HYDERABAD
Hyderabad Telugu: హైదరాబాద్, Urdu: حیدرآباد , is the capital of the state
Andhra Pradesh, India. It also goes by its sobriquet City of Pearls. As of
2010 it is the sixth most populous city and sixth-most populous urban
agglomeration in India. Hyderabad was founded by Muhammad
Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 on the banks of Musi. Today the city covers an area
of approximately 650 km².The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad
come under the ambit of a single municipal unit, The Greater Hyderabad
Municipal Corporation.
Hyderabad has developed into one of the major hubs for the information
technology industry in India which has earned it the additional sobriquet
"Cyberabad".In addition to the IT industry, various biotechnology and
pharmaceutics companies have set up their operations in Hyderabad
owing to its established Public sector in Life Science Research and Genome
Valley. The city houses the most expensive residential real estate in Andhra
Pradesh in Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills. The city is home to the Telugu
Film Industry, the second-largest in India, known popularly as Tollywood.
Residents of Hyderabad are generally called Hyderabadis. Located at the
crossroads of North and South India, Hyderabad has developed a unique
culture that is reflected in its language and architecture.
Etymology
| హైదరాబాద్ • حیدر آباد | |
| City of Pearls Cyberabad City of Lakes City of Minars | |
| — Metropolitan city — | |
 | |
   హైదరాబాద్ • حیدر آباد | |
| Coordinates | 17.366°N 78.476°E / 17.366°N 78.476°ECoordinates: 17.366°N 78.476°E / 17.366°N 78.476°E |
| Country | India |
| State | Andhra Pradesh |
| District(s) | |
| Founded | 1592 |
| Mayor | Banda Kartika Reddy |
| Commissioner | A K Khan, IPS |
| Member of Parliment | Asaduddin Owaisi |
| Planning Agency | GHMC, HMDA |
| Population • Density • Metro | 4,068,611 (2010[update]) • 5,852.9 /km2 (15,159 /sq mi) • 6,383,850 (2010[update]) |
| Official languages | Telugu, English, Urdu |
|---|---|
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation • Coastline | 7,073 square kilometres (2,731 sq mi) • 536 metres (1,759 ft) • 0 kilometres (0 mi) |
| Climate • Precipitation Temperature • Summer • Winter | Aw (Köppen) • 603 mm (23.7 in) • 26.0 °C (78.8 °F) • 35.9 °C (96.6 °F) • 23.5 °C (74.3 °F) |
| Website | |
Theories explaining the origins and etymology behind Hyderabad's
name differ. There is myth that after founding the city, Muhammad
Quli Qutb Shah fell in love with and married a local nautch girl known
as Bhagmathi or Bhagyavathi, and named the city Bhagyanagaram
. As per other legends, the city is named after the son in law of the
Islamic Prophet Muhammad, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, whose other name
was Hyder.
History
Main article: History of Hyderabad (India)
Although Hyderabad was founded less than 500 years ago, archaeologists
have unearthed Iron Age sites near the city that could date back to
500 BC.Approximately over 1000 years ago this region was ruled
by Kakatiyas. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, a ruler of the Qutb
Shahi dynasty (the ruling family of the Golconda Sultanate, previously
a feudatory of Bahmani sultanate that declared independence in 1512)
founded the city of Hyderabad on the banks of the Musi River in 1591to
relieve a water shortage the dynasty had experienced at its old headquarters
at Golconda city(11 kilometers west of Hyderabad city on the other side
of Musi).He also ordered the construction of the Charminar.
The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb captured kingdom of Golconda
including the city of Hyderabad in 1687and, during this short Mughal
rule, Mughal-appointed governors of the city soon gained autonomy.
In 1724, Asaf Jah I, who was granted the title Nizam-ul-Mulk
("Governor of the country") by the Mughal emperor, defeated a rival
official to establish control over kingdom of Golconda renamed it as
Hyderabad state. Thus began the Asaf Jahi dynasty that ruled Hyderabad
State until a year after India's independence from Britain. Asaf Jah's
successors ruled as the Nizams of Hyderabad. The rule of the seven Nizams
saw the growth of Hyderabad city both culturally and economically.
Hyderabad city became the formal capital of the kingdom (Hyderabad
state) and Golkonda city was almost abandoned. Huge reservoirs, like the
Nizam Sagar, Tungabhadra, Osman Sagar, and Himayat Sagar, were built.
