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Hyderabad is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. With more than 6.1 million people (61 lakh), it is India's 6th largest metropolis and the 40th largest metropolitan area in the world. ... more »
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Airports Hyderabad is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. With more than 6.1 million people (61 lakh), it is India's 6th largest metropolis and the 40th largest metropolitan area in the world. It is known for its rich history, culture and architecture representing its unique characteristic of a meeting point for northern and southern India, and its multi-lingual culture, both geographically and culturally. Hyderabad has always been a place where Hindus and Muslims have co-existed peacefully for centuries.
The dialect spoken in Hyderabad and surrounding areas of Telangana is distinct from the dialect of coastal Andhra region. Hyderabad and rest of the Telangana has unique culture of its own in comparison to coastal and Rayalseema regions of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad is also one of the most developed cities in the country and is the emerging IT and biotech hub of India.
Hyderabad is known as the city of pearls, lakes and lately for IT Companies. The pearl market is situated near Charminar. Ornaments made with Rice Pearls can be bought from Char Kaman or 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.
Things to do * Charminar - the major landmark in Hyderabad with four graceful minarets. * Falaknuma Palace - Built by Nawab Viqar al-Umra', a beautiful and stunning piece of architecture. * Golconda Fort - located on the outskirts of the city, Golconda Fort is one of the most magnificent fortress complexes in India. * Salar Jung Museum - houses the largest one-man collection of antiques in the world. * Makkah Masjid - a stone-built mosque, immediately southwest of Charminar. * 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. * Chilkur Balaji - Temple of Lord Sri Venkateshwara. Around 23 km from Mehdipatnam. Special buses and Share Auto Rickshaws are available. It will take apprximately 3-4 Hours for Darshan of Lord on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. * Nehru Zoological Park - among the largest in Asia. * Husain Sagar - man-made lake that separates the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. * Laad Bazaar - directly to the west of Charminar, and known for its bangles. * P.V.Ghat - The Samadhi of former Prime Minister, Shri P.V.Narasimha Rao, Labeled the Chanakya of modern India, he is credited to have put India on the path of reforms. * Prasads IMAX Theatre - is the first IMAX theatre to open in South India. It was the world's biggest IMAX screen at the time of opening. * Public Gardens of Hyderabad - one of the best laid-out gardens in the country with buildings of the State Legislature, Jubilee Hall, etc. * Purani Haveli - The official residence of the Nizam. * Chowmahalla Palace- It was the seat of Asaf Jahi dynasty where the Nizam entertained his official guests and royal visitors. Built in 1750 by Nizam Salabat Jung and designed along the lines of the Shah's palace in Isfahan, consists of a group of palaces each used for a specific purpose. It consists of the Khilwat, Aftab Mahal, the Tahniyat Mahal and the Durbar Hall. * Sanghi Temple - A temple dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara graces apromontory overlooking Sanghi Nagar. * Snow World - An amusement park which enables citizens of this tropical city to experience very low temperatures and snow * Astha Laxmi Temple - A temple located in Vasavi Colony near Dilsukhnagar is the 2nd largest Laxmi temple in India. * Wargal Saraswati Devi's Temple - A temple located 50 km from Hyderabad towards medchal highway it is mounted on a big rock, rtc buses are avail on that route * Hyderabad Pearls - Many visitors who visit Hyderabad also take time to shop for the famous pearls and bangles sold in the city * Madhapur - Home to the IT world of Hyderabad.
Airports - Hyderabad is well connected to all parts of the country and world by air. Hyderabad city has had an airport since the 1930s at Begumpet. This airport provides two terminals, for domestic and international travels. The airport provides flights to all major destinations in India, as well as connections to locations in Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Americas and Sri Lanka with non stop flights to and from many cities in these areas. As the demand for air travel has grown in recent years, like most major airports in the country, the Begumpet airport now suffers from overcrowding, this has led to major problems, especially in the domestic terminal, and conditions are cramped, unattractive, and sometimes unsanitary.
