Hyderabad: Charminar, Golconda Fort now open from 6 am daily

Hyderabad: Falling in sync with the rest of the country, the Charminar and Golconda Fort are now open for visitors from 6 a.m. everyday. Earlier, the monuments, which are managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), used to open at 9 a.m.

The ASI was however allowing visitors to enter the Golconda Fort at 7 a.m. after the COVID-19 pandemic for a year or two, but eventually discontinued the practice. It may be noted that all ASI managed sites across India always open with sunrise. Even the Taj Mahal in Agra follows similar timings and is open for people to visit at the beginning of dawn, which helps ease the rush.

An ASI official, who did not want to be quoted, said that visitors to the Charminar are only allowed to be on the ground floor until 9 am as of now. The first floor, till where visitors are allowed generally with a ticket, opens up only from 9 a.m. onwards.

Other monuments still open late

“Right now we have a few staff members who come early morning, and the rest of them come by 9 a.m. If we let people go up at 6 a.m. without supervision it may lead to some untoward incidents,” he added.

In Hyderabad, the Charminar and Golconda Fort are the only two monuments operated by the ASI, while the rest, are either privately owned or run by the Telangana government. The Chowmahalla Palace and HEH Nizams Museum are both privately owned, while other monuments like the British Residency and Qutb Shahi Tombs are run by the state government.

The palace, museum and the British Residency all open by 10 a.m. only, which is quite late compared to monuments in other cities. In fact, many heritage lovers have often appealed to the state government to open monuments early in the morning during summer especially to beat the scorching heat.

Charminar in the mornings

The Charminar area in the Old City of Hyderabad is relatively better to explore given that all the shops and establishments are closed then. Most open only by 11 a.m., allowing people to have a relatively more relaxed time as against the evenings when things are hectic due to traffic. The popular Nimrah Cafe is also open from 430 a.m. onwards generally.

Many from across Hyderabad usually visit the Old City and Charminar early mornings over the weekend for traditional breakfast. At the Golconda Fort, the early morning timings will allow visitors to beat the hectic traffic that picks up after 10 a.m. in the area.