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Journalism of Courage
There’s a place in Hyderabad that feels like it belongs to the skies. Falaknuma — which literally means “like the sky” — is not just a palace, it’s an experience. Spread across 32 acres and sitting high above the city, this palace is so vast, it’s actually five times bigger than India’s Parliament House.
Built back in 1893 by Nawab Sir Viqar-ul-Umra, the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad, Falaknuma Palace wasn’t just a passion project — it nearly cost him everything. Inspired by the grand buildings of Europe, he spent about ₹4 lakh on it, a huge amount at the time, and almost went bankrupt. But as luck would have it, the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, happened to stay there once — and he was completely mesmerised. He decided to help and took over the palace himself.
Shaped like a scorpion from above, the palace is a mix of grace and grandeur. From the outside, it’s charming, but it’s the inside that truly takes your breath away. The moment you walk through the steps, it’s like going back in time — into an era where royalty ruled. The walls and rooms still carry the same magic that once amazed the Nizam himself.
One of the palace’s most striking corners is its library. Built under a ceiling carved from walnut wood, it’s said to have been inspired by a castle in Venice. The library holds around 6,000 books — part of the Nizam’s personal collection. Some of these books were printed as far back as 1801. And there’s something quite special — when the palace was used as a guest house, the library kept records of every royal guest who visited. That record is still safely preserved today.
But the real showstopper? The dining table. It’s the largest one in the world — 80 feet long and made of seven separate pieces. It once hosted 101 guests at a time under the glow of Belgian crystal chandeliers. It’s said that the Nizam would point to a painting on the wall to choose what he wanted to eat — those paintings were his menu! The room was also built with such amazing acoustics that even a whisper from one end could be clearly heard at the other.
And that’s not all. The palace is also home to one of only two manually operated pipe organs in the world. It also has a billiards table that’s an exact replica of the one at Buckingham Palace.
But perhaps the most unforgettable moment is when you step onto the round terrace and look out over Hyderabad. The view is so breathtaking, it makes everything else — even the world’s riches — seem small in comparison.
