Type	metropolitan city
Type 2	capital
Native name	Hyderabad
Other name	హైదరాబాద్ • حیدر آباد
Nickname	The City of Pearls
State name	Andhra Pradesh
Skyline	Hyderabad Montage.png
Skyline caption	Clockwise from top Charminar, Hussain Sagar, Birla Mandir, Chowmahalla Palace,
Locator position	right
Region	Telangana
Inset map marker	yes
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	India
District
Area total	527
Area total sq mi cite
Altitude	536
Coastline	0
Climate	Aw
Precip	603
Temp annual	26.0
Temp summer	35.9
Temp winter	23.5
Distance 1	1499
Direction 1	S
Destination 1	Delhi
Mode 1	land
Distance 2	711
Direction 2	SE
Destination 2	Mumbai
Mode 2	land
Distance 3	688
Direction 3	N
Destination 3	Chennai
Mode 3	land
Distance 4	1516
Direction 4	SW
Destination 4	Kolkata
Mode 4	land
Population as of	2011
Population total	4,010,238
Population total cite
Population rank	6th
Population density	18,480
Population metro	6,383,850
Population metro cite
Population metro as of	2010
Population metro rank	6th
Official languages	Telugu and Urdu
Leader title 1	Mayor
Leader name 1	Banda Kartika Reddy
Leader title 2	Commissioner
Leader name 2	A K Khan
Leader title 3	Member of Parliament
Leader name 3	Asaduddin Owaisi
Established title	Founder
Established date	Quli Qutub Shah, Aurangzeb
Established title	Founded
Established date	1591 AD
Planning agency	GHMC, HMDA
Area telephone	91-40, 8413, 8414, 8415, 8417, 8418, 8453, 8455
Postal code	500 xxx, 501 xxx, 502 xxx, 508 xxx, 509 xxx
Vehicle code range	AP 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 22, 23, 24, 28 & 29
Unlocode	IN HYD
Website	www.ghmc.gov.in
Info	www.happyhyderabad.com
Map caption	Location of Hyderabad in India }}

Hyderabad (), ( , }} ), is the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, India. Located at the crossroads of North and South India in Deccan Plateau. Hyderabad is currently the second largest metropolis in India, covering an area of (621.48 km²). It is the sixth most populous city and the sixth-most populous urban agglomeration in India. It is known with the sobriquet The City of Pearls, and referred as Heart of the Indian Peninsula by the Time Magazine US. Hyderabad is ranked nineteenth in the world by The New York Times in The list of 41 Places to Go in 2011. Hyderabad was founded by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591 AD on the banks of river Musi. The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad come under the ambit of a single municipal unit The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. According to Business Today survey, Hyderabad ranked as fourth best city to live in India.

The city houses Microsoft's biggest R&D; facility outside the USA. In addition to the IT industry, various biopharmaceutical firms have their operations in Hyderabad owing to its established Public sector in Life Science Research and Genome Valley. The city, houses expensive residential real estate areas in Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills. The city is home to the Telugu Film Industry, known popularly as Tollywood. Hyderabad hosts national level Urdu Mushairas regularly. Residents of Hyderabad are generally referred as Hyderabadis. Hyderabad has developed a unique culture that is reflected in its language and architecture.

Etymology

Theories explaining the origins and etymology behind Hyderabad's name differ. There is a 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. Another theory says Hyderabad was named in honor of the fourth caliph, Ali Ibn Abi Talib who was also known as Hyder.

History

Early History

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. The historical records says that this region of Hyderabad and surrounding was known as Golconda which was ruled by vemulawada chalukyas popularly known as chalukya dynasty who ruled this region (731 AD - 966 AD). Due to the final dissolution of chalukyas into four different empires (Hoysala, Pandyas, Kakatiya and the Yadavas of Devagiri) in the 11th century, the region of Golconda came under Kakatiya dynasty, Hyderabad which was part of Golconda region, remained under Hindu kingdom of kakatiya dynasty (1000 AD - 1310 AD), since then it was ruled by many different Muslim dynasties until 1948. The Kakatiya dynasty's headquarters was at Warangal. When Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi took over Warangal from kakatiya dynasty along with Golconda fort, Hyderabad region came under the khilji dynasty (1310 AD - 1321 AD). Alauddin Khilji carried away the world famous Kohinoor diamond with him to Delhi which was mined from Kollur mines in golkonda of kakatiya dynasty. Very soon Muhammad bin Tughluq annexed Khilji Sultanate of Delhi and formed Tughlaq dynasty in Delhi, which brought warangal (including Golconda and Hyderabad region) under the direct rule of Tughlaq dynasty of Delhi Sultanate until (1321 AD - 1347 AD). In 1347 AD, Ala-ud-Din Bahman Shah the chief of Tughlaq dynasty, revolted against Delhi Sultanate and founded Bahmani Sultanate of Deccan (South of India) including Golconda (of which Hyderabad was a part) with Gulbargah as his headquarters, Bahmani Sultanate ruled this region until 1518 AD. It was a first independent Muslim sultanet of Deccan (South India)

