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Today, we had the opportunity to explore the original Hyderabad – not the fort Golkonda of the Kakatiyas, the tombs of the Qutub Shahs, or the exquisite palaces of the Nizams, but Instead the ancient rocks that are scattered across the city. Dated by geologists as 2.5 billion years old, these superb formations were formed when molten magma pushed upwards from the interior of the earth. Subsequent weathering after millions of years eroded the rocks to their rounded appearance, resulting in spectacular formations that seem to defy the laws of physics.
Our initial climb upon the main rock structure took us past several small buildings that served as homes for people, as well as one or two tombs of religious leaders. We scaled some relatively easy-to-climb rocks before witnessing a beautiful, rippling creek two hundred feet below us. Avi and I then shinnied up to the apex of the entire formation before attempting probably the most difficult climb of the afternoon. We finished the trip after I faced perhaps the scariest moment of my life when I had to climb down from the heights of the rock.
Our group was led by two tour guides from the Save the Rocks Society of Hyderabad. Founded by historian and civil servant Narender Luther, the Society aims to preserve these structures in the face of impending destruction for the ever-growing expansion of Hyderabad. Acres of rocks are destroyed so that areas such as hi-tech city may be built, but as romantic as saving prehistoric rocks may seem, it may be unrealistic if it stifles the growth of the city. Hyderabad is one of the fastest growing cities in India in terms of business, and the billions of dollars it brings in yearly are a steep price to pay to preserve countless boulders scattered across the city. It is a scrappy affair, but in the real world, money prevails over preservation.
Perhaps a more practical approach would be to preserve select rock formations and center these around upcoming constructions. For example, Narender Luther’s house was built around a large boulder and it now sits in the middle of his living room. These boulders would serve as natural artifacts to give high-rise office buildings beauty while embracing the history of the city. Hyderabad would truly be a unique place if it was to blend its growth with its roots.
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Anamika Goyal
Manoj Maddali
Sneha Jain
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Hannah Honey
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Kaya Massey
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Leela Prasad
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Soren Peterson
Interestingly, the “tour guides” who took you around making time available on perhaps their only free day are IT professionals who volunteered. They are very much part of the dizzying economic growth of Hyderabad–but they recognize the necessity of doing their bit to ensure that this growth is not hostile to the gorgeous natural rock ecology of the city…..They are attempting to address the unanswered age-old question: should human “progress” occur at the expense of the natural environment we live in? So yeah, constructing around the rocks is indeed one way to go….as a few are already doing.
Kudos to Vasu and his colleague and indeed Save the Rocks Society!
Leela
I would love for the rocks to remain as they are, but do you not agree that the cold nature of business embraces money and not nature? To many businesses, building their structures around the rock would mean extra work and money so they might simply not bother with it (everyone isn’t as caring as Mr Luther or Vasu). Perhaps a governmental law regarding the amount of rock that can be demolished should be put into place..