Survey work on Nagarjuna Sagar had also begun during this time; the actual
work was completed by the Government of India in 1969. The wealth and
grandeur of the Nizams is demonstrated by the fabled Jewels of The Nizams,
which is a tourist attraction. The state was the richest and the largest among
the princely states of India. The land area of the state was
90,543 mi²; its population in 1901 was 50,073,759. It enjoyed
an estimated revenue of £90,029,000.
The Chowmahalla Palace was the seat of the Asaf Jahi dynasty and was the official residence of the Nizam.
In 1937, Time magazine said Hyderabad state was richest native
state in India.
Before 1947, Hyderabad state was under the suzerainty of the
British Crown but was not part of British India. In 1947, at the
time of the independence of British India and its Partition into the
Union of India and the new state of Pakistan, the British abandoned
their claim to suzerainty over the Princely states and left them to
decide their own future. The Nizam, because of Islamic leanings, wished
either to remain independent or to accede to Pakistan. However, for the
Indian Union, this was unacceptable from a strategic perspective. The
Nizam's efforts also triggered the largest agrarian armed rebellion in
modern Indian history. To deter the Nizam, Indian union chose to
implement an economic blockade, which forced the state of Hyderabad
to sign a Standstill Agreement with it. Eventually the Indian Union used
military force against the landlocked princely state of Hyderabad. This
operation, termed Operation Polo, was successful and on 17 September
1948, the Nizam signed an Instrument of Accession to the Union of India
. The Constitution of India, which went into effect on 26 January 1950
, made Hyderabad state one of the part B states of India and Hyderabad
city continued to be its capital.
Tomb of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in Hyderabad, India.
In 1955, Ambedkar was so impressed with amenities of Hyderabad city
that he argued to make Hyderabad city as second capital of India. He said
, "Hyderabad has all the amenities which Delhi has and it is a far better city
than Delhi. It has all the grandeur which Delhi has. Buildings are going cheap
and they are really beautiful buildings, far superior to those in Delhi. The only
thing that is wanting is a Parliament House which the Government of India
can easily build."
On 1 November 1956, the states of India were reorganized on linguistic
grounds. The territories of the State of Hyderabad were divided between
newly created Andhra Pradesh, Bombay state (later Maharashtra), and
Karnataka. The Telugu speaking area of Hyderabad state, also known as
Telangana, was merged with the Telugu speaking state of Andhra state to
create Andhra Pradesh. Thus, Hyderabad city became the capital city of
the new state of Andhra Pradesh.
Since liberalisation in the 1990s, Hyderabad city has become one of the
major hubs of the IT industry. The growth in the IT sector and opening of
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport attracted activity in other economic sectors
like real estate in the 2000s. However, the Global financial crisis of 2008–2009
has had a significant impact on construction activity.
Geography
Main article: Geography of Hyderabad
Hussain Sagar built by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali in 1562. The staue of Gautam Buddha in the middle of the lake was erected in 1992.
Situated on the Deccan Plateau, Hyderabad has an average elevation of about
536 metres above sea level (1,607 ft). Most of the area has a rocky terrain and
some areas are hilly. Crops are commonly grown in the surrounding paddy fields.
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 Mecca Masjid,
it lies on the southern bank of the river. The heart of the city saw a shift to the
north of the river, with the construction of many government buildings and
landmarks there, especially south of the Hussain Sagar lake. The rapid growth
of the city, along with the merging of Hyderabad, 12 municipal circles and the
Cantonment has resulted in a large, united and populous area.
Climate
Hyderabad has a unique combination of a tropical wet and dry climate
that borders on a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh)
, with hot summers from late February to early June, the monsoon season
from late June to early October and a pleasant winter from late October to
early February. In the evenings and mornings, the climate is generally cooler
because of the city's good elevation. Hyderabad gets about 32 inches
(about 810 mm) of rain every year, almost all of it concentrated in the
monsoon months. The highest maximum (day) temperature ever recorded
was 45.5 °C (113.9 °F) on 2 June 1966, while the lowest minimum
(night) recorded temperature was 6.1 °C (43 °F) on 8 January 1946.
