Indian Heritage Places: HYDERABAD

Hyderabad is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad has an estimated metropolitan population of 6.1 million, making it an A-1 status city and India's sixth-largest metropolitan area. Hyderabad is known for its rich history, culture and architecture representing its unique character as a meeting point for North and South India, and its multilingual culture, both geographically and culturally.

Also known as The City of Nizams, Hyderabad is today one of the most developed cities in the country and a modern hub of information technology, ITES, and biotechnology.

HISTORY

Sultan Quli Qutb Mulk was the founder of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, the ruling family of the Golconda. The dynasty, previously a feudatory of Bahmani sultanate, declared independence in 1512. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, a ruler of the dynasty, founded the city of Hyderabad on the banks of the Musi River in 1591;[3] this relocation was intended to relieve a water shortage the dynasty had experienced at their old headquarters at Golconda.[4] He also ordered the construction of the Charminar, the iconic monument of the city, in 1591, reportedly in gratitude to the Almighty for arresting the plague epidemic before it did irreversible damage to his new city.[5]

As Qutb Shahi power and fortune rose during the 16th and early 17th centuries, Hyd became a center of a vibrant diamond trade. Golconda diamond mines are the birth place of the most famous diamonds in the world viz. Darya-ye Noor, Hope Diamond and importantly Koh-i-Noor, the crown jewel of Queen Elizabeth. They contributed to the growth and development of Indo-Persian and Indo-Islamic literature and culture in Hyderabad. Some of the sultans were known as patrons of local Telugu culture as well. In the 16th century the city grew to accommodate the surplus population of Golconda and eventually became the capital of the Qutb Shahi rulers. Hyderabad became known for its gardens (called baghs in vernacular) and its comfortable climate.

Mughal emperor Aurangzeb captured Hyderabad in 1687 and during this short Mughal rule, the fortune of Hyderabad declined. Soon, the Mughal-appointed governors of the city gained more autonomy. In 1724, Asaf Jah I, who was granted the title Nizam-ul-Mulk ("Governor of the country") by the Mughal emperor, defeated a rival official to establish control over Hyderabad. Thus began the Asaf Jahi dynasty that ruled Hyderabad until a year after India's independence from Britain. Asaf Jah's successors ruled as the Nizams of Hyderabad. The rule of the seven Nizams saw the growth of Hyderabad both culturally and economically. Hyderabad became the formal capital of the kingdom and Golconda, the former capital, was all but abandoned. Huge reservoirs, like the Nizam Sagar, Tungabhadra, Osman Sagar, Himayat Sagar, and others were built. Survey work on Nagarjuna Sagar had also begun during this time; the actual work was completed by the Government of India in 1969. The wealth and grandeur of the Nizams is demonstrated by the fabled Jewels of The Nizams which is a tourist attraction.

After the Indian independence in 1947, under the terms of independence from the British, the Nizam opted for independence or accession to the newly created Pakistan. India, then, implemented an economic blockade and forced Hyderabad state to sign a Standstill Agreement with the Indian Union. On September 17, 1948, more than a year after India had gained independence, the Nizam signed the Instrument of Accession to the Indian Union.

On November 1, 1956, the states of India were reorganized on linguistic grounds. The territories of the State of Hyderabad were divided between newly created Andhra Pradesh, Bombay state (later Maharashtra), and Karnataka. Hyderabad and the surrounding areas were added to Andhra Pradesh, based on the Telugu speaking community. Thus, Hyderabad became the capital city of the new state of Andhra Pradesh.

Lately, the city has been subject to severe social tensions, as revealed in the aftermath of the 18 May 2007 Mecca Masjid bombing which soon was followed by the 25 August 2007 Hyderabad bombings.

Economy

A special economic zone in Hyderabad

Hyderabad is the financial and economic capital of the state. The city is the largest contributor to the state's gross domestic product, state tax and excise revenues. The workforce participation is about 29 percent. Starting in the 1990s, the economic pattern of the city has changed from being a primarily service city to being one with a more diversified spectrum, including trade, transport, commerce, storage, communication etc. Service industry is the major contributor, with urban workforce constituting 90% of the total workforce.

