HYDERABAD
Hyderabad is Famous For: Bangles, Minarets, Pearl Bazaar And Hyderabadi Cuisine
Recently Called: Second Silicon Valley in India
Importance: Capital City of Andhra Pradesh
Pride of Deccan
Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh is a bustling 400-year-old
metropolis with an urban population of 4.2 million people approximately.
Hyderabad is located on the Deccan Plateau and the Musi River, 650m above
sea level. The physiography of Hyderabad is dominated by
hills,
tanks, forests, and rock formations.
Hyderabad - The City Of Two Aspects
The
city is cosmopolitan, and is richly endowed with a variety of cultures.
While Muslim people are concentrated more towards the old city like
Charminar,
Secunderabad has got a more contemporary look with a concentration of
Anglo-Indians. The city of Hyderabad presents an attractive amalgam of old
world charm together with the ebullience of growth and enterprise.
Beautiful old edifices built in the medieval, Mughal, Colonial and
Indo-Saracenic styles abound, rubbing shoulders with large glass and
chrome temples of commerce.
The History of Hyderabad
The history of Hyderabad begins with the establishment of the Qutub Shahi
dynasty. Quli Qutub Shah seized the reins of power from the Bahamani
kingdom in 1512 and established the fortress city of Golconda. Inadequacy
of water, and frequent epidemics of plaque and cholera persuaded Mohammad,
the fifth Quli Qutub Shahi ruler to venture outward to establish the new
city with the Charminar as its center and with four great roads fanning
out in the four cardinal directions. Hyderabad's fame, strategic location
and Golconda's legendary wealth attracted Aurangazeb who captured Golconda
after a long siege in 1687. After this defeat the importance of Hyderabad
declined and the city fell into partial ruin.
As the Mughal Empire decayed and began to disintegrate, the viceroy, Asaf
Jah I proclaimed himself the Nizam and established independent rule of the
Deccan. Hyderabad once again became a major capital city, ruled by
successive Nizams of the Asaf Jah dynasty until the state was merged into
the Indian Union in 1948.
Making Of The Twin City - Secunderabad
In 1798, a subsidiary alliance for military and political cooperation was
signed between the Nizam and the British East India Company. Thereafter an
area north of what is now the
Hussain
Sagar Lake was established as a cantonment. The area was named
Secunderabad after the then Nizam, Sikander Jah. Both Hyderabad and
Secunderabad grew together and have now merged. An imaginary line drawn
across the Tank bund is still used to distinguish the two cities.
The Pearl City Of India
The city of Hyderabad is famous for its minarets and its
pearl bazaar. Pearls from all
over the world are said to come to Hyderabad because the artisans here are
skilled in piercing and stringing pearls without damaging them. The city's
gypsy tribes called 'Lambadas' and 'Banjaras' are known throughout the
country for their colourful
costumes
and Hyderabadi
cuisine is much sought after.
IT Influence
Hyderabad is called as the second Silicon Valley in India after
Bangalore. Hyderabad has a Software Technology Park with leading
industries like Intergraph, UUNET, TCS, Wipro, Baan, Satyam, Park
International, etc.
Hyderabadi
Cuisine
Hyderabad's 400-year-old culinary history, like its culture, is unmatched
by any other state in India. In fact Hyderabad was known for the
spectacular way its aristocracy entertained. Of all the Muslim cuisine,
Hyderabadi is the only cuisine of the sub-continent that can boast of a
major vegetarian element. This has much to do with the local influences.
Considering that the elite of the erstwhile Hyderabad state came from the
north of India and was almost entirely Muslim, this is a little
surprising. The nation's vegetarians, of course, stand to gain by it.
Some of the salient features of Hyderabadi food are the key flavours of
coconut, tamarind, peanuts and sesame seeds. The key spice is chilli,
which is used in abundance and is the reason for the sobriquet "Dynamite
Food". Other culinary delights of Hyderabad include 'Gosht', which is
kid or baby goat, and is more or less, synonymous with Hyderabadi food.
'Murgh', which is chicken, is the second favourite. When it comes to
gosht, Hyderabadis prize the meat of the male goat.