Early Modern

In 1518, Sultan quli who was governor of Golconda under Bahmani sultanate of which Hyderabad was a part, he revolted away from Bahmani sultanate and founded the Qutb Shahi dynasty which lasted until 1687 AD. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, a fifth Sultan 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 1591 to 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 1687 and, 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.

During British Raj

Hyderabad State the richest and the seniormost (21-gun) salute state during the period of British India. Hyderabad State was spread on 223,000 km² (The present size of Great Britain) region in the Deccan, ruled by the Asif Jahi Dynasty, who had the title of Nizam and was conferred the title of His Exalted Highness by the British.The only Indian prince to be given this status of HEH. The Nizam set up numerous institutions in the name of the dynasty. they set up schools, colleges, madarsas, a university that imparted education in Urdu, hospitals, etc.Hyderabad State had his own mint, printing its own currency, the Hyderabadi Rupee. Inspired by the elite and prestigious Indian Civil Service they founded the Hyderabad Civil Service. The pace with which last and Seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan amassed wealth made him to be one of the world's richest man in 1937, (Time cover story February 22, 1937). As per the Forbes All-Time Wealthiest List of 2008, Hyderabad States, Seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan is the fifth richest man ever in the world (Bill Gates ranks 20th), The Nizams worth has been estimated by Forbes to be around 210.8 billion US Dollar (adjusted to the present value of the US Dollar). Carrying a gift, called Nazrana, in accordance with one's net worth while meeting Nizam was a de facto necessity.

Integration into Indian Union

When India gained independence in 1947, the Nizam declared his intention to remain independent, either as a sovereign ruler or by acquiring Dominion status within the British Empire. In order to keep essential trade and supplies flowing, he signed a Standstill Agreement with the Indian Union which surrounded him on all sides. The law and order situation soon deteriorated, with escalating violence between the private Razakar army fighting for continuation of the Nizam's rule and the people with the support of the Congress leaders like Swami Ramanand Tirtha and the communists of Telangana, were fighting for joining in the Indian Union. As the violence spiraled out of control with refugees flowing into the coastal Andhra region of the Madras State of India, the Indian Government under Home Minister Sardar Patel initiated a police action titled Operation Polo. On 16 September 1948, Indian Army moved in to Hyderabad State from five fronts. Four days later, the Hyderabad forces surrendered. The number of dead was a little over 800. The Police Action achieved success within a matter of days. The Nizam finally surrendered and signed the Instrument of Accession to the Indian Union and Hyderabad State was integrated into the Indian Union as a state.

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. 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. Hyderabad State was disintergrated in liguistic line. Four Kannada speaking districts were merged with Karnataka. Four Marathi speaking districts were merged with Bombay State (later Maharashtra). Nine Telugu speaking districts of Hyderabad State, also known as Telangana, was merged with the Telugu speaking state of Andhra State to create the state of Andhra Pradesh(Tenth district, Ranga Reddy district was carved out Hyderabad district in 1978). 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

Hyderabad is located in central Andhra Pradesh and is spread over an area of 621 sq.km. The city is 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.

The Musi river originates from Anantagiri Hills (located 70 km south west of Hyderabad) and joins Krishna River near Wazirabad in Nalgonda district. There are two dams built on it - Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar. Both these reservoirs constitute the major drinking water sources for Hyderabad city. These dams also prevented the city from flooding that encountered till the early decades of 20th century. Musi River was called Muchukunda River in pre-historic days. A few bridges cross the river; the oldest, called "Purana Pul"(literally meaning old bridge) was built during the 16th century by the Qutb Shahi sultans of Golconda.

