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* [http://www.wowtelugu.com/Districts/Hyderabad/index.asp '''Hyderabad Portal''' Extensive information about twincities]
* [http://www.livehyderabad.com Live Hyderabad!! Complete information about Hyderabad City]
* [http://www.livehyderabad.com Live Hyderabad!! Complete information about Hyderabad City]
* [http://www.newhyderabad.com/Citypages/CityGuide.asp A web guide to Hyderabad City.]
* [http://www.newhyderabad.com/Citypages/CityGuide.asp A web guide to Hyderabad City.]

Revision as of 07:32, 11 April 2006

Template:Hyderabad infobox

Hyderabad or Haydarābād (Telugu: హైదరాబాదు Urdu: حیدر آباد ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. With more than 6 million people (60 lakh), it is India's 6th largest metropolis [1] and 36th 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 north and south India, both geographically and culturally. Hyderabad is a place where Hindus and Muslims have been co-existing for centuries. It is also one of the most developed cities in the country and is the emerging IT and biotech hub of India. Hyderabad and Secunderabad are twin cities, separated by Husain Sagar (also known as Tank Bund), an artificial lake constructed during the time of Ibrahim Qutb Shah in 1562. The Charminar(Urdu: "Four Minars") monument, built in the center of Hyderabad by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 as a commemoration of the eradication of a plague.

Geography

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.

History

Main article: History of Hyderabad
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (Urdu: محمد قلى قطب شاه), sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, ruled from Hyderabad.
File:Img charminar at night.jpg
Charminar on an evening sky.

Hyderabad was founded on the banks of Musi river 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.[2]

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"). Another theory states that the city got its name from the fourth Caliph of Islam, Ali ibn Abi Talib, who is also known as Haydar-i Karrar ("valiant lion"), probably, due to the Qutb Shahi rulers' leanings towards the Shi'i traditions of Islam.

In 1687, Hyderabad and the Golconda fort was besieged and conquered by forces under the ruler of the Mughal Empire, Aurangzeb (alternatively known as Alamgir I).[2] This event led to fall of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty and the abandonment of the Golconda fort. Thereafter, a succession of regents called the Nizams governed the city first as agents of the Mughals and then as an independent princely state. In the 18th century as a British cantonment was set up close to Hyderabad, this new township was named Secunderabad. Over the centuries, the city has been ruled by the Qutb Shahis, the Mughals, the Asaf Jahis and after independence, the people themselves.

Economy

Hyderabad is known as the city of pearls and pearl ornaments. The pearl market is situated near Charminar. Products such as silverware, saris, Nirmal and Kalamkari paintings and artefacts, 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.

Hyderabad city is today known for its IT and IT Enabled Services, Pharmaceuticals and Entertainment industries. Many call centers, 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 center setups in India. Ramoji Film City, one of the largest film studios in the world is located on the outskirts of the city.

Hyderabad is known for its academic institutes and research labs, both public and private institutes with very diverse areas of interest from Developmental Banking at the Institute for Development in Research and Banking Technology, to eye care with state-of-the art medical facilities at the L. V. Prasad Eye Institute. The infrastructural facilities for basic research in Hyderabad are among the best in the country, hosting a large academic population from all over the country and beyond.

Hyderabad has been selected as the location for India's first Fag City, a silicon chip manufacturing facility, being setup with an investment of $3 billion by the AMD-SemIndia consortium.[3]

See also: List of major companies based in Hyderabad India

The IT Industry

File:CyberTowers.jpg
Cyber Towers IT Park, Hyderabad on a clear evening sky.

The development of a township with state-of-the-art facilities called HITEC City, prompted several IT and ITES companies to setup 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[4]. IT exports from the city are expected to exceed Rs 12,500 crores ($ 2.5 billion) in the 2005-06 fiscal year[5]. There has 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 centers in the city. The major areas were such campuses have been setup include Madhapur and Gachibowli.