| Climate data for Hyderabad India(1951–1980) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35 (95) | 37 (99) | 41 (106) | 43 (109) | 44 (111) | 44 (111) | 37 (99) | 36 (97) | 36 (97) | 36 (97) | 33 (91) | 33 (91) | 44 (111) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 28.6 (83.5) | 31.8 (89.2) | 35.2 (95.4) | 37.6 (99.7) | 38.8 (101.8) | 34.4 (93.9) | 30.5 (86.9) | 29.6 (85.3) | 30.1 (86.2) | 30.4 (86.7) | 28.8 (83.8) | 27.8 (82) | 32.0 (89.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 14.7 (58.5) | 17.0 (62.6) | 20.3 (68.5) | 24.1 (75.4) | 26.0 (78.8) | 23.9 (75) | 22.5 (72.5) | 22.0 (71.6) | 21.7 (71.1) | 20.0 (68) | 16.4 (61.5) | 14.1 (57.4) | 20.2 (68.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 8 (46) | 11 (52) | 16 (61) | 16 (61) | 19 (66) | 18 (64) | 19 (66) | 19 (66) | 18 (64) | 14 (57) | 8 (46) | 8 (46) | 8 (46) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 3.2 (0.126) | 5.2 (0.205) | 12.0 (0.472) | 21.0 (0.827) | 37.3 (1.469) | 96.1 (3.783) | 163.9 (6.453) | 171.1 (6.736) | 185.5 (7.303) | 90.9 (3.579) | 16.2 (0.638) | 6.1 (0.24) | 812.5 (31.988) |
Demographics
400 Years old Makkah Masjid, مسجد مكة Hyderabad, Photo: 1885
| Hyderabad Population |
|---|
The city's population in 2001 was 3.6 million and it has reached over
4.0 million by 2009 making it among the most populated cities in
India, while the population of the metropolitan area was estimated
above 6.3 million. Hyderabad is a metropolitan city, whose residents
are adherents to a wide range of religions, predominentally Hinduism
(55.40%), Islam (41.17%) but also others including Christianity
(2.13%), and Sikhism (0.2%) and Jainism (0.4%).There are many
iconic temples, mosques, and churches situated in the city.(see also:
Hyderabadi Muslims).Muslims have substantial presence across the
city and are predominant in and around Old City. Telugu and Urdu are the
principal languages spoken in the city, while English is also widely spoken
. Urdu spoken here has influences of Turkish, Persian and Telugu, giving
rise to a dialect sometimes called Hyderabadi Urdu or Deccani. The official
language, Telugu, varies a little across the state but the core language remains
the same.
Administration
Main articles: Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority
Andhra Pradesh High Court
The city is administered by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation
(GHMC) which came into existence in 2007 after merging 12 municipalities
with the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH). The titular head of
GHMC is the Mayor of Hyderabad who has few executive powers. In the
past, the mayor was earlier chosen by the legislative body of the municipal
corporations. The state government modified the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation
Act, 1955, to stipulate that the mayoral election be held directly and simultaneously
with the corporation elections. The real executive power of the corporation is
vested in the Municipal Commissioner, an IAS officer appointed by the
Andhra Pradesh state government.
The GHMC is in charge of the civic needs and the infrastructure of the city.
Hyderabad is divided into 150 municipal wards, each overseen by a corporator.
The corporators of the administration are elected through popular vote, and
almost all the political parties field candidates. The twin cities of Hyderabad
and Secunderabad are spread over three districts, Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy
and Medak. The District collectors also oversees the elections held in the city.
Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in Hyderabad
Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), is the urban
planning agency of Hyderabad, India. It was formed in 2008 by expanding
the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority. It contains the entire area
of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and its suburbs. The
enlarged jurisdiction of HUDA now extends to 54 Mandals located in
five districts with a total area of nearly 6300 km².
Hyderabad voters send 24 members to the Legislative Assembly, whose
constituencies come under 5 Lok Sabha segments. The new Assembly
segments and their respective parliamentary constituencies(PC) are
: Malkajgiri, Kukatpally, Uppal, Lal Bahadur Nagar (LB Nagar),
Secunderabad Cantonment, Quthbullapur under Malkajgiri PC;
Musheerabad, Amberpet, Khairatabad, Jubilee Hills,
Sanathnagar, Nampally, Secunderabad under Secunderabad PC;
Malakpet, Karwan, Goshamahal, Yakutpura, Charminar, Chandrayanagutta,
Bahadurpura under Hyderabad PC; Maheswaram, Rajendranagar,
Serilingampally under Chevella PC and Patancheru under Medak PC.
The city is divided by the state police into Hyderabad Police and Cyberabad
Police which come under the state Home Ministry and are headed by Police
Commissioners, who are IPS officers. Basheerbagh houses important
government offices such as the Police Commissioner's office, Police
Control room, Income tax Commissioner's office
, Central Excise and customs office, Central Reservation office etc. The city 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 and
Cyberabad commissionerates.
Hyderabad is the seat of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, and also has two
lower courts – the City Civil Court for civil matters and the Metropolitan
Criminal Court for criminal cases. The High Court and Legislature are
heritage buildings built by Nizam.