Climate

Hyderabad has a unique combination of a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen Aw) that borders on a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen 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.The climate of Hyderabad remains fairly warm through most parts of the year and does not receive much rainfall in the monsoon. With the onset of winters in North and central parts of India, temperatures marginally come down in the months of December and January and the nights become quite cool in and around the Hyderabad city. During the summer months, the mercury goes as high as while in winters the minimum temperature may come down to as low as . June to November are the months of monsoons, accompanied by rains. During the Monsoons also the temperature goes down at times. Thus, for most parts of the year the weather and climate of Hyderabad remains fairly moderate and you can visit the Hyderabad city anytime in the year but the best season to visit Hyderabad is between October–February. The mean maximum temperature ranges between and in May. After the withdrawal of the monsoon, the maximum temperature rises slightly due to increased insulation. The mean minimum temperature is to in December and January, but it rises to to in May. The minimum temperature falls rapidly after October, and less than was recorded on individual days. The climate is pleasant from November to February. The summer months of April and May are uncomfortable due to oppressive heat. The period from July to September is warm, humid and uncomfortable. Temperatures in the evenings and mornings are generally sharply cooler because of the city's moderate elevation. Hyderabad receives around of rain every year, almost all of it concentrated in the monsoon months. The highest maximum (day) temperature ever recorded was on 2 June 1966, while the lowest minimum (night) recorded temperature was on 8 January 1946.

Demographics

{{India census population | title = Hyderabad Population | 1971 = 1796000 | 1981 = 2546000 | 1991 = 3059262 | 2001 = 3637483 | 2011 = 4010238 | 2011ref = | footnote = World Gazetteer }}

{{bar box | title = Religion in Hyderabad | left1 = Religion | right1 = Percent | float = right | bars = | caption = Distribution of religions † Includes Sikhs (0.03%), Buddhists (0.04%), Jains (0.04%). }}

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 cosmopolitan city, whose residents are adherents to a wide range of religions, predominentally Hinduism (55.40%), Muslims (40.17%) and others including Christianity (2.13%), 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 two official languages of Hyderabad, while English is also commonly used. Hindi, Marathi, Kannada and Tamil are also spoken by a significant part of the population. Urdu spoken here has influences of Arabic, Turkish, Persian and Hindi, giving rise to a dialect sometimes called Hyderabadi Urdu or Deccani. The Telugu language in Hyderabad has a varied dialect called the Telangana dialect.

Administration

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 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. 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. The 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

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. The nominal gross domestic product of Hyderabad metro was estimated at $15 billion in 2010. Hyderabad ranks 93rd (as of 2008) in the List of richest cities in the world by GDP (PPP) with US$60 billion and sixth in India. Hyderabad is ranked as the 2nd best Indian city for doing business in the Doing Business 2011 Report published by the World Bank Group. The city is also one of India's prominent Information Technology hubs, contributing most of Andhra Pradesh's Rs 36,000-crore revenue from software exports. 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 also a Biopharmaceutical hub in India, with companies such as IDPL, USP, Novartis, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Sanofi pasteur - (Shantha Biotechnics), Biocon, Biological E limited, Bharath Biotech, Ocimum Biosolutions, Aurobindo Pharma Limited, Neuland Pharmaceutical, Nektar Therapeutics, Dupont, Agilent, Thomson Healthcare, Parexel, Albany Molecular Research, Quintiles, AstraZeneca, GVK BIO, Matrix Laboratories, Krebs biochemicals, Magene Lifesciences, Hetero Drugs Limited, Makrocare etc. Initiatives such as Genome Valley, Fab City and the Nano Technology park are expected to create extensive infrastructure in bio-technology. Hyderabad is known as the city of pearls. 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.

Like many Indian cities, Hyderabad has witnessed a high growth in the real estate business, due 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.

For the advancement of infrastructure in the city, the government is building a skyscraper business district at Narsingi, Ranga Reddy district near Manchirevula with a 450 m supertall structure APIIC Tower at its centre. The largest employers in Hyderabad are the Andhra Pradesh Government and the Government of India with 113,098 and 85,155 employees respectively.

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 historical Charminar area to newer Kothapet, Gachibowli, Rajendranagar.

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, BPO firms, dealing with IT and other technological services firms have established their Head offices and facilities in the city since the 1990s. The city is home to more than 1,300 IT firms, including Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Amazon Hyderabad's IT exports exceeded $1 billion in 2004. 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.

Education and research

Schools in Hyderabad are affiliated to either CBSE, SSC 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 mostly English, Hindi, Urdu or Telugu.

The University of Hyderabad was recently ranked first in Indian subcontinent in the R&D; arena. Osmania University, established in 1917, is the seventh oldest university in India and the third oldest in South India. In addition to various colleges, the city is home to three central universities, two deemed universities, and six state universities.

