Weekend Getaway from Hyderabad: Bidar

Bidar city is about 150km from Hyderabad and is a 2.5 to 3 hrs drive from Hyderabad. The highway to Bidar for most part is excellent and also has excellent driving conditions. The town offers something for everyone. It has historical monuments and religious sites. We rented a car from ZoomCar.

For the History Buff:

- Bahmani Tombs

As you come close the the Bidar city you start noticing the Bahmani tombs appearing on horizon to your right. This place is known as Ashtoor. This is the resting place of the Bahmani Sultans who ruled much of south India north of the Tungabhadra river between 1347 to 1527. Bidar was the capital of the Sultanate.

Most of the tombs are closed but the grandest and one is open and has intricate painting work done on the walls. The place is not crowded in general and you can hang around, have lunch (assuming you carried it with you, there are not shops around) and rest.

One of the tomb was struck down by a thunderbolt and gives a very good sense on complexity of the architecture of the dome which has partially survived for over 600 years now.

- Bidar Fort
As you join back the ring road post your visit to the tombs you should turn right. After covering some distance you will notice the walls of the Bidar fort on your left. Look for the left turn which will take you to the fort entrance. There is ample parking space before the fort complex and the entrance is free.

Bidar Fort

The Sacred Sites: 

- Gurudwara Nanak Jhira (Spring) Saheb is located in the town.

Weekend Getaways from Hyderabad: Bhongir

Bhongir or Bhuvangir is a small town which is located about 60 kms from Hyderabad and is about a 1.5 hrs drive. The town has the Bhongir Fort which is built on an isolate monolithic rock. It can be ideal destination for planning a small trek from Hyderabad over a weekend. For the rock climbing enthusiasts, they also conduct training workshops at this location.

Trimbakeshwar From Hyderabad

The optimal way to visit Trimbakeshwar from Hyderabad it to take the Devagiri Express from Secunderabad station. The train reaches around 0300 am. This is a pretty good time. Simply walk out of the station towards platform # 1. There is a shared taxi stand and a bus stand right out side.

To Trimbakeshwar:

Shared Taxi:
The shared taxi (OMNI) accommodates 8 people and you may have to wait for some time while it becomes full. I the charge was around Rs 100 per person. It is a safe normally to take these. It takes about an hour to reach Trimbakeshwar and the road is pretty good. It is approximately 40 km from the Nashik road station.

Buses:
The buses are run by Maharashtra RTC and may not be very convenient.

At Trimbakeshwar:

The shared taxi will drop you right at the east gate of the temple. The best thing is as I said earlier are the timings. You are at the temple at around 0400 am. You have a lot of budget stay options nearby and some agents will be hanging around to take you to some of these. Bargain on the price.

In case you plan to perform any ceremonies like Rudra Abhishek, Maha Mrityunjaya jaap, or Kal Sarpa Yagna you should talk and book the priest in advance. Rudra abhishek can be done on the same day, normally and takes about 2 hrs. The priest can also ensure a fast track entry from the west gate.

The temple premise is closed for Rudra Abhishek post 0730 am so you should plan accordingly.

Other ceremonies are conducted outside the temple normally at the houses of the priest.

Gents are required to only wear a dhoti to be allowed entry into the main temple premise. Ladies are not allowed inside the main room where the Jyotirlinga is located however they can view the ceremonies on a large LCD TV. They have a replica of the Jyotirlinga outside the main temple on the right side for ladies.