Economy
A special Coach which takes visitors around the studios of Ramoji Film City - the largest film production facility
Main page: Industries in Hyderabad, India
See also: Companies based in Hyderabad, India
Raj Bhavan Road at Somajiguda, one of the areas in the city where urbanization is on the rise.
Punjagutta twin flyovers at Punjagutta circle.
Hyderabad is the financial, economic and political capital of the state
of Andhra Pradesh. The city is the largest contributor to the state's
Gross Domestic Product, state tax and excise revenues. Hyderabad
ranks 93rd (as of 2008) in the List of richest cities in the world by GDP
(PPP) with US$60 bn and sixth in India. In terms of GDP per capita
(PPP), Hyderabad ranks 4th in India with US$6,428 and a workforce
participation of 29.55%[citation needed]. Hyderabad is ranked as the
2nd best Indian city for doing business in the Doing Business 2011
Report published by the World Bank Group.
Starting in the 1990s, the economic pattern of the city has changed
from being a primarily service city to being one with a more diversified
spectrum, including trade, transport, commerce, storage, communication
etc. Service industry is the major contributor, with urban workforce
constituting 90% of the total workforce.
Hyderabad is known as the city of pearls, lakes. The bangles market
known as Laad Bazaar is situated near Charminar. 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.
Hyderabad is a major center for Pharma & Biotech with companies such as
USP, Novartis, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Agilent, Biological E limited,
Shantha Biotechnics, Sanofipasteur, Bharath Biotech, GVK BIO, Matrix
Laboratories, Krebs biochemicals, Magene Lifesciences, AstraZeneca,
Hetero Drugs Limited, Divis Labs, Aurobindo Pharma Limited, Quintiles,
Ocimum Biosolutions, Lee Pharma, MAKRO, Gene-Tech, Vimta Labs etc
. being housed in the city. Initiatives such as Genome Valley, Fab City
and the Nano Technology park are expected to create extensive
infrastructure in bio-technology.
A store at Laad Bazaar selling bangles and jewellery. The Laadbazar and the Charminar market area are famous for pearls.
Like many Indian cities, Hyderabad has witnessed a high growth in
the real estate business,thanks to an information-technology-driven
boom in the 1990s and the retail industry growth over the last few
years which have spurred hectic commercial activity. A number of mega
malls have come up or are being built in the city. Real estate demand
in the suburban and rural areas surrounding Hyderabad has gone up
exponentially leading to a rapid increase in prices over the past few years
.The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI)
is quite optimistic about the coming times. Leveraging on the trend, many
property developers like Godrej Properties , PBEL, Janapriya Properties,
Ramky Estates and more have set up base in the city leading to a rapid
increase in prices over the past few years. Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills,
Begumpet and Himayath Nagar areas are considered the posh residential
areas of Hyderabad.
The retail industry in Hyderabad is on the rise. Many international and
national brands have set up retail chains here. The city has multiple Central
Business Districts (CBDs) spread across the city. There are many major
business/commercial districts from the older Charminar area to newer
Kothaguda. For the advancement of infrastructure in the city, the governmen
t is building a skyscraper business district at Manchirevula, near Rajendranagar
with a 450 m supertall structure APIIC Tower at its centre. Also, the Lanco
Hills near Gachibowli presents the tallest structure in India for residential
and commercial purposes.
The largest employers in Hyderabad are the Andhra Pradesh Government
and the Government of India with 113,098 and 85,155
employees respectively.
Information technology industry
Hyderabad has established itself as the leading destination for IT
and IT-enabled services, BPO and entertainment industries. Many
computer software companies, software consulting firms, business
process outsourcing (BPO) firms, dealing with IT and other technological
services firms have established their offices and facilities in the city since the 1990s.
Microsoft R&D Campus in Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
CA R&D Campus in Gachibowli, Hyderabad.
The development of a township with related technological infrastructure
called HITEC City prompted several IT and ITES companies to set
up operations in the city. An aggressive promotion of growth in this
area has led civic boosters to call the city Cyberabad. There have
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 their development centres
in the city. Major areas where such campuses have been set up are
Madhapur, Kondapur, Gachibowli and Uppal. Microsoft (with its
largest R&D campus outside the US), Oracle Corporation etc.
have set up operations in Hyderabad. For a more comprehensive
list of IT companies in Hyderabad, refer to Software industry in
Andhra Pradesh. TCS Deccan park is one of the active branches
of TCS in hyderabad. The 20th International World Wide Web
Conference will take place in Hyderabad.