Hyderabad is known as the city of pearls, lakes and, lately, for its IT companies. The pearl market known as Laad Bazaar is situated near Charminar. Ornaments made with Rice Pearls can be bought from Char Kaman or the General Bazaar market. Products such as silverware, saris, Nirmal and Kalamkari paintings and artifacts, unique Bidri handcrafted items, lacquer bangles studded with stones, silk-ware, cotton-ware and handloom-based clothing materials are made and traded through the city for centuries.

Andhra Pradesh inherited from the State of Hyderabad great academic institutes and research labs, both public and private institutes with very diverse areas of interest. The infrastructural facilities for basic research in Hyderabad are some of the best in the country, hosting a large academic population from all over the country and beyond.

Hyderabad is a major centre for pharmaceuticals with companies such as Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Matrix Laboratories, Hetero Drugs Limited, Divis Labs, Aurobindo Pharma Limited and Vimta Labs being housed in the city. Initiatives such as Genome Valley and the Nanotechnology park are expected to create extensive infrastructure in bio-technology.[7]

Like many Indian cities, Hyderabad has witnessed a remarkable growth in the real estate business, thanks to a predominantly information-technology-driven boom in the 1990s and the retail industry growth over the last few years which have spurred hectic commercial activity. A number of mega malls have come up or are being built in the city. Real Estate demand in the suburban and rural areas surrounding Hyderabad has gone up exponentially leading to reckless increase in prices over the past few years.

For the advancement of infrastructure in the city,the government is building a skyscraper business district at Manchirevula with a 450m supertall APIIC Tower at its centre which upon completion will be the tallest building in India.

Information Technology industry

Hyderabad city is today known for its IT and IT Enabled Services, Pharmaceuticals and Entertainment industries. Many call centres, Business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, dealing with IT and other technological services were set up in the 1990s making it one of the major regions for call centre setups, technology development and KPO hubs in India.

Cyber Towers IT Park, Madhapur.The development of a township with state-of-the-art facilities called HITEC City prompted several IT and ITES companies to set up operations in the city. An aggressive promotion of growth in this area has led civic boosters to call the city "Cyberabad". Hyderabad has also been referred to as the second Silicon Valley of India next to Bangalore.[8] There have been extensive investments in digital infrastructure within the city promoting the setting up of several campuses by a vast array of companies within the city. This list includes several multinational corporations having established their development centres in the city. The major areas where such campuses have been set up include Madhapur and Gachibowli.

Hyderabad is home to some of the best Fortune 500 Corporations. Microsoft has its development centre in Hyderabad which is its largest Product Development Centre outside the headquarters in Redmond, USA. Computer Associates, GE, IBM, Motorola, Deloitte, Oracle, Google, Dell, Franklin Templeton, Ness Technologies, Qualcomm, Agilent, ADP, Bank of America, CSC, Verizon, InfoSpoke, Convergys are some of the other Fortune 500 companies that have significant presence in Hyderabad. Honeywell plans to open up a new R&D centre at Nanakramguda, outskirts of the city.

Indian IT Giants such as Satyam, Infosys, Wipro, Tata Consultancy Services, Polaris, Infotech, Apollo Health Street, Zavata Inc. and Mayur's group of industries also have set up their development centres in the city. Sonata Software plans to open its new development centre at Gachibowli.[9] Another mega project is the proposed semiconductor fabrication facility to be built by a consortium of companies, Intellect Inc and Semindia, called Fab City.

Media

Hyderabad is home to the second largest film industry in India, Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood which produces approximately 150 movies every year. Saradhi Studios, Annapurna Studios, Ramanaidu Studios, Ramakrishna Studios, Padmalaya Studios, Ramoji Film City are some of the notable film studios in the city.

Prasads IMAX TheaterThe first Hyderabad International Film Festival (HIFF) was organised in 2007 by the Hyderabad Film Club and Andhra Pradesh Film Directors Association. The festival included a competition section for short and documentary films and Golden Pearl was given away for the awardees. Prasads at Hyderabad has the world's largest screen, the IMAX.This theatre also includes sub theatres and other malls inside it. PVR cinemas,Cine Planet and the most recent Talkie Town are few other multiplexes in Hyderabad. Hyderabad also has the highest number of cinemas in the country.