See also: Hyderabad, India and IT Industry

Pharmaceuticals and Bio-Technology

Hyderabad is a major center for pharmaceuticals with companies such as Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Matrix Laboratories, and vimta labs being housed in the city. Initiatives such as Genome Valley are expected to create extensive infrastructure in bio-technology.

Some of the upcoming projects include:

Education

Main article: Education in Hyderabad, India
Indian School of Business entrance.

Hyderabad is an important seat of learning in southern India. The City hosts two Central Universities, two Deemed universities, and six State Universities. Osmania University is one of the oldest Universities in India. Technical institutes such as Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University and International Institute of Information Technology are found here. Also based here is the highly acclaimed Indian School of Business. Hyderabad is famous for its various research institutes such as the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, University of Hyderabad, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, National Institute of Nutrition and Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University.It also has an open university for distance education BR Ambedkar Open University. The city therefore attracts students from all over the country and some beyond.


Research institutions and labs

Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) had setup Defence Electronics Research Laboratory(DERL) in 1962, to work on the design and development of communication and radar systems. Currently DERL is involved in the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) of DRDO.

The other defence research laboratories at Hyderabad include

  • Advanced Numerical Research & Analysis Group (ANURAG),
  • Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL),
  • Advanced System Laboratory (ASL), and
  • Research Center Imarat (RCI)
  • National Remote Sensing Agency, India's Satellite Monitoring Station.
See also: List of institutions based in Hyderabad India

Civic administration

The city is administered by Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) [1], whose titular head is the Mayor who has few executive powers. The real executive power of the corporation is vested in the Municipal Commissioner, an IAS officer appointed by the Andhra Pradesh state government. The MCH is in charge of the civic needs and infrastructure of the metropolis. Hyderabad is divided into hundred municipal wards, each overseen by a corporator. The corporators of the administration are voted through a popular vote and almost all the state political parties field their candidates.

The city is composed of one district in Andhra Pradesh, it comes under the jurisprudence of the District Collector. The collectors are in charge of property records and revenue collection for the Central government. They oversee the national elections held in the city. The metropolitan area encompasses the Ranga Reddy District, which was carved out of an earlier unified Hyderabad district.

Like other metropolises in India, the Hyderabad Police is headed by a Police Commissioner, an IPS officer. The Hyderabad Police comes under the state Home Ministry. Hyderabad is divided into five police zones each headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police. The Traffic Police is a semi-autonomous body under the Hyderabad Police. Hyderabad is the seat of the State High Court, which has under the State's jurisdiction. Hyderabad has two lower courts, such as the Small Causes Court, for civil matters, and the Sessions Court for criminal cases.

Hyderabad contributes two seats to the Lok Sabha (Lower House). In addition, parts of the city are part of two other electoral districts for the Lok Sabha. Hyderabad elects thirteen representatives to the State's Legislative Assembly.

It must be noted that, officially, the Indian government recognises Hyderabad as a major city of India and has given the metropolitant status to only four cites in India. There is a pending demand to upgrade Hyderabad and Bangalore to Metropolitan status as they both meet the criteria to be declared so.

Transportation

The MMTS Necklace Road Metro Station
Main article: Transportation in Hyderabad, India

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 & Americas. Currently, Hyderabad has non stop flights to and from various other foreign cities like Amsterdam (KLM), Frankfurt am Main, Germany (Lufthansa), Singapore (Air India, Indian Airlines and Singapore Airlines), Dubai (Emirates and Indian Airlines), Bangkok (Indian Airlines), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysian Airlines), Colombo (Sri Lankan Airlines), Dammam (Air India), Doha (Qatar Airways), Jeddah (Air India and Saudi Arabian Airlines), Muscat (Oman Air) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabian Airlines). 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, 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 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 worldclass facilities.[7]

Rails

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.

The Necklace Road

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.

The city has also one of the best laid out internal road systems. A series of flyovers and underground subways decrease the traffic congestion in the city. Many of the important roads are 3-lane on either side. 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.