To meet the growing demands of the city a project to build a much bigger and state-of-art Airport is underway at Shamshabad, which lies on the outskirts of the city. The new airport, once completed, will be able to provide much needed infrastructure to handle large aircraft, and international traffic. The airport is expected to be one of the best in this region and will house world-class facilities. The airport is being developed to cater to a total of 7 million passengers a year and will in the final stage be able to cater to 40 million passengers a year. The total cost of the project is Rs 1,330 crore. The airport will be built on an area of 5,400 acres and will have the longest runway among Indian airports and will be able to handle the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380. The work on the flyover linking Mehdipatnam to the Shamshabad Airport has started, and it is expected to be one of the biggest projects undertaken by Hyderabad Urban Development Association, also known widely as HUDA.
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Rail - Hyderabad has a light rail transportation system known as the MultiModal Transport System (MMTS).
(MMTS Photo feature). The MMTS connects various parts of the city with Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Lingampally and Faluknama. Hyderabad is currently scheduled to get a Metro system to help ease urban congestion. Nationally too, Hyderabad and especially Secunderabad is considered as one of the important railway cities. The South Central Railway headquarters is located at Secunderabad.
There are three main Railway Stations Secundrabad Railway Station (Which recently got ISO9002 Certification). Hyderabad Railway Station (Nampally). Kachiguda Railway Station. Lot of Development has come up at Kachiguda Railway Station like extension of Platform, Starting point of many Trains like Kachiguda-Bangalore, Kachiguda-Tirupathi etc. to divert the traffic flow from Secundrabad. -BMKS
Roads - Hyderabad is well connected to many other locations in India, such as Bangalore, Mumbai, Guntur, Nagpur, Warangal, Pune, and Vijaywada, either through directly or through intermediary locations. The highway (express way) network linking Hyderabad to various parts of the country is very good. Indian National Highways, NH-7, NH-9 and NH-202 pass through the city. The city shall also be part of the North-South Corridor.Being in the heart of Telangana it is very well connected to all the towns and cities of the region.
The city has also one of the best laid out internal road systems. A series of flyovers decrease the traffic congestion in the city. Many of the important roads are 3-lane on either side. Due to the burgeoning number of personal vehicles, the city is beginning to face traffic problems. As a measure to ease this, the city plan calls for an inner ring road going around Hyderabad within the city limits and a yet to be constructed, but planned, outer ring road outside the city limits. These ring roads are expected to ease the traffic congestion by a lot inside the city since most heavy vehicles which pass through the city on the national highways can now bypass the city using them.
However, as in most in Indian cities, due to increasing number of vehicles, the city traffic has grown leading to chaotic traffic snarls and a lack of perceptible lane discipline. Driving has become a stressful experience for vehicle owners. Accidents are on the rise especially with two wheelers and Auto-ricksaws.
A new Expressway called Hyderabad Outer Ring Road of about 160 Kms is being built now and will be done in about 4 - 5 years. Here are the details.
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Hyderabad has been the meeting place of many different cultures and traditions. Historically, Hyderabad has been the city where the distinct cultural and linguistic traditions of North India and South India meet. The Muslim culture of Hyderabad has fused with south Indian traditions of the region.
Hyderabad is a unique cosmopolitan city and home to people practicing Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism. Hyderabadis have developed their own distinctive culture, which is a mixture of the centuries old Islamic Culture and the Hindu traditions of the Telugu people.
Telugu and Urdu are the principal languages spoken in Hyderabad. Telugu being the official language of Andhra Pradesh (and the second largest language in India after Hindi) is widely spoken here. Hyderabad has always had one of the largest Urdu speaking populations in India and the famous Osmania University there was the first Urdu medium university in India. Deccani, a dialect of Urdu and Hindi, is spoken and understood there. Both Urdu and Telugu have linguistically impacted on each other in this region. The telugu dialect spoken in Hyderabad and rest of Telangana is very distinct from the one spoken in coastal Andhra. A large percentage of the population is also well versed in English.
Women of all cultures and faith communities in Hyderabad typically wear either the traditional Indian dress, the sari, and increasingly the Shalwar Qamis. A large percentage of Muslim women in the city wear either the burqa or the hijab. The traditional Hyderabadi garb for females is the Khara Dupatta and the Shalwar Qamis and Sherwani for males. This one of the more visible cultural attributes of Hyderabad.
Hyderabadi cuisine is a blend of heavy Mughal influences, traditional Andhra and Telangana cuisine. A number of restaurants have come up that serve a variety of cuisines. All the major hotels in city host one or more restaurants that are popular among city folk.
