Aside from tens of millions of pilgrims , not many people make the trip to Andhra Pradesh . But Andhra s a place with subtle charms ,quite traditions and a long history of spiritual scholarship and religious harmony .The states of 95 % of hindus ,but you wouldn t know in the capital s ols city , where Islamic monuments and the call of the muezzin are more ubiquitous than the garlanded ,twinkling of Ganesh . The citys rich Islamic history announces itself in Hyderabad s huge ,lavish mosques ,its opulent palaces and the stately qutb shahi tombs but also more softly in a tiny spiral staircase in the charminar and in the sounds of urdu floating through the air .
Travelling here is like a treasure hunt , the jewels have to be earned .The stunning Eastern Ghats near Visakhapatnam only emerge after hours on a broad gauge line .A family workshop filled with exquisite traditional paintings appears after a meander through sri kalahasti .

Getting there and away
Daily domestic flights from Hyderabad .Hyderabad airport is in begumpet ,8 km north of abids .