Alternative Transportation

The city is also linked to various parts by an efficient mass rapid transit, MRT system, which help commuters reach their destination quickly and comfortably. To get a true feel of the city you could also try out the 3-seater and 7-seater autos (shortened form of automobiles. Comfortable air-conditioned cabs are also available just a phone call away.

Buses

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC official web site) established in 1932 started as a unit of the Nizam State Railways-Road Transport Division with 27 buses. It consists of about 19,000 strong bus fleet, APSRTC is the largest state transport undertaking in the world and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The APSRTC operates point to point bus services which connect important places within the city, with a very good frequency. APSRTC has several kinds of services like the

  • Veera,
  • Metro Express and an
  • Ordinary service.

Veera and Metro express are luxury and semi-luxury services respectively, and have few stops between any two points in the city. This enables passengers to commute quickly between any two places within the city. Information about APSRTC

Hyderabad has several major bus stations

  • Jubilee Bus station
  • Imlibun Bus station [considered to be the largest in asia]
  • Afzalgunj Bus station

Demographics

The city population is estimated at over 3.69 million in 2001 while the population of the greater metropolitan area is estimated at over 6.39 million. Religiously and culturally, the city is evenly divided between Muslims and Hindus which includes a visible population of Christians. Languages spoken include Urdu, Telugu and Hindi. There is also a very visible population of people, of tribal origins, who have immigrated to the city in search of work. These people, called the Banjaras, have their own distinct culture and language very different from other languages spoken in this region.

Urdu, Telugu and Deccani are the local languages of the indigenous population. There is a significant amount of English used in business. People from many other parts of India have adopted Hyderabad as their hometown.

Culture

Buddha statue at the center of the Husain Sagar Lake

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.

Religion

Hyderabad is a unique cosmopolitan city and home to people practicing Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity, 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.

Language

Telugu and Urdu are the principal languages spoken in the city of Hyderabad. Telugu being the official language of Andhra Pradesh and the second largest language in India after Hindi is widely spoken here. It must also be emphasized that Hyderabad is and has been home to one of the largest Urdu speaking population in India. Deccani, a dialect of Urdu and Hindi is mostly spoken and understood here. Both Urdu and Telugu have lingustically impacted each other in this region. A large percentage of the population is also well versed in English.

Clothing

Women of all cultures and faith communities in Hyderabad typically wear either the traditional Indian dress, the sari, and increasingly the Shalwar Qamis. As a sign of public modesty, 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 Kurta Pyjama and Sherwani for males. This one of the more visible cultural attributes of Hyderabad.

Cuisine

Hyderabadi cuisine is a blend of heavy Mughal influences and some elements of Telangana cuisine as well as the surrounding Andhra region. 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 Mauzzam Jhai Market, Nampally, is popular for making biscuits including the local Osmania biscuits. Other renowned joints include 'chat bhandars' like Gokul Chat near Sultan Bazar and Narsing Chat near Mahatma Gandhi Road, 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.

accommodations

File:Taj Krishna.jpg
Hotel Taj Krishna, Hyderabad
File:Viceroy Hyd.jpg
Hotel Viceroy, Hyderabad

There are several star hotels in Hyderabad, offering world class facilities to its guests, the major once are given below. The city has four hotels rated 5 Star these are -

One 4 Star Hotel -

The Green Park, (Very close to 5 star), Greenlands, Begumpet.

and five well maintained 3 Star Hotels -

Markets and Shopping Malls

Prasadz Imax Multiplex, Hyderabad
File:Hyd Central.jpg
Hyderabad Central, Hyderabad

Hyderabad is famous for its traditional markets (Bazaar). These markets usually consist of one or two story shops, and street vendors with carts. Few of them are:

There are several large, shopping malls, including

Media

Hyderabad has a well-developed communication and media infrastructure. The city is covered by a large network of optical fiber cables by Reliance Telcom Company. The city's telephone service is serviced by four landline companies: BSNL, Tata Indicom, Reliance Infocomm and Airtel. There are six mobile phone companies: BSNL, Hutch, Idea, Airtel, Tata Indicom and Reliance Infocomm. Several phone companies offer broadband Internet access.

