Weekend spots near Hyderabad within one hour drive
Hyderabad is an ideal place for weekend travellers. There are many places of religious and tourism importance just few kms away from the city which are frequented by people all through the year. The best way to explore these places is by hiring a taxi through one of the reliable car rentals in Hyderabad. We have compiled a list of most popular spots around Hyderabad.
Osman Sagar Lake: Osman Sagarlake, also known as Gandipet, is located at a distance of 22 Kms from Nampally Railway Station. It is a beautiful man made lake built over River Musi. It was constructed in the year 1920 to supply drinking water to the Hyderabad city and also to protect the city from floods. There are two parks attached to the lake which are perfect spots for family picnics. The lake reservoir is spread over an area of 30 square km and is one of the popular tourist place near Hyderabad. Boating facility is not available here but small private boats operate in the peak monsoons near the northern part of the park. The months just after the monsoons season are best time to visit as the lake water is full and sparkling at that time.
Chilkur: Located at a distance of 24 km from the city centre, Chilkur is a small village on the shores of Osmansagar. It houses the famous 500 Years old Sri Balaji temple which is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites around Hyderabad. According to the legend, anyone who wants to have his wish fulfilled must first make 11 pradakshinas (circumambulation) at the temple and once the wish is granted, one must come back to perform 108 pradakshinas to express gratitude. It is one of the very few temples in India that does not accept any money. On Fridays and Saturdays, the temple gets close to 100,000 visitors.
Sanghi temple: At a distance of 25 kms from Hyderabad on the highway to Vijayawada, Sanghi Temple is a beautiful complex with 15 feet tall Raja Gopuram. It is situated on a hilltop called as ParamanandGiri. The wonderful temple is built in Chola style of architecture and the presiding deity of the complex is Lord Venkateshwara. There are various small temples inside the complex dedicated to different gods namely Shiva, Padmavati, Rama, Anjaneya, Ganesha, Goddess Durga, Navagrahas, Goddess Ashtalakshimi, and Kartikeya. There is a holy garden in the temple complex called PavitraVanam where leaves and flowers are grown for performing pooja.
Sri Rama Chandra Swamy Temple: At a distance of 30 km from the city, Sri Rama Chandra Swamy Temple of Ammapally is an ancient Temple built in the 13th century by Vengi kings. It is believed that the idol kept in the temple is more than 1000 years old. There is a seven story building in the premises of the temple and which is quite often used for shooting of Telugu films. Idols of Lord Rama, Sita and Laxmana are formed from single black rock.
Sri RamalingeswaraSwamy Temple: Located in KeesaraGutta at a distance of 30 kms from Nampally Railway Station, Sri RamalingeswaraSwamy Temple is a very popular pilgrimage site to visit around Hyderabad. The presiding deity of the temple is Sri RamalingeswaraSwamy which is accompanied by Sri Bhavani and Sri Shiva Durga. You can also visit large number of ruined shrines of the fifth century Gupta architecture, located close to the temple.
WargalSaraswati Temple: At a distance of 52 km from Hyderabad, The Saraswati Temple is situated on a hillock at Wargal village. It is the most famous Saraswati temple in Telangana after Basara. Also known as Sri VidyaSaraswati Temple, it was built in 1989 by Sri YamavaramChandrashekhara Sharma.
It is best to book a taxi in Hyderabad and conveniently explore these places at your leisure.
