Hyderabad

Hyderabad, city, Telangana state, south-central India. It is Telangana’s largest and most-populous city and is the major urban centre for all of south-central interior India. From 1956 to 2014 Hyderabad was the 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 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.

Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah established Hyderabad in 1591 to extend the capital beyond the fortified Golconda. In 1687, the city was annexed by the Mughals. In 1724, Mughal governor Nizam Asaf Jah I declared his sovereignty and founded the Asaf Jahi dynasty, also known as the Nizams. Hyderabad served as the imperial capital of the Asaf Jahis from 1769 to 1948. As capital of the princely state of Hyderabad, the city housed the British Residency and cantonment until Indian independence in 1947. Hyderabad was annexed by the Indian Union in 1948 and continued as a capital of Hyderabad State (1948–56). After the introduction of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, Hyderabad was made the capital of the newly formed Andhra Pradesh. In 2014, Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated to form Telangana and Hyderabad became the joint capital of the two states with a transitional arrangement scheduled to end in 2024. Since 1956, the city has housed the winter office of the President of India.

Until the 19th century Hyderabad was known for the pearl industry and was nicknamed the "City of Pearls", and was the only Golconda Diamonds trading centre in the world. Many of the city's historical and traditional bazaars remain open. Hyderabad's central location between the Deccan Plateau and the Western Ghats, and industrialisation throughout the 20th century attracted major Indian research, manufacturing, educational and financial institutions. Since the 1990s, the city has emerged as an Indian hub of pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. The formation of special economic zones and HITEC City dedicated to information technology has encouraged leading multinationals to set up operations in Hyderabad.

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.

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 Jung Museum (established 1951), which has a unique collection of rare pieces, including jade, jewelry, 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.

Charminar, (Urdu: “Four Minarets”) historic monument located at the heart of Hyderabad, west-central Telangana state, south-central India. The city, which is the capital of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states, was also the capital of the historic princely state of Hyderabad. The monument was built in 1591 by Muḥammad Qulī Quṭb Shah, the fifth king of the Quṭb Shāhī dynasty, reportedly as the first building in Hyderabad, his new capital. Over the years, it has become a signature monument to and an iconic symbol of the city’s heritage. According to one legend, the Hyderabad region was reeling from a devastating plague at the time that Muḥammad Qulī Quṭb Shah was shifting his capital from nearby Golconda to the new city. He commemorated the end of the plague by building a mosque, which became known as Charminar because of its four towering and distinctive minarets, one on each of the building’s four corners. It formed the centrepiece around which Hyderabad was planned.

Hindus are in the majority. Muslims form a very large minority, and are present throughout the city and predominate in and around old Hyderabad. There are also Christian, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist and Parsi communities and iconic churches, mosques and temples. According to the 2011 census, the religious make-up of Greater Hyderabad was: Hindus (64.9%), Muslims (30.1%), Christians (2.8%), Jains (0.3%), Sikhs (0.3%) and Buddhists (0.1%); 1.5% did not state any religion. Telugu and Urdu are both official languages of the city and most Hyderabad is are bilingual. The Telugu dialect spoken in Hyderabad is called Telangana Mandalika, and the Urdu spoken is called Deccani. English is a "Secondary official language" used monumentally in business and administration, and it is an important medium of instruction in education and publications. A significant minority speak other languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Marathi, Marwari, Odia and Tamil.