Monday, September 24, 2012

interstate hospitality Salar Jung Museum MUSEUM (Map p900; www.salarjungmuseum.in; Salar Jung Marg; Indian/foreigner 10/150





Salar Jung Museum interstate hospitality MUSEUM (Map p900; www.salarjungmuseum.in; Salar Jung Marg; Indian/foreigner 10/150; h10am-5pm Sat- Thu) The huge and varied collection, dating back to the 1st century, was put together by Mir Yusaf Ali Khan (Salar Jung III), the grand vizier of the seventh nizam, Osman Ali Khan (r 1910 49). The 35,000 exhibits from every corner of the world include sculptures, wood carvings, ivory (including a sadly ironic interstate hospitality set of carved elephants), devotional objects, Persian miniature paintings, illuminated manuscripts, weaponry, interstate hospitality toys and more than 50,000 books. The impressive nizams jewellery collection is sometimes on display. Cameras are not allowed. Avoid Sunday, when it s bedlam. From any of the bus stands in the Abids area, take bus 7, which stops at Afzal Gunj bus stop (Map p 900 ) on the north side of the nearby Musi River bridge.

About 75km from Puttaparthi is Lepakshi, site of the Veerbhadra Temple (admission free). The town gets its name from the Ramayana: when demon Ravana kidnapped Rama s wife, Sita, the bird Jatayu fought him and fell, injured, at the temple site. Rama then called him to get up; Lepakshi interstate hospitality derives from the Sanskrit for Get up, bird.

Look for the 9m-long monolithic Nandi India s largest at the town s entrance. From here, you can see the temple s Naga-lingam (a phallic representation of Shiva) crowned with a seven-headed cobra. The temple is known for its unfinished Kalyana Mandapam (Marriage interstate hospitality Hall), depicting the wedding interstate hospitality of Parvati and Shiva, and its Natyamandapa (Dance Hall), with carvings of dancing gods. The temple s most stunning interstate hospitality features, though, are the Natyamandapa s ceiling frescoes.

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