15 Best Lakes, Rivers & Backwaters near Hyderabad

At a distance of 160 km from Nandyal, 181 km from Kurnool, 229 km from Hyderabad, 263 km from Vijayawada and 527 km from Bangalore, Srisailam is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva situated on the banks of River Krishna in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the most important pilgrimage centers of Lord Shiva in India and also one of the top Places to visit in Andhra. Srisailam is also one of the most popular weekend getaways from Hyderabad.

Srisailam is famous for Srisailam Dam & Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The sanctum enshrines Lord Mallikarjuna in the form of a linga protected by a three-hooded cobra. This ancient temple built in the Dravidian style with lofty towers and sprawling courtyards is one of the finest specimens of Vijayanagara architecture. Though the exact origins of the temple are not available, the Satavahanas of the 2nd century AD have referred to it. The Kakatiyas and the Vijayanagara kings have made several endowments here.

The unique feature of this kshetram is the combination of Jyothirlingam and Mahasakthi (in the form of Bhramarambika) in one campus, which is very rare and only one of its kind. The great religious leader Aadi Sankara is said to have visited this shrine and composed his immortal Sivananda Lahiri here.

Srisailam is ...

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At a distance of 60 km from Rajahmundry, 180 km from Vijayawada, 20 km from Polavaram, 260 km from Vizag & 410 km from Hyderabad, Papi Kondalu is a breathtakingly beautiful hill range bounded by River Godavari in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Papi hills are a set of three hills which form a beautiful gorge on the Godavari River spread across East Godavari and West Godavari districts. Entire area of Papi Kondalu is covered by tropical rain forests and it was recently declared as a protected National Park and is one of the top places to experience the Tourism in Andhra Pradesh. Papikondalu is one of the top attractions you must include in Vizag tour packages.

The original name for this hill range was 'Papidi Kondalu'. Papidi is a rough translation for partition in Telugu. It is believed that the place was visited by Lord Rama and goddess Sita during their exile. Papi Kondalu has to be reached by boat from Rajahmundry, Pattisam (35 km from Rajahmundry), Polavaram (40 km from Rajahmundry), Kunavaram (50 km from Bhadrachalam) or Sriram Giri (60 km from Bhadrachalam). The boat service from Rajahmundry to Bhadrachalam is a wonderful experience and it is operated in post monsoon season.

Apart from enjoying the view of the hills, valley ...

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At a distance of 154 km from Vijayawada, 207 km from Vizag, 186 km from Guntur, 64 km from Kakinada, 151 km from Machilipatnam and 430 km from Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, formerly called as Rajamahendravaram, is a beautiful city located on the banks of Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh. It is also known as the 'cultural capital' of Andhra Pradesh and is one of the popular Tourist places in Andhra Pradesh. It is the birth place of Adikavi Nannayya who developed script for Telugu language. Rajamundry is one of the top attractions you must include in Vizag tour.

Rajahmundry is ranked amongst the oldest cities in the Indian subcontinent. The earliest rulers of the region were the Eastern Chalukyas. It was built by Chalukya king Rajaraja Narendra during 11th century. It was part of the Madras Presidency and was made into the District of Rajahmundry in the year 1823, during the British rule.

Rajahmundry is a blend of various qualities like picturesque landscapes, monuments of cultural importance, ancient temples and adventurous tourist spots that make the place unique, interesting and suitable for tourism for all ages. This is one of the major Pushkara Ghats on Godavari River. Pushkaras, held once every 12 years, is a holy congregation which sees millions of devotees taking a dip in the River Godavari. The last Pushkara was held in 2015. Godavari Bridge, Sir Arthur Cotton Museum, Dowleswaram ...

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At a distance of 166 km from Hyderabad, 83 km from Nalgonda, 149 km from Guntur, 551 km from Vizag & 190 km from Vijayawada, Nagarjuna Sagar (or Nagarjuna Sagar), located in Nalgonda district of Telangana, is one of the most prominent Buddhist centers in India and also one of the top Tourist places in Telangana. Nagarjuna Sagar is one of the most popular tourist places to visit near Hyderabad and one of the best weekend getaways from Hyderabad city. It is also well known for Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, one of the largest dams in India.

