Hussainsagar Lake, Hyderabad

The Hussainsagar Lake lies in the heart of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. This sprawling lake was built in the 16th century by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali during the rule of Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah on a tributary of the Musi river to suffice the irrigation needs of the city of Hyderabad. The photograph above shows a panoramic view of the city as seen from the lake. Courtesy : Wikipedia.

A huge monolith statue of Gautam Buddha sits in the middle of the lake which is amazingly well maintained. The water might stink at all times, but the surrounds of the lake are very well maintained. This photograph has been taken from the Lower Tank Bund side of the lake which has the famous Missamma temple, the sprawling Indira Park, Bharat Sevashram Sangha and Ramakrishna Mission.

The surrounds of this beautiful lake are replete with landmarks. As seen in the photograph above, the Prasads IMAX theatre, one of the largest IMAX theatres in Asia is in the background of the lake. The Andhra Pradesh Secreteriat Building, Birla Mandir aka Sri Venkateswara Temple, Lumbini Park - named so after the birthplace of Gautam Buddha etc. are on the Southern side of the lake. The Northern border consists of Secunderabad Sailing Club, Sanjeevaiah park, Hotel Marriott and Hazrat Saidani Ma Saheba tomb. Both these sides are connected with the Lower Tank Bund road on the Eastern bank of the lake and the Necklace Road on the Western bank.

The recently built Necklace Road and the Tank Bund are beautiful at night and turn into perfect places for 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.

The entire Hussain Sagar complex comprising parks, statuary, recreation spots etc. was the created by one of India’s most renowned architect Charles Correa who also visualized the Buddha Poornima project.

The 18-metre high and 350-tonne monolith of Gautam Buddha in the middle of the lake stands on what is called as the Rock of Gibralter. There are two floating decks which run regularly between Lumbini Park and the statue.

Loony Trivia:

The first time this huge monolith was ferried to the middle of the lake, it broke down and the statue sank to the bottom of the lake. Two years later, it was taken out and again installed at what is now referred to as the Rock of Gibralter.

The Hussainsagar Lake is wonderfully well created, well maintained and is the ideal spot for on the spur picnics, long drives, having food and snacks, for a romantic evening with your partner and also for enjoying the breeze late at night.

I used to live in Hyderabad in a flat that had a view of this beautiful lake and the breeze from it helped our sleep during the hot Hyderabadi summer nights.