Hussain Sagar bridges not only culturally disparate Hyderabad and Secunderabad,
known as twin cities all over the country, but constitutes a continuum between history
and contemporainty. It was a quiet and placid lake of 24 kilometres built by Hazrat
Husain Shah Wali on a tributary of the Musi during the time of that great builder
Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah in 1562 to meet the water and irrigation needs of the city.
This was much before the historic Charminar overshadowed every other landmark in
the city. It is now popularly known as a truncated version of its original expanse,
and has acquired trappings and environs that enhance its appeal to tourists as well
as the denizens of the twin cities.
The simple bund that at one time connected the British and Nizam areas of the two
cities is today a complex of parks, temples, statuary, sites of entertainment and
the capital’s administrative hub, enriching and at the same time ecologically damaging
the environs of the shrunken tank. The aesthetically built Secretariat buildings,
the NTR memorial, the Lumbini park,
the Hyderabad Boat Club, a flyover nearing completion
add to the attraction of the southern side of the Tank Bund, while the Secunderabad
Sailing Club, the Sanjeeviah Park and the Hazrat Saidani Ma Saheba tomb on the northern
side enhance its allure for the tourist. Parallel to the tank bund is what is now
known as the lower Tank Bund road, which, though built to reduce traffic congestion,
has now become the axis of print media activity.
From the southern side, the lower Tank Bund road is heralded by the famous and very
popular Katta Maisamma temple and close to it is the sprawling green lung, the Indira
Gandhi Park. A new artery known as the Necklace Road links Lumbini park in Hyderabad
with the Sanjeeviah park in Secunderabad. But the centre of attraction literally
and figuratively is the monolith Buddha statue in the middle of the ancient lake.
Dotting the lawns and flowerbeds on the eastern side are an array of statues to
commemorate the services of a host of luminaries who are an inseparable part of
the history of the state. These bronze statues range from those of pioneers of Telugu
classical poetry like Nannaya Bhattaraka, the great saint composer Thyagaraja, the
thirteenth century Kakatiya warrior queen Rudrama Devi, the illustrious founder
of Hyderabad Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah, the bard Vemana of the sixteenth century to
Arthur Cotton who harnessed the life-giving waters of the Krishna and Godavari rivers
and made Andhra Pradesh the rice bowl of the south, and progressive writers and
poets like Sri Sri and Maqdoom Mohiuddin.
The lake is surrounded by four major spans of greenery, Indira Park in the east,
Sanjiviah Park in the north, Lumbini Park in the south and a green belt area sandwiched
between the Raj Bhavan road and the Necklace Road. Indira Park, named after former
prime minister Indira Gandhi, is the earliest of these four parks and also a favourite
site among the city people. It is also the most sought after locale for shooting
Telugu and Hindi films. It boasts of a large nursery, which provides free saplings
to persons who wish to add to the city’s greenery. The famous and ancient temple
of Katta Maisamma, meaning goddess of the dam, is very close to this park and attracts
lakhs of devotees every year.
Both Lumbini and Sanjeeviah are new parks. The entire Hussain Sagar complex comprising
parks, statuary, recreation spots etc. was the handiwork of India’s most renowned
architect Charles Correa who visualized the Buddha Poornima project with aesthetic
ingredients. Lumbini, though referred to as an amusement park, is in reality the
versification of nature. The park is named after the birthplace of Buddha whose
monolithic statue dominates the lake and everything around it. The park has Japanese
style rockery, ancient trees, formal gardens, cacti and imaginatively laid out pathways
for strollers. A floral clock greets the visitors at the entrance itself. Then there
is a musical colour fountain spouting water and playing to the tunes of popular
film hits. Sanjeeviah park, being on the less populated northern side attracts fewer
people which is why couples seeking privacy throng the site.
The lake radiates in the night the reflection of the Shri Venkateswara temple built
by the Birlas on a hillock close to the Secretariat. The temple is a quarter century
old and built of white marble and represents several schools of architecture, though
the South Indian school is prominent in the construction of the rajagopuram. Utkal
styles of temple architecture marks the tower over the main shrine called the Jagadananda
vimanam. The towers over the temples for the Lord’s consorts Padmavathi and Andal
are again in the South Indian style. The temple has a 42-feet high flagstaff and
the main idol of the Lord is 11 feet tall.
The piece de resistance of the entire land and waterscape of Hussain Sagar is the
18-metre high and 350-tonne monolith of Gautama Buddha in the middle of the lake
standing on what is known as the Rock of Gibralter. Two beautifully decorated floating
decks shuttle between the statue and the Lumbini Park every day several times and
are equipped to stage cultural and musical shows. Another boating point is likely
to come up at the Sanjeeviah Park also. This apart, there are facilities for paddling.
The boat rides are the most exciting experience of the tourists because they cover
the most scenic spots around the lake like the Secretariat, the Raj Bhavan, Sanjeeviah
Park, the Lumbini park, Shri Venkateswara temple and the majestic Buddha statue.
The two-year-old Necklace Road and the Tank Bund are great spectacles in the night
and turn into rendezvous for relaxation and romance. The Necklace Road is now much
sought after by trade and industry for holding consumer melas and by the government
to stage frequent cultural shows and programmes open to public. Laser film shows
on aqua screen are an additional attraction. Two impressive gateways flank the Tank
Bund, replicating the great Kakatiya and Vijayanagar architectural styles.
Flanked by the Hyderabad Boat Club in the south and the Secunderabad, Sailing Club
in the north, Hussain Sagar becomes the annual venue for sailing events and regattas
every year. One can see several rowboats and yachts gracefully navigating in the
lake. But all this recreation and commercial activity is already telling on the
purity and size of the lake. This will keep off the annual migratory birds from
coming to the lake and the gardens around and deprive it of its pristine grandeur.
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