Known in ancient days as Vijayapuri, meaning 'The city of victory', Nagarjuna Sagar takes its present name from Nagarjuna, one of the most revered Buddhist monks lived in 2nd century AD. It is also a place of immense archaeological significance & excavations revealed this place as a center for the propagation of Buddhist teachings in South India during 3rd century AD. It was ruled by the Sathavahanas and subsequently by the Ikshvaku rulers during ancient times.

One of the early river valley civilizations took birth here. Enthused by the peaceful environs of this place, Buddhists made this land a great hub of learning, setting up one of the four major Viharas here. Further down in history, one of the first Hindu kingdoms of South India, ...

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At a distance of 63 km from Medak, 37 km from Sangareddy and 92 km from Hyderabad, The Singur or Singoor dam is located near Sangareddy town of Medak district in Telangana. This is one of the scenic tourist places to visit near Hyderabad.

Constructed across the river Manjeera, the dam provides drinking water to Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Construction of the Singur dam was started in 1979 and completed in 1989. The large water reservoir was assigned for production of hydro electricity and also to provide drinking water to nearby Hyderabad and Secunderabad cities. The dam has gross storage capacity of 30 Tmc.

This is one of the popular tourist destinations in the vicinity of Hyderabad. The deep waters of the reservoir are home to about 1000 crocodiles. It is also declared as a national wildlife reserve with a lot of water bird population. Boat ride is also available at the reservoir. The best time to go there is between October and Feb, which is also when migratory birds come and make Manjira reservoir their home for a while. This offers ample opportunities for bird lovers.

Sri Ramalingeswara Temple is situated in Nandikandi village which is located at 24 km from Singur dam is the another attraction. This temple was built during the period of Chalukya dynasty. In the central hall of this temple, there are idols of Lord Bramha, Vishnu, Narasimha, ...

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At a distance of 77 km from Mahabubnagar Bus Station, 18 km from Gadwal and 171 km from Hyderabad, The Jurala Dam is located around 10 km from Kuravpur, Mahabubnagar.

Also known as Indira Priyadarshini Project, the Jurala Dam was constructed in th eyear 1995 on the River Krishna. The foundation was laid by the Mr. Tanguturi Anjaiah and he named the project as Priyadarshini project. It has a full reservoir level of 1045 ft and has a full capacity of 11.94 TMC. The length of the project is around one kilometer and height is said to be around 27.80 meters.

The left and right canals of this project are supplying water to thousands of acres of Agriculture lands and also drinking water to many villages and towns. Power is being generated through Hydro Electric Project which is shared with Karnataka state.

This place is also a major tourist attraction of Mahabubnagar district. Deer Park is available at distance of 1.5 km from the destination with about 100 deers and Ramalayam Temple is located in the Project Colony and also Parthasaradhi Temple is located near the dam. The Korakonda Gattu Temple and Chintharevula Temple are very near to Jurala Dam.

The place attracts large number of tourists from Hyderabad, Mahbubnagar, Kurnool and Raichur during monsoon season when the water is released from the dam.

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At a distance of 53 km from Nizamabad Bus Station, 20 km from Nirmal Bus Station and 207 km from Hyderabad, The Sriram Sagar Project also known as the Pochampadu Project is located in Nizamabad district of Telangana. It is one of the largest irrigation projects in Telangana and also one of the best Places to visit in Telangana during rainy season.

Built on Godavari River, foundation of the dam was laid on 26th July 1963 by the late Jawaharlal Nehru. Sriram Sagar serves irrigation needs in Karimnagar, Warangal, Adilabad, Nalgonda, and Khammam districts. It also provides drinking water to Warangal city. There is a hydroelectric plant working at the dam site with 4 turbines each with 9 MW capacity.