Education and research
Main article: Education in Hyderabad, India
See also: List of institutions based in Hyderabad, India
Osmania University in Hyderabad
Schools in Hyderabad are affiliated to either CBSE, SSLC or ICSE.
Schools are run by either state government, local governing bodies,
private individuals, missionaries or other agencies. Children in Hyderabad
schools have to study for ten years in schools, followed by two years in
junior college before becoming eligible to enroll for graduation
programme in a college. In schools the medium of instruction is either
English, Telugu or Urdu
The University of Hyderabad was recently ranked first in Indian
subcontinent in the R&D arena. In addition to various colleges, the city
is home to three central universities, two deemed universities, and six state
universities. Colleges in Hyderabad are generally affiliated to Osmania
University. Osmania University, established in 1917, is the seventh
oldest university in India and the third oldest in South India.
Indian School of Business
Indian School of Business an international business school ranked
number 12 in global MBA rankings by the Financial Times of London
in 2010 established by a group of Fortune 500 CEOs in collaboration
with AP Government is also located in Hyderabad.Institute of Public
Enterprise is a premier Business School at Hyderabad and is recognized
as a "Centre of Excellence" by the Indian Council of Social Science
Research (ICSSR), Ministry of Human Resource Development,
Government of India, New Delhi for doctoral studies. IPE ranks
among 'Top Government -Aided B-Schools' by "Center for Forecasting
published in Wall Street Journal 2009" and it ranked 23rd overall India
by CSR-GHRDC B-School Survey 2009.
Colleges in Hyderabad offer graduation, post graduation and doctoral
programmes in science, arts, engineering, commerce, law & medicine
,fashion. College of Engineering – Osmania University, International
Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, Birla Institute of
Technology & Science , Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University,
Indian Institute of Technology, etc. are some of the famous engineering
schools in Hyderabad. In addition to engineering colleges, various institutes
know as National Institute Of Fashion Technology offer various degree
course in the field of fashion, polytechnics offer a three year course in
engineering. However,this does not lead to complete graduation.Gandhi
Medical College and Osmania Medical College are the centres of medical
education in Hyderabad. Admissions to professional colleges in Hyderbad
is through EAMCET.Colleges and universities in Hyderabad are run by
either by state government, central government or private individuals
or agencies.
NALSAR, NIPER, Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Maulana
Azad National Urdu University, English and Foreign Languages
University, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, are some
of the other universities located in Hyderabad.
| Shamirpet lake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Shamirpet is home to NALSAR, BITS and Genome Valley | |
| Location | Hyderabad |
Research institutions
Hyderabad is home to various CSIR and other public sector
research institutes such as Indian Institute of Chemical Technology
(IICT), Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Centre for
DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics CDFD, National Geophysical
Research Institute(NGRI), National Institute of Nutrition(NIN), Indian
Immunologicals Limited(IIL),Institute of Genetics and Hospital for Genetic
Diseases (IGHD), Center For Food Technological Research Institute
(CFTRI),Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic plants,(CIMAP),
National Mineral Development Corpation(NMDC), IRISET for railway
signal engineering and ICRISAT. Further, Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) labs like ANURAG, DMRL, DRDL and DERL
are facilitated with research centres in Hyderabad to develop communication
and radar systems and for the Integrated Guided Missile Development
Programme (IGMDP). Nuclear energy sector has a large presence
with three organisations under Department of Atomic Energy (India)
including the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research
(AMD), Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) and Electronics Corporation
of India Limited (ECIL).
Hyderabad hosted the International Congress of Mathematicians
(ICM), in August 2010. More than 2500 Mathematicians from
all over the world had participated in this conference.Hyderabad
is also hosting the International World Wide
Web (WWW) conference in the first-half of 2011.
Transport
Main article: Transport in Hyderabad, India
The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation, which runs the world's largest fleet of buses, connects Hyderabad with neighboring cities and states.
Roads
Hyderabad is connected to the rest of the country by National Highways
—NH-7, NH-9 and NH-202. Hyderabad is also well connected to the
remaining parts of the state. Like other cities, Hyderabad suffers from
traffic congestion. Completion of the Inner Ring Road and construction
of the Outer Ring Road encircling Hyderabad city is also underway and
is touted to make travel in the city easier. Many flyovers and underpasses
are also being constructed to ease traffic congestion in the city.