Some of the famous dishes include Hyderabadi Biryani, Chakna, Baghare Baygan, Khubani ka Mitha,Pheni a sweet vermicelli delicacy eaten during the festival of Diwali and during Ramadan, and Double ka Mitha, as well as Halim traditionally eaten by Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan. As many Hyderabadis travel to the Middle East in search for employment, the Halim is gaining recognition in these regions. Local chains that serve Halim and other Hyderabadi specialties in Hyderabad are Yusufain Pista House, Madinah Hotel, 555 Hotel, Café Bahar, Bawarchi, Paradise and Hyderabad House.
An Indian Mithai(sweets) shop, G. Pulla Reddy, is famous for its pure ghee sweets. Karachi Bakery near Mau'zzam Jahi Market, Nampally, is popular for making biscuits including the local Osmania biscuits. A family residing in Azeez bagh palace in the old part of the city is famous for the preparation of Badaam Ki jaali (Almond lattice confection). Other renowned joints include 'chat bhandars' like Gokul Chat near Sultan Bazar and Narsing Chat near MG Road, Hyderbadi Pickles have a distinct taste, savoured by many in India, Pakistan & Middle East the best is the mango & lime pickles. Minar pickles of Hyderabad are famous for their authentic Hyderabadi Achaar. Ram singh Chat Bhandar in Begum Bazaar are famous for their North Indian chat, which is liberally doused with spices and yogurt. Restaurant chains in the city which include The Taj Mahal, Kamat are popular.
Hyderabad was founded on the banks of Musi river in the present day Telangana by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, Sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, in 1590; this relocation was intended to relieve a water shortage the dynasty had experienced at their old headquarters at Golkonda. They ruled over the Telangana region and some parts of present day Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Theories explaining the origins and etymology behind Hyderabad's name differ. A popular theory suggests that, after founding the city, Muhammad Quli fell in love with and married a local Banjara girl known as Bhagamathi. He named this city after her as Bhagyanagaram. Upon her conversion to Islam, Bhagamathi changed her name to Hyder Mahal — the new city's name was correspondingly changed to match it, resulting in the eponymous name "Hyderabad" (literally, "the city of Hyder").
When India gained independence in 1947, the Nizam declared his intention to remain independent, either as a sovereign ruler or by acquiring Dominion status within the British Empire. In order to keep essential trade and supplies flowing, he signed a Standstill Agreement with the Indian Union which surrounded him on all sides. The law and order situation soon deteriorated, with escalating violence between the private Razakar army fighting for continuation of the Nizam's rule and the communists of Telangana fighting for entrance into the Indian Union.
As the violence spiraled out of control with refugees flowing into the coastal Andhra region of the Madras state of India, the Indian Government under Home Minister Sardar Patel initiated a police action titled Operation Polo. On September 17, 1948, more than a year after India had gained independence, Hyderabad was overtaken after five days of police action. The Nizam signed, under threat of force, the Instrument of Accession to the Indian Union and Hyderabad was integrated into the Indian Union as a state. The state got its first democractic government and the representatives of its 18 million people were admitted to the Constituent Assembly then drafting a constitution for free India. For the next eight years, Hyderabad continued as a separate state within the union.
On November 1, 1956, the states of India were reorganized on linguistic grounds. Consequently, the terrorities 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 Telugu linguistic majority, and Hyderabad became the capital of the new state of Andhra Pradesh.
* Hyderabad city is located in the center of Andhra Pradesh, in the region of Telangana. It lies on the Deccan Plateau, 541 meters (1776 ft) above sea level, over an area of 260 km² (100 mile²).
The original city of Hyderabad was founded on the banks of river Musi. Now known as the historic old city, home to the Charminar and Makkah Masjid, it lies on the southern bank of the river. The city has grown over the centuries on both banks and is now a metropolitan area that spreads out from the Musi river.
* Annual temperature: 25 - 40 degrees Celsius. * Annual precipitation: About 60 cm. * Geological system: Archean. * Soil: Red Sandy, with areas of Black Cotton soil. * Surrounding terrain: Rocky/hilly. (The region around Hyderabad is known for its beautiful rock formations. There are many rock formation enthusiasts in the city.) * Climatic: Tropical Wet and Dry (Koppen).
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