Hyderabad

Hyderabad

Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the de jure capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies 625 square kilometres on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of South India. The name Hyderabad means ‘Haydar’s city’, from haydar ‘lion’ and ābād ‘city’, after Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib, also known as Haydar because of his lion-like valour in battle.

About Hyderabad in brief

Summary HyderabadHyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the de jure capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies 625 square kilometres on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of South India. According to the 2011 Census of India, Hyderabad is fourth-most populous city in India with a population of 6. 9 million residents within the city limits and 9. 7 million residents in the metropolitan region. The name Hyderabad means ‘Haydar’s city’, from haydar ‘lion’ and ābād ‘city’, after Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib, also known as Haydar because of his lion-like valour in battle. The city is listed as a UNESCO creative city of gastronomy. The Telugu film industry based in the city is the country’s second-largest producer of motion pictures. Hyderabad has emerged as an Indian hub of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology since the 1990s. It is home to the winter office of the President of India and is a hub of Indian research, manufacturing, educational and financial institutions. It was once known for the pearl industry and was the only Golconda Diamonds trading centre in the world. Archaeologists have unearthed Iron Age sites that may date from 500BCE  that may date to the Kakatiya dynasty. The modern city was the seat of the Warangalya dynasty from 1158 to 1158, whose power at the time was at its peak in the 11th century.

The region comprising modern Hyderabad and its surroundings was ruled by the Chalukya dynasty from 675CE to 1075CE. Following the dissolution of the empire, the region was annexed by the Mughals in 1687. In 1724, Mughal governor Nizam Asaf Jah I declared his sovereignty and founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty, also know as the Nizams. The Charminar has come to symbolise the city and is seen as a symbol of the city’s history. Until the 19th century Hyderabad was known as the ‘City of Pearls’ and was nicknamed the \”City of pearls\”, and was one of the world’s leading pearl trading centres. It housed the British Residency and cantonment until Indian independence in 1947. It continued as a capital of Hyderabad State until 1948. After the introduction of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, it was made the capital of the newly formed Andhra Uttar Pradesh. In 2014, Andhra UP was bifurcated to form TelangANA and Hyderabad became the joint capital of both states with a transitional arrangement scheduled to end in 2024. Since 1956, the city has housed the winteroffice of the president of India. The city’s historical and traditional bazaars remain open. Hyderabad’s industrialisation throughout the 20th century attracted major Indian research and manufacturing institutions.