Local transport
The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation runs a fleet of
19,000 buses, the largest in the world. Hyderabad has the third largest
bus station facility in Asia, with 72 platforms for 89 buses to load passengers
at a time. Officially named as the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, it is
locally known as the Imlibun Bus Station, Jubilee Bus Station at Secunderabad
runs buses to various parts of the state and to some parts of South India.
The yellow colored Auto Rickshaw usually referred to as an auto, is the
most widely used transport service and has flag down minimum fare of Rs
12 for first 1.5 km and then Rs 7 per km. Radio Taxis and cabs by private
players have provided an easy travel in the city.
Rail
The Secunderabad Railway Station
Railways were first introduced in the city in the year 1869 with the
commencement of Secunderabad–Wadi line of Nizam's Guaranteed
State Railway. Secunderabad Railway Station is the headquarters
of the South Central Railway zone of the Indian Railways and is the
largest railway station serving Hyderabad. The other major railway
stations serving the city are Hyderabad Deccan Station (Nampally),
Kachiguda Railway Station and Begumpet Railway Station. These
stations provide connectivity within the city and the rest of the country.
Local trains
Hyderabad has a light rail transportation system known as the MultiModal
Transport System (MMTS) which runs local services providing connectivity
mainly to the IT corridor and Secunderabad. MMTS Phase 2 is
expected to complete by 2012. The SCR plans to incorporate more rakes.
Hyderabad Metro, the proposed rapid transit for the city is executed by L&T,
and is expected to operate 4 lines by 2014.
Air
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad
The international air port at Shamshabad, is a major airport in India and paved
its way up in to the top five airports of the world list by ACI.
There has been an unprecedented increase in the number of passengers leading
to increased air traffic
The Airport at Begumpet was unable to cope up with the situation
and was shut down on 2008-03-22.The new Rajiv Gandhi International
Airport was opened in March 2008 by Sonia Gandhi at Shamshabad,
southwest of the cityThe airport has the longest runway in India and caters
to the high passenger and cargo volumes it experiences. It is a hub for Jet
Lite, SpiceJet and IndiGo. On 16 February 2010, Hyderabad International
Airport was ranked fifth Best Airports Globally by Airports Council International
. The airport has been named as the number one airport in 5–15 million
passenger category by the Airport Council International in a worldwide
conducted survey. 29 October 2009, GMR Hyderabad International Airport
Limited (GHIAL), has bagged the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation’s (CAPA)
newly instituted award in the category, “Best Airport Environmental
Performanceof the Year”. Hyderabad international airport has been named
amongst the
world's top five in the annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) passenger
survey along with the ones at Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing.
The airport is the largest in terms of area and will provide world-class
facilities among all airports in India. It is said to There are flights to many
destinations, both domestic and international from this airport.
The PV Narasimha Rao Expressway was constructed at an elevated
level from Mehdipatnam to Rajendranagar along with an underpass
and trumpet interchange for providing dedicated high speed travel to
the airport. It is the longest flyover in India. There are three wide roads
leading to the new airport from the city and modern taxis and buses
can shuttle passengers between the city and the airport. The Nehru
Outer Ring Road serves as an expressway between Gachibowli and
Shamshabad. The other airports located here are Dundigul Air
Force Academy, Nadirgul Airport and Hakimpet Airport.
Culture
See also: Muslim culture of Hyderabad
Cars being decorated for wedding procession at Gunfoundry
Historically, Hyderabad has been the city where distinct cultural
and linguistic traditions of North India and South India meet. Hyderabadis
, as residents of the city are known, have developed a distinctive culture
which is a mixture of Hindu and Muslim traditions. A typical Hyderabadi
could be either a Telugu or a Urdu-speaking person that has decided to
make Hyderabad his/her home.
Women of all cultures and faiths in Hyderabad typically wear either the
traditional Indian dress, the sari, or, increasingly, the Salwar kameez
especially among the younger population. The traditional Hyderabadi
garb for females are the Khara Dupatta, the Salwar kameez and the
Burqa (religious). For males the traditional garb is the Sherwani. This
is one of the more visible cultural attributes of Hyderabad.
Hyderabadi Biryani
One of Hyderabad's public carnivals is the annual immersion of Lord Ganesh
idols after the 10 day Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations on Ananta Chaturdash
i (locally known as the Ganesh Nimajjanam). Bonalu is a vernacular
festival that is celebrated with great fervour.The Muslims fast for 30
days during their holy month of Ramzan, observed in piety and charity
,and celebrated at the end by Eid ul-Fitr, three days of festivities with greeting
and joy by everyone. At Eid a traditional sweet is made known as Sheer
Qorma. An annual procession takes place every 10th Muharram
(1st month of Islamic calendar)by the Shia Muslims at Charminar
where participants mourn through self-flagellation.