Radio Stations

The city has two AM and two FM radio stations, operated by All India Radio under the name Akashvani, Hyderabad. AIR has sold airtime on one of its FM channels to a company named DC-Interactive that broadcasts a show called Good Evening Hyderabad under the banner Radio Biryani. A FM radio station called FM Rainbow also broadcasts daily within the city. Newer FM radio stations, as in other metropolitan areas, are expected to be launched in the city.

Television Networks

Doordarshan runs several terrestrial television channels and two satellite television channels from its Hyderabad Doordasrshan centre. A multitude of regional television channels broadcast from Hyderabad.

Telugu Television channels are classified as

  • News channels
ETV2, TV9, Teja News, DD News, Vissa News, Arey News
  • Entertainment Channels
ETV, Maa TV, Teja, Gemini, C Channel, Siti Cable, Vissa, Zee Telugu, Aditya TV

Print Media

Hyderabad has about three print media groups that publish several newspapers and magazines in English, Telugu, and Urdu. The major Urdu dailies are, The Siasat Daily (the first Urdu newspaper in the world to go on-line), The Munsif Daily, The Rahnuma-i Deccan, and The Daily Milap. The major Telugu dailies include the Eenadu, Vaartha, Andhra Jyoti, Andhra Bhoomi, Udayam 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. Besides these major newspapers, there a number of localised neighbourhood newspapers that cater to several localities. Magazines published from Hyderabad include Swati, Navya, Andhra Prabha, Andhra Jyoti, Vipula, Vanita and Chandamama. Movie magazines include Sitara, Siva Ranjani and Jyoti Chitra.

TollyWood

Main article: Tollywood

Hyderabad is the homeland of Tollywood, the Telugu movie industry, which apart from being a popular entertainment source and India's second largest film producer[after bollywood], provides livelihood to thousands of its citizens and contributes a large amount of revenue to the local government.

Earlier, many of the Telugu films were produced in Madras. However, with improvement in infrastructure in city, and initiatives such as setting up of Ramoji Film City has changed the situation. Today not only are Telugu films made here, but even films from Bollywood are being shot in Hyderabad. Some Hindi movies have Hyderabad or subjects related to the city as the core theme, and have been shot in Hyderabad. The most recent of these include:

Sports and stadiums

Sports besides cricket are popular in Hyderabad. In the inaugural Premiere Hockey League in 2005, Hyderabad Sultans won the championships. Hyderabad recently got a new cricket stadium, Visakha International Cricket Stadium, which was later renamed to Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.

The selection of the city as a host of the National Games resulted in a major investment to build some of the best world-class stadiums in the country. Later these stadiums played host to the Afro-Asian Games held 2003. Today the list of stadiums of international standard found in Hyderabad is large and diverse.

The earliest stadium built in the city is The Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium. Formerly known as Fateh Maidan, it was till recently, the city's only stadium that could conduct International cricket matches. The first cricket match was played here was on November 19, 1955. With the construction of the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium at Uppal, it is unlikely that any more cricket matches will be held here.

The city also houses the Swarnandhra Pradesh Sports Complex and the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium.

Attractions

Birla Mandir on a cloudy day
NTR Gardens
  • 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.
  • NTR Gardens - Well laid out garden on the banks of Husain Sagar
  • 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.
  • Ramoji Film City - as the name suggests a Film City on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway. Open to visitors and houses the various sets that were used in films. It has recently entered into the Guinness Book of World records for sheer size of the film city.
  • 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 Tehran, 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.
  • Hyderabad Pearls - Many visitors who visit Hyderabad also take time to shop for the famous pearls and bangles sold in the city

References

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