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. Another institute is the ICFAI Business School, a reputed deemed to be University.

The Indian Institute Of Technology has set up their new campus in the Hyderabad in 2008. IIT Hyderabad is presently running from a temporary campus located at Ordinance Factory Campus, Yeddumailaram village, while the permanent campus in Kandi is constructed. It was set up in technical and financial assistance from the Government of Japan. IIT Hyderabad campus will be located at Kandi (near to Sangareddy) to on the outskirts of Hyderabad city in a 550-acre (2.2 km2) campus. The campus is located on NH-9 and is also near to Outer Ring Road (Hyderabad). It is expected that all operations will be shifted to the main campus by mid-2012.

Colleges in Hyderabad offer graduation, post graduation and doctoral programmes in science, arts, engineering, commerce, law, fashion & medicine. College of Engineering – Osmania University, International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University and Indian Institute of Technology are some of the eminent engineering schools in Hyderabad. In addition to engineering colleges, Raffles Millennium International Hyderabad offers advanced degree courses in the field of fashion, interior design, jewellery design, visual communications and multimedia design. NIMS, Gandhi Medical College and Osmania Medical College are the main centres of medical education in Hyderabad. Admissions to professional colleges in Hyderbad is through EAMCET. Colleges and universities in Hyderabad are run by the state government, central government or private individuals or agencies.

University of Hyderabad, NALSAR, NIPER, Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, English and Foreign Languages University, JNTU, NIMS and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University are some of the other universities located in Hyderabad.

Research Institutions

Hyderabad is home to various CSIR and other public sector research institutes such as Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited (IDPL), 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 (IGHGD), 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).

Transport

Air

The Hyderabad International Airport at Shamshabad, is the world's number one airport in the category of serving 5–15 million passengers and world fifth best airport, both ranked by ACI, and the best airport in India according to Britain-based consultancy Skytrax. The airport has the longest runway and largest in terms of area among all the airports in India. With the inauguration of Pharma Zone in January 2011, it became Indias first airport to transport more than 30,000 tonnes of temperature controlled pharma products, and caters to the high passenger and cargo volumes. It is a hub for Jet Lite, SpiceJet and IndiGo airways.GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL), has been awarded the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) award in the category of Best Airport Environmental Performance of the Year 2009.

The 11.6 km PV Narasimha Rao Expressway, 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, 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 a expressway between Gachibowli and Shamshabad. The other airports located here are Dundigul Air Force Academy, Nadirgul Airport and Hakimpet Airport.

Rail

Railways were first introduced in the city in 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.

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. Ever since the MMTS Phase I was introduced in 2003, the patronage has increased considerably from mere 11,000 passengers a day to over 1.50 lakh passengers. MMTS Phase 2 is expected to complete by 2012 to handle 3 lakh passengers a day.

Hyderabad Metro, the proposed rapid transit for the city is executed by L&T;, and is expected to operate 4 lines by 2014.

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. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation headquartered in Hyderabad, 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. The Jubilee Bus Station at Secunderabad runs buses to various parts of the state and to some parts of South India.

Local transport

The yellow colored Auto Rickshaw, usually referred to as an auto, is the most widely used transport service and has a minimum fare of Rs 16 for the first 1.5 km and Rs 8 per additional km. Radio Taxis and cabs by private players have provided an easy travel in the city.

Culture

Historically, Hyderabad has been the city where distinct cultural and linguistic traditions of North 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.

The traditional Hyderabadi garb is Sherwani and Kurta Paijama for men, Khara Dupatta and Salwar kameez for women, which reflects distinctive culture of Hyderabad. Women of all cultures and faiths in city generally wear sari and Salwar kameez. Burqa and Hijab is commonly practiced among the Muslim women when in public, this is one of the more visible cultural attributes of Hyderabad. Most of the young generations wear western clothing.

Some of the public carnivals celebrated in Hyderabad are, the annual immersion of Lord Ganesh idols after the 10 day Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations on Ananta Chaturdashi (locally known as the Ganesh Nimajjanam) when the 10-day Vinayaka Chaviti festivities culminate with the immersion of idols into the Hussain Sagar lake. Bonalu is a vernacular festival that is celebrated with great fervor among the Hindus. The Muslims fast during the holy month of Ramzan, observed in piety and charity, and celebrated at the end by Eid ul-Fitr, three days of festivities with greetings and joy by everyone. At Eid a traditional sweet dish is made known as Sheer Qorma.