The FM radio channels broadcast in the city include AIR Vividh Bharathi FM (102.8 MHz), AIR Rainbow FM (101.9 MHz), Radio Mirchi FM (98.3 MHz), Radio City FM (91.1 MHz), Big FM (92.7 MHz), S FM (93.5 MHz) and AIR Gyan Vani FM (107.6 MHz). State-owned Doordarshan transmits two terrestrial television channels and one satellite television channel from Hyderabad. Many private regional television channels broadcast from Hyderabad, including Enadu, Gemini, Teja, MAA TV, ETV Urdu,4Tv News urdu, Vissa, ETV2, TV9, Zee Telugu, Gemini Music, Gemini News Channel, CARTOONNETWORK, NTV, TV 5 4TV. There is another channel joining this list very soon and thats from the family of Asianet communications. The channel will be called Sitara and would start operations from October this year. Hyderabad has three print media groups that publish several newspapers and magazines in English, Telugu and Urdu. The major Telugu dailies include the Eenadu, Vaartha, Andhra Jyothi, Praja shakti, Andhra Bhoomi and Andhra Prabha. The major English dailies are The Deccan Chronicle, Business Standard, The Hindu, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Economic Times.

The major Urdu dailies are The Siasat Daily, The Munsif Daily, The Etemaad Urdu Daily, The Rahnuma-i Deccan and The Daily Milap. Besides these major newspapers, there are a number of neighbourhood newspapers that cater to several localities. Magazines published from Hyderabad include Swati, Navya, Andhra Prabha, Andhra Jyoti, Vipula,Chatura, Vanita and Chandamama. Movie magazines include Sitara, Superhit , Chitranjali, Santosham and Jyoti Chitra.

Hyderabad is covered by a large network of optical fibre cables. The city's telephone system is serviced by four landline companies: BSNL, Tata Indicom, Reliance and Airtel. There are six mobile phone companies: GSM players include BSNL, Vodafone, Idea, Airtel and CDMA is offered by BSNL, Tata Indicom and Reliance.

Several companies like BSNL, Tata Indicom, Bharati, Hathway, Reliance,Vodafone Sify Ltd. and YOU Telecom offer broadband Internet access.

Attractions

Charminar - the major landmark in Hyderabad with four graceful minarets.
Falaknuma Palace - Built by an Italian architect through one of the Paigah nobles, Nawab Viqar al-Umra', complete in Italian marble. It's a beautiful and stunning piece of architecture with Louis XIV-style decor, a lavish Mughal ambience, Italian marble staircases and ornate fountains.

Golconda Fort - located on the outskirts of the city, Golconda Fort is one of the most magnificent fortress complexes in India.

Chowmahalla Palace- It was the seat of Asaf Jahi dynasty, where the Nizam entertained his official guests and royal visitors. Initiated in 1750 by Nizam Salabat Jung and designed along the lines of the Shah's palace in Isfahan, this actually consists of a group of palaces each used as a Durbar Hall.

Salar Jung Museum - The museum houses the largest one-man collection of antiques in the world. Collections include "The Vieled Rebecca" and other huge collection of artifacts dating back to a few centuries. A mere day isn't enough to cover the whole museum.

Taramati Baradari - Located near Golconda, built by a Qutb Shahi sultan, this place is a must visit.

Mecca Masjid - a stone-built mosque, immediately southwest of Charminar. Remarkable for its architecture, size and its royal splendour. This is one of the most beautiful mosques in Hyderabad.
Birla Mandir (Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh) - a Hindu temple made of white marble located on top of a hill overlooking the city.

Purani Haveli - The official residence of the Nizam.

King Kothi Palace - The last Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan lived here.

Qutb Shahi Tombs - Home for various Tombs dedicated to Rulers of Qutb Shahi dynasty, located at Shaikpet, near Golconda Fort.

Birla Planetarium - located in the heart of the city on the panoramic hillock of Nawbat Pahad, the Birla Planetarium is a tribute to the advances made in science and technology.

Lumbini park - This is one of the popular parks in the city. The main attraction of this park was the Musical fountain. It is now replaced by the 1500 seater Laserium, the first of its kind in the state. Boat rides take you across the lake to give you a closer glimpse of the Buddha.