Cuisine
Main article: Hyderabadi cuisine
Hyderabadi cuisine is a blend of traditional South Indian, Mughal,
and Persian cuisine. Hyderabadi Biryani is an iconic dish of the region
. Other native preparations include Qubani ka meetha, Double ka
meetha, Phirni, Nahari Kulche also known as paya and Haleem
(a meat dish traditionally eaten during the holy month of Ramzan),
Kaddu Ki Kheer (a sweet porridge made with sweet gourd), Sheer
Qorma (a sweet liquid dish cooked with vermicelli and milk), Mirchi
ka saalan, Bagaare baigan, Khatti dal, Khichdi and Khatta, Til ki
chutney, baigan ki chutney, Til ka khatta, Aam ka achaar, Gosht ka
achaar, Peosi (a sweet prepared with egg whites and milk), Shahi
tukde, Kheema aaloo etc.
On street-corners are Irani café's that offer Irani chai, Irani
samosa and Osmania biscuit.
The sweets are known for their ghee-based items. Famous sweet
shops include the traditionally made. G.Pulla Reddy, Hammedi
Confectioners, Rami Reddy sweets and Karachi Bakery.
Italian, Mexican, Chinese and Continental cuisine are all popular in
the city along with typical Andhra and other South Indian cuisine.
Pubs are also getting popular in Hyderabad.
Media
Main article: Media in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Prasads IMAX Theatre houses the largest IMAX-3D in the world.
Ravindra Bharathi, a well known center for arts and theatre in the city
Hyderabad is home to the second largest film industry in India by
sheer number of films it produces, Telugu cinema, also known as
Tollywood which produces approximately three hundred movies
every year. Saradhi Studios, Annapurna Studios, Ramanaidu Studios,
Ramakrishna Studios, Padmalaya Studios, Ramoji Film City (the largest
Film Studio in India) are some of the notable film studios in the city.
The first Hyderabad International Film Festival (HIFF) was organized
in 2007 by the Hyderabad Film Club and Andhra Pradesh Film
Directors Association.The largest IMAX 3D Theatre in Asia and
has powerful projector in the world with 24 optical focus is Prasads
IMAX along with 4D Simulator at Hyderabad, India. Inox, PVR
Cinemas, Cine Planet, Cinemax, BIG Cinemas and Talkie Town are
some other multiplexes in Hyderabad. In the near future 17 more
multiplexes are coming up in the areas like Kukatpally, Kacheguda
etc. Novotel Convention center in Hyderabad, is India’s largest
convention facility, offering state of the art exhibition, meeting and
convention services. Ravindra Bharati located at Saifabad, is an important
and well known center for theatre and performing arts in the city. Many
artists from around the world perform here regularly. Lalithakala
Thoranam, Shilpakala Vedika are also similar centers for arts and
theatre. State-of-the-art Hyderabad International Convention Centre
(HICC) or simply HITEX is the first of its kind in South Asia and is
comparable to the world's best convention centers.
The radio industry has expanded with a number of private and government
owned FM channels being introduced. The FM radio channels that
broadcast in the city include AIR Vividh Bharathi FM (102.8 MHz),
AIR Rainbow FM (101.9 MHz), Radio Mirchi FM (98.3 MHz), Radio
City FM (91.1 MHz), Big FM (92.7 MHz), Red FM (93.5 MHz) and
AIR Gyan Vani FM (107.6 MHz).
State-owned Doordarshan transmits two terrestrial television channels
and one satellite television channel from Hyderabad. Some prominent
private regional television channels broadcasting from Hyderabad are
RAJ NEWS, HMTV, Zee 24 Gantalu, ABN, TV9, RK News TV,
MAA TV, I-News, MAHAA TV, Andhrajyothy news, ETV, ATV,
Gemini, Teja, Zee Telugu, ETV Urdu, ETV2,URDU TV 24HRS
NEWS CHANNEL, Sakshi TV, NTV, TV5, RTV, Bhakthi TV,
Local TV, Urdu Tv.
