings.

Mughal empire. In the 18th century the post-Mughal rulers in Hyderabad, known as nizams, retained relative control as the British and French vied for trade, though their power gradually weakened. The region became part of independent India in 1947, and in 1956 the state of Andhra Pradesh, an amalgamation of Telugu-speaking areas plus the predominantly Urdu-speaking capital, was created.

Hyderabad has one of the world s largest freestanding stone Buddha driving the alaska highway statues (Map p 898 ), completed in 1990 after five years of work. However, when the 17.5m-high, 350-tonne driving the alaska highway monolith was being ferried to its place in the Hussain Sagar, the barge sank. Fortunately, driving the alaska highway the statue was raised undamaged in 1992 and is now on a plinth in the middle of the lake. It s a magnificent sight when alit at night.

111111111111111111HussainSagarRdNo 3 TankbundRd SP Rd BANJARAHILLSSECUNDERABADABIDSPATTHARGATTINAMPALLYSee Abids Area Map (p898) See Banjara Hills Map (p902) See Patthagatti driving the alaska highway Area Map (p900) See Secunderbad driving the alaska highway Map (p896) Hyderabad & Secunderabad 0 2 km 0 1 miles e To Nagarjunar Sagar (150km) To Golconda Fort (3km); Qutb Shahi Tombs (4.5km) To Ramoji Film City (12km) To Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (15km) To Taj Falaknuma (1km) jobs, wealth and posh lounges. Opulence, it would seem, is in this city s genes.