Botanical gardens - These gardens are spread across a sprawling area of 120 acres, housing different varieties of herbs, plants, trees etc. These gardens provide a complete visual treat to the eyes with water bodies, meadows, and rich grasslands - nature at its best.

Chilkur Balaji - Temple of Lord Sri Venkateshwara. Around 23 km from Mehdipatnam.
Nehru Zoological Park - This zoo is among the largest in India, houses a large variety of animals, birds, nocturnal species, aquatic and amphibian species etc. Located close to this is the Mir Alam lake, which is proposed to be converted into an Aquarium along the lines of Sentosa, Singapore.

Gandipet - A man-made lake, the largest in Hyderabad. The lake is a major drinking water source to the city. Abutting the lake are lush gardens that provide an ideal ambience for a holiday.

Himayat Sagar - A lake close to Gandipet.

Hussain Sagar - A man-made lake that separates the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. It is famous also for the 18-metre tall Buddha statue on a platform island called "Rock of Gibraltar" in the middle of the lake, and for the Tank Bund that is the main road between the twin cities. Boating and water sports are a regular feature here.

Necklace road - This popular boulevard lies on the other side of the lake, linking the IMAX theatre and Sanjivaiah park. This has become the-place-to-be for the Hyderabadis in the evenings. This strip provides a scenic atmosphere with lush lawns and long rows of flower beds. Eat-Street,Water Front are popular restaurants located on this strip. The latest addition to this strip is the Jal Vihar, a mini water world designed to soothe your senses.

NTR gardens - This leisure spot is located beside the IMAX theatre. Situated on 36 acres of land adjoining the Hussain sagar, these gardens provide every kind of entertainment and recreation. It also houses a memorial of Late Shri N.T.Rama Rao, former Chief Minister, with an exemplary piece of architecture.

Laad Bazaar - also called Chudi Bazaar is on the west of Charminar, and known for its exquisite bangles, jewelry and pearls..

Lotus Pond - A beautiful garden built around a pond situated in Jubilee Hills, said to have been designed by an Italian designer. This garden is currently maintained by the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad. It is also home to a few rare species of birds.

Paigah Tombs Sanghi Temple - A temple dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara graces a promontory overlooking Sanghi Nagar.

Ramoji Film City (RFC) is the Asia’s largest integrated film studio cum theme park, at nearly 2,000 acres (8 km²). It is also one of Asia’s most popular tourism and recreation centres. Opened in 1996, it is located about 25 km from Hyderabad on Vijayawada National Highway (NH-9).

APIIC Tower at Manchirevula in the suburbs will be the tallest building in India upon completion with 100 floors.

heme Parks and Resorts

Snow World - Situated close to lower Tank bund road, it is India's first Snow Theme Park. This has become a popular attraction with tourists who can enjoy temperatures of -5°C, with a special snow fall. This is the place-to-be for those who really want to chill out.

Ocean Park - This theme park is located at Gandipet, around 15km from Hyderabad. This place is loaded with a number of water amusements, amusement rides, restaurants etc. This place is enjoyed best in the summer.

Treasure Island - This resort is located at Gandipet on a sprawling 60 acres of land. It offers a variety of leisure and entertainment activities such as go-karting, horse-riding, swimming pools etc.

Dream Valley Resorts - This is also located at Gandipet amidst lush green environments, includes leisure actvities such as a water theme park, 9 hole golf course, go-karting etc.

Dhola-ri-Dhani - This resort is a typical setting recreated with the entire rustic ambience and charm of an ethnic Rajasthani village, situated at Kompally on Medchal Road. Camel rides, puppet shows, folk dances and authentic Rajasthani cuisine give you the taste of the desert State. A large swimming pool, a lake to go boating, an amphitheatre for plays and entertainment programmes add to the ambience.

Durgam Cheruvu - This place is famously known as Lovers Point. A Famous Partying place.

Ramoji Film City - The famous film studio cum theme park offers holiday/honeymoon packages for visitors. It has hotels, restaurants, many exquisite gardens and sight seeing fantasies to thrill its visitors.

Mount Opera - It is located at Batasingaram, (Hyderabad-Vijaywada Highway) NH-9 Ranga Reddy District. It is famous for its amusement rides, like oasis zone.

GALLARY