Cuisine

A 400-year history is behind the culinary delights of Hyderabadi food. It evolved in the kitchens of the Nizams, who elevated food to a sublime art form. Hyderabad cuisine is highly influenced by Mughals and partially by Arabic, Turkish and Irani food where rice, wheat and spices are widely used to great effect. It is also influenced by the native Telugu and Marathwada food, bringing in a unique taste to the dishes.

Hyderabadi cuisine is a blend of traditional South Indian, Mughalai, Arabic and Persian cuisine. Hyderabadi Biryani and Hyderabadi Haleem had become iconic dishes of India with the tag awarded from GI registry office at Chennai, India. Other native preparations include Qubani ka meetha, Double ka meetha, Phirni, Nahari Kulche (also known as paya) and Hyderabadi Haleem (a meat dish traditionally prepared and eaten during the holy month of Ramzan), Kaddu Ki Kheer (a sweet porridge made with sweet gourd),Kaddu ka daalcha, Sheer Qorma (a sweet liquid dish cooked with vermicelli and milk),Chaakna, Mirchi ka saalan, Bagaare baigan, Shikampur, Tala hua Gosht, 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 cafés that offer Irani chai, Irani samosa and Osmania biscuit. The sweets are known for their ghee-based items.

Italian, Mexican, Chinese and Continental cuisine are all popular in the city and other South Indian cuisine. Pubs are also getting popular in Hyderabad.

Media

Hyderabad is home to Telugu cinema popularly known as Tollywood, in 2008 it occupied top position with maximum number of films produced in India, and in 2009 Tollywood stands on second position. Saradhi Studios, Annapurna Studios, Ramanaidu Studios, Ramakrishna Studios, Padmalaya Studios, Ramoji Film City 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. Prasad IMAX Theaters houses the World's largest IMAX-3D, largest screen (662 Sq. Meters) in India and has powerful projector with 24 optical focus along with 4D simulator. Inox, PVR Cinemas, Cine Planet, Cinemax, BIG Cinemas and Talkie Town are some other multiplexes in Hyderabad. 17 more multiplexes are being constructed in the areas like Kukatpally and Kacheguda.

Ravindra Bharati, located at Saifabad, is an important and well-known auditorium for theatre and performing arts in the city. Many artists from around the world perform here regularly. Lalithakala Thoranam and Shilpakala Vedika are also similar centers for arts and theatre. State-of-the-art Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), simply called HITEX, is the first of its kind in South Asia and is comparable to the world's best convention centers, constructed with the cost of 3 billion.

The radio industry has expanded with a number of private and government owned FM channels being introduced. Notable FM radio channels that broadcast in the city include AIR, Radio Mirchi FM (98.3 MHz), Radio City FM (91.1 MHz), and Big FM (92.7 MHz).

State-owned Doordarshan transmits two terrestrial television channels and one satellite television channel from Hyderabad. Some notable private regional television channels broadcasting from Hyderabad are TV9, MAA TV, I-News, ETV, Gemini, Teja, Zee Telugu, ETV Urdu, ETV2, NTV, TV5, Bhakthi TV, Local TV, and 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 Namaste Telangana, Eenadu, Sakshi, Suryaa, 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 and Etemaad.

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 are offered by BSNL, Virgin Mobile, Tata Indicom, MTS India and Reliance. 3G mobile services are offered by Airtel, Idea, Aircell and BSNL.

Sports

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 2003 Afro-Asian Games. The 4th Military World Games with participation from 110 countries was held in Hyderabad in October 2007.

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), Mir Mohtesham Ali Khan (Bodybuilding).

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 4000 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.

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.

When the Elite Football League of India was introduced in August 2011, Hyderabad was noted as one of eight cities to be awarded a team for the inaugural season. Named the Hyderabad Skykings, the team's first season will be played in Pune, and it will be Hyderabad's first professional American football franchise.

Sister cities

City	Geographical location	Nation	Reference
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See also

Hyderabad International Airport

Hyderabad state

List of million-plus cities in India

List of people from Hyderabad

List of tourist attractions in Hyderabad

Old City Hyderabad

Miyapur, Hyderabad

References

External links

Hospitals in Hyderabad Hyderabad Hospitals

MSN Map

Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad

Official website of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation

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Hyderabad Category:Cities and towns in Hyderabad district, India Category:Indian capital cities Category:Metropolitan cities in India Category:Populated places established in 1590 Category:Sister cities of Riverside, California

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