NTR Memorial, Hyderabad (must see)

NTR Gardens is a small public, urban park adjacent to Hussain Sagar lake in Hyderabad, India. Constructed in several phases since 1999, the area that is predominantly a park is geographically located in the centre of the city, and is close to other tourist attractions such as Birla Mandir, Necklace Road and Lumbini Park. It maintained by the Buddha Purnima Project Authority that functions under the directives of the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

In 1999 this land was utilized for erecting a memorial for N. T. Rama Rao, the former Chief Minister of Andhra PradeshIt, inaugarated by Chandrababu Naidu. It was planned to further expand this area, which has since been referred to as NTR Gardens, by constructing a museum about N. T. Rama Rao. This memorial was a part of the Buddha Purnima Project that was being handled by Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) for the beautification and development of the Hussain Sagar lake and its surroundings as a major tourist attraction.

In 2000, the Government of Andhra Pradesh expressed its plans to develop this area with several projects such the NTR Gardens itself, a rock garden and an IMAX theatre. Few days later, a government official firstly said that the rock garden will be taken up by Dubai-based NRIs at a cost of Rs. 27 crores. Secondly the IMAX theatre project, which was said to cost Rs. 52 crore was allotted to a private firm. Both these projects were to be executed in the same 55-acre (220,000 square meters) plot which housed the memorial.

Besides a variety of plants, the gardens also house a souvenir complex, a visitors train, restaurants and a waterfall.