Hyderabad has three print media groups that publish several newspapers
and magazines in Telugu, Urdu, and English. The major Telugu
dailies include the Eenadu, Sakshi, Su
ryaa, Vaartha, Andhra Jyothi, Andhra Prabha, Andhra Bhoomi
and Praja Shakti. The major English dailies are The Times of India,
The Hindu, The Deccan Chronicle, Business Standard, The New
Indian Express and The Economic Times. Hyderabad publishes
more number of Urdu dailies than any other Indian city. The major
Urdu dailies are The Siasat Daily, The Munsif Daily, Etemaad,
Rehnuma-e-Deccan, Rozanama Rashtriya Sahara and The
Daily. Lifestyle magazines of Hyderabad are: WOW Hyderabad
, You & I, Cluburb, Tulip Hyderabad etc.
Hyderabad is covered by a large network of optical fibre cables.
There are four fixed telephone line operators in the city: BSNL,
Tata Indicom, Reliance and Airtel. There are fifteen mobile phone
companies in which GSM players include Vodafone, Airtel, BSNL,
Idea, Tata DoCoMo, Reliance, Virgin Mobile, T24, Aircel and
Uninor ; CDMA services offered by BSNL, Virgin Mobile, Tata
Indicom, MTS India and Reliance currently. 3G mobile services
are offered by Airtel, Idea, Aircell and BSNL .
Sports
See also: List of stadiums in Hyderabad
Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Uppal
G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium
The 2003 Afro-Asian Games was the second largest sports event held in India. Shown here is the Opening Ceremony at the GMC Balayogi Stadium.
Cricket and Field hockey are the most popular sports in the
city. Hyderabad Sultans won the inaugural Premier Hockey League
championship in 2005. The city took pride in hosting National Games
and Afro-Asian Games. The 4th Military World Games with participation
from 110 countries was held in Hyderabad in October 2007. Hyderabad
10k Run is a marathon event conducted every year.
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 played
here was on 19 November 1955. The stadium is currently being used to
conduct ICL matches. The new Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium
at Uppal has a capacity of approximately 55,000 spectators and is being
enhanced to have world class facilities. It houses an ultra-modern
gymnasium along with a swimming pool. It has been recently accorded
Test match status by the International Cricket Council.
Noted sports persons of International stature from Hyderabad include
Ghulam Ahmed, M L Jaisimha, Mohammed Azharuddin, VVS Laxman,
Venkatapathy Raju, Shivlal Yadav, Arshad Ayub, Noel David (Cricket),
Syed Abdul Rahim,Sania Mirza (Lawn Tennis), Pullela Gopichand,
Jwala Gutta, Saina Nehwal, Chetan Anand (Badminton), Mukesh
Kumar (Hockey).
Hyderabad's Deccan Chargers franchise in the Indian Premier League
was bought by Deccan Chronicle for USD 107 million. Deccan Chargers
won the title for the year 2009. The city also has an ICL team named
Hyderabad Heroes.
The city houses the Swarnandhra Pradesh Sports Complex, the G.M.C.
Balayogi Athletic Stadium at Gachibowli for hockey and football and a
sophisticated Velodrome for cycling at Osmania University. The city has
state-of-the-art venues for gymnastics, archery and sepak takraw,
shooting at Saroornagar Indoor Arena and University of Hyderabad
respectively. The Aquatics Complex Stadium at Gachibowli, with a
capacity of 3000 spectators hosts swimming, diving, water polo and
synchronized events. Kotla Vijay Bhaskar Reddy Indoor Stadium is a
multi-purpose stadium with a capacity of 2500 spectators and wooden
flooring with temperature control. SAAP Tennis Complex has a central
court that holds 5000 spectators and has seven courts with synthetic
surface. Water games like rowing, yachting, kayaking and canoeing are
conducted at Hussain Sagar lake. The city also has five Go-Karting
tracks and a Paint Ball Field. There are venues for table-tennis, basketball,
equestrianism, boxing, weight-lifting with world class facilities.
Hyderabad is fast becoming the hub of motosports events in AP,
the Andhra Pradesh motor sports club (APMSC) which was started
way back in 1977, has been instrumental in organising popular
events like the Deccan 1/4 Mile Drag, TSD Rallies, 4x4 Off road
in the recent past which received participation from all corners of India.
Hyderabad has hosted the 2003 Afro-Asian Games at the G.M.C.
Balayogi Athletic Stadium in which India won 19 gold medals and made
second right behind Chine.
The city is well known for Horse racing. The Hyderabad Race Club
formerly known as the Nizam Race Club is located at Malakpet.The
Hyderabad race club attracts jockeys from all over the country
by conducting various derbys/events here. The Deccan derby, a popular
annual event is a regular feature here. The winter races also were
conducted here recently. Badminton events take place at the Kotla
Vijay Bhaskar Stadium and also at Gachibowli stadiums, and also
played by youth and veterans in locality parks.