The dam's capacity is 75 billion cubic feet and it has 42 floodgates. It also includes Kakatiya Canal covering 284 km, Laxmi Canal, Saraswati Canal and Flood flow canal. Most of the catchment area upstream of this dam is located in Maharashtra. The project proposal was first investigated by erstwhile Hyderabad state under Nizam rule to utilize 227 tmc of upper Godavari river water. The live storage capacity of Sriram Sagar dam is limited to 90 tmc to reduce submerging area in Maharashtra. As of August 2013, the project has an estimated capacity of 80.66 TMC.

This project offers a pollution free environment to holiday makers and is considered an excellent picnic spot. The department ...

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At a distance of 81 km from Nizamabad and 139 km from Hyderabad, The Nizam Sagar Dam is located in Nizamabad district of Telangana. This is one of the scenic tourist places to visit near Hyderabad.

Nizam Sagar is constructed across the Manjira River, a tributary of the Godavari and flows between the villages Achampet and Banjapalle of the Nizamabad district in Telangana. This reservoir is the one of the main water sources of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad along with Singur Dam. It was initially constructed for irrigation purpose.

The Nizamsagar dam was constructed during the year 1923 to 1931 by Mir Osman Ali Khan, the then ruler of the royal Hyderabad. People from 40 villages were relocated for the construction of this dam. This dam was among the world's largest dams at that time. Legends like Mahatma Gandhi and Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru visited this place in 1940s.

Nizam Sagar Project is the second irrigation scheme on Manjira River after Singur Dam. A hydro electric power station is also established near Hassanpally village of Nizamsagar Mandal.
The site of the Nizam Sagar Dam is noted for its superb scenic beauty and it attracts a lot of tourists. The dam has beautiful flower gardens. Boating in the dam is another tourist attraction here.

The best time to visit the dam is during the monsoon season when the dam is full and barrage is fully open. Pocharam Dam, situated between Nizam ...

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At a distance of 50 Kms from Warangal and 130 Kms from Hyderabad, Phakal Lake is constructed by Ganapathi Deva in 1213 AD by harnessing a small tributary of the Krishna River. This lake is spread over an area of 30 Sq. Kms. This is an ideal weekend getaway around Hyderabad

Adjacent to the lake, Pakhal Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over 839 sq. kms. The sanctuary presents a beautiful landscape with a dense and a rich store of animals. it is indeed a delight for the tourists to see so many animals amidst a wonderful backdrop.

One can spot a tiger or a leopard or a bear and one can find a herd of deer roaming about freely in the wild. The sanctuary is also harboring Marmals like panthers, hyensa, wolf, wild dogs, jackals, sloth bear, nilgal, porcupine, langoor, Reptiles like python, cobra, common krait, monitor lizard and Crocodiles.

This place is connected by direct buses from Warangal.

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At a distance of 5 km from Pocharam village, 16 km from Medak and 109 km from Hyderabad, Pocharam Dam & Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Medak district of Telangana. This is an ideal tourist place to visit from Hyderabad and spend few hours.

Pocharam Dam and Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over 130 sq km. It was a former hunting ground of the Nizams of Hyderabad. Established in the year 1952, the sanctuary gets its name from the Pocharam Lake formed after the construction of Pocharam Dam on Alair river, a tributary of Manjira River.

The check dam is wonderful site with water flowing freely throughout the monsoon. This is a nice place to relax and play in the water.

The sanctuary is the homeland of various species of animals and birds. Panther, Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Cheetal, Sambar, Nilgai, Chowsingha, Chinkara, Hyena and Jackal are the main attractions of the sanctuary. The river Manjira is the main river that adds life to the jungle. Crocodile, fresh water turtles, Cobra and Marsh can be located in this sanctuary.

The flora of the sanctuary make the sanctuary livelier with green vegetation like Babul prosopis, Pistia, Hydrilla, Eichornia and Vallisneria. Nine small islands in the middle of the reservoir are the main breeding areas for birds, crocodiles and turtles. Birds like Painted Storks, herons, Coots, Teals, Cormorants, Pochards, ...

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