Hyderabad

Hyderabad, city,
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Telangana state, south-
central India. It is Introduction
Telangana’s largest and History
most-populous city and
The contemporary city
Charminar, Hyderabad, is the major urban centre
Telangana, India
for all of south-central
The Charminar in the old city of
interior India. From 1956 to 2014 Hyderabad was the
Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
capital of Andhra Pradesh state, but, with the creation of
Telangana from Andhra Pradesh in 2014, it was
redesignated as the capital of both states.

Hyderabad is located on the Musi River in the heart of

the Telangana Plateau, a major upland region of the
Deccan (peninsular India). The city site is relatively level
Hyderabad, India to the gently rolling terrain, at an elevation of about
1,600 feet (500 metres). The climate is warm to hot and
monsoonal (i.e., marked by wet and dry periods), with moderate annual precipitation. Most
rain falls during the wet monsoon months of June to October. Pop. (2001) city (district),
3,829,753; urban agglom., 5,742,036; (2011) city (district), 3,943,323; urban agglom.,
7,677,018.

History
Hyderabad was founded by the Quṭb Shāhī sultans of
Golconda, under whom the kingdom of Golconda
attained a position of importance second only to that of
the Mughal Empire to the north. The old fortress town of
Golconda Fort, Telangana,
India Golconda had proved inadequate as the kingdom’s
The 16th-century Golconda Fort, capital, and so about 1591 Muḥammad Qulī Quṭb Shah,
Telangana, India, built during the the fifth of the Quṭb Shahs, built a new city called
Quṭb Shāhī dynasty (1518–1687).
Hyderabad on the east bank of the Musi River, a short
distance from old Golconda. The Charminar, a grand
 architectural composition in Indo-Saracenic style with
open arches and four minarets, is regarded as the
supreme achievement of the Quṭb Shāhī period. It
formed the centrepiece around which the city was
planned. The Mecca Mosque, which was built later, can
Hyderabad: tomb of accommodate 10,000 people. The mosque was the site of
Muḥammad Quṭb Shah
a bombing attack in 2007 that killed several Muslims and
Tomb of Muḥammad Quṭb Shah, the
injured many others. The incident aggravated Muslim-
sixth ruler of the Quṭb Shāhī
dynasty, Hyderabad, Telangana, Hindu tensions in the city, which has experienced
India. periodic outbreaks of violence over the years.

Hyderabad was known for its beauty and affluence, but that glory lasted only as long as the
Quṭb Shāhī dynasty. The Mughals conquered Hyderabad in 1685. The Mughal occupation was
accompanied by plunder and destruction and was followed by the intervention of European
powers in Indian affairs. In 1724 Āṣaf Jāh Nizam al-Mulk, the Mughal viceroy in the Deccan,
declared independence. That Deccan kingdom, with Hyderabad as its capital, came to be
known as the princely state of Hyderabad. The Āṣaf Jāhīs, during the 19th century, started to
rebuild, expanding to the north of the old city across the Musi. Farther north, Secunderabad
grew as a British cantonment (military facility), connected to Hyderabad by a bund
(embankment) 1 mile (1.6 km) long on Husain Sagar Lake. The bund now serves as a
promenade and is the pride of the city. Many new structures, reflecting a beautiful blend of
Hindu and Muslim styles, have been added along it.

Under the nizams the Hindu and Muslim populations coexisted, although there were episodes
of intercommunal fighting. After Indian independence in 1947, violence by the Razakars—a
Muslim militia—against Hindu communities drew the attention of the Indian government. In
September 1948 the Indian army intervened, invading Hyderabad and easily routing the
nizam’s forces. Although loss of life during the military operation was minor, it was followed
by an outburst of looting and revenge killings of Muslims by Hindu civilians and Indian
soldiers. The multi-faith Sunderlal commission, sent by the Indian government in 1951 to
investigate the events in Hyderabad, concluded that at least 27,000 to 40,000 people had been
killed.

In 1950 the princely state became the state of Hyderabad in the Indian union. In 1956 the state
was split up: its Telugu-speaking areas (the Telangana region) were combined with what was
then Andhra state to form Andhra Pradesh, with Hyderabad as the capital. Discontent grew,
however, among the people of Telangana, who insisted that the region should become a
separate state. Following protracted negotiations—particularly about the disposition of
Hyderabad—and after receiving approval for the split from the Indian parliament, Telangana
was formed in 2014. It was agreed that Hyderabad would act as capital of both states for a
period of up to 10 years to allow Andhra Pradesh time to build its own capital.
The contemporary city
Hyderabad has become a hub of trade and commerce and
an international centre for information technology (IT).
Pharmaceuticals, cigarettes, and textiles are among the
items manufactured there. Service activities have
expanded dramatically, especially those associated with
Hyderabad, Telangana, India IT, so that they have come to constitute the lion’s share
of the city’s economy. Tourism has grown in
significance. The city has long been associated with the production of Telugu-language films,
which gave rise to its nickname Tollywood.

Hyderabad has good intercity transport facilities. There are rail and air services to Delhi,
Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bengaluru (Bangalore), as well as to historical sites including
the nearby Golconda fortress and the Ajanta and Ellora caves in neighbouring Maharashtra
state, the latter two locales having been designated UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1983.
Transportation infrastructure within Hyderabad, however, has lagged behind the city’s rapid
population growth, and traffic jams have become common. Taxis, auto-rickshaws, cycle-
rickshaws, private vehicles, and suburban bus and rail services provide local transport. Work
began in 2012 on the first of three projected light-rail lines in the region, which were intended
to help ease traffic congestion.

Initially, Hyderabad was the location of two colleges of the University of Madras. In 1918 the
nizam established Osmania University, and it is now one of the best universities in India. The
University of Hyderabad was established in 1974. An agricultural university and a number of
advanced research and training institutes are also located there, as are several
nongovernmental institutions, notably the American Studies Research Centre (established
1964; since 2006, Osmania University Centre for International Programmes).
 The city has many public and private cultural
organizations, such as state-sponsored dramatic, literary,
and fine arts academies. The public auditorium Ravindra
Bharati provides a venue for dance and music festivals.
There are several notable museums, including the Salar
Salar Jung Museum Jung Museum (established 1951), which has a unique
Exterior of the Salar Jung Museum, collection of rare pieces, including jade, jewelry,
Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
paintings, and furniture.

The public gardens provide the main recreational facilities. Many parks and the large parade
grounds in Secunderabad offer space for play and relaxation. The zoological gardens and the
university’s botanical gardens are popular picnic spots. Hyderabad is reputed for its football
(soccer) and cricket. There is also a racecourse.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.

Citation Information
Article Title: Hyderabad
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 15 February 2024
URL: https://www.britannica.comhttps://www.britannica.com/place/Hyderabad-India
Access Date: February 15, 2024