hyderabad-india

"Cheluvaraj"

"Mahesh Achanta"

"Sindooram Bhaskar"

"Vinay Bidappa"

"Chandhunadh"

"I won't let Hyderabad turn into another Kashmir."

"Tej Sapru as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel"

"Bobby Simha"

"Anasuya Bharadwaj"

"Thalaivasal Vijay"

"John Vijay"

"Police were finding it difficult to enforce curfew in the lanes and by-lanes of the [predominantly Muslim] Old City. People on the roof- tops were pelting stones on the police. On Friday morning, about 200 people gathered... at around 11a.m. and began pelting stones at the houses of members belonging to one [i.e.Hindu] community, besides indulging in stabbing, looting and torching houses and shop. to quell this mob, police opened fire...resulting in the death of one person and injuries to three others. In view of the seriousness of the situation, police clamped curfew at around 12.30 p.m... By this time, nearly 15 persons had been stabbed."

"The violence was, according to press reports, started by revenge action of Muslims against the police, for killing an influential Muslim goonda, Mohammed Sardar. This man was a convicted murderer, and while free on parole, he had killed a policeman, and gone underground. When the police caught up with him, he was killed in an exchange of firing. This encounter triggered a wave of stabbing by people belonging to the same community as this Mohammed. ... In the Hyderabad riots, Muslims attacked a Harijan quarter, primarily because they expected these Harijans to be unorganized and weak."

"BJP leader V.K. Malhotra has aptly ridiculed this facile allegation in a speech in the Lok Sabha: "The country has witnessed 2500 riots between 1950 and 1990. Godhra city had communal riots in 1947, 52, 59, 61, 65, 67, 72, 74, 80, 83, 89 and 90. Were all of these caused by the Rathyatra ?" He pointed out that those who were painting a grim picture of the minorities being massacred, were doing a great disservice to the country and giving it a bad name. The fact was that 90% of the people killed in Hyderabad were Hindus. (...)"

"An unusual feature of the current clashes was the heavy toll inflicted on the majority community, forcing many of them to flee their hearth and homes south of the Musi, which were immediately occupied by members of the minority community... House-to-house searches in the [predominantly Muslim] old city yielded a rich haul of weapons, imported from the north."

"...Mughal sovereign, Muhammad Shah ...conferred on the Nizam the title of Asif Jha after making peace with him...The rule of Asif Jha I, that lasted for a quarter of a century, once again brought to Hyderabad an era of prosperity and grandeur ...The dynastic rule begun by the first Asif Jha lasted right up to 1948, when Hyderabad state merged with the Indian Union... rulers of the Asif Jha dynasty (or more popularly known as the Nizam dynasty contributed to the growth of Hyderabad economically and culturally."

"Kings of the Nizam dynasty... indulged their fantasies on an extraordinary extent. For instance, the ninth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahbub Ali, Asif Jha VI (1869-1911) is reputed to have never repeatedly worn a dress. It is said that his wardrobe filled an entire wing of the palace and stood two story’s high."

"...an ancient culture and civilization...This cosmopolitan city is also known as the city of minarets due to the presence of several mosques displaying huge minarets. Art, architecture, groups of people and religions form a unique blend in Hyderabad. Over the centuries this variety evolved into a great cultural landscape."

"Though the Nizams who came after Asif Jha I still were wealthy, they were not capable administrators and policy-makers like the first Nizam. So, they were slowly subordinated by the growing French and British powers on the peninsula."

"Charminar, the four towered structure standing at the intersection of the four main streets of the city, like the Eiffel Tower of Paris, the Statue of Liberty in New York, or West Minister Abbey in London.."

"Charminar, had been built in 1589 by Mohammad-Quli Qutab Shah, the king whose seat was Golconda Fort some fifteen miles (from Hyderabad City), to commemorate the spot where he caught his first glimpse of Bhagmati, the Hindu girl who captured his heart and in time became his queen."

"During the time of Nizam Osman Ali Khan (1911-1956), Charminar even figured on the then Hyderabad Rupee because such kind of architecture was unknown in southern India until this time...Mosques and minarets, forts and palaces of great beauty exists side by side with colleges and art galleries, public gardens and administrative buildings offering thereby a rare visual variety to please even the most demanding of visitors."

"Ye jung hai jung-e-azadi, azadi ke parcham ke tale.. It is a war, the war of independence, of the myriad souls....."

"Far from gracefully accepting the public mood against his autocratic rule, the Nizam went on to declare Hyderabad an independent state, pompously claimed to unfurl the Asafia flag on the Red Fort, threatened to accede the State to Pakistan, sent an emissary to Britain and even sought UN intervention. Yet, it took just four days and 13 hours, beginning September 13, 1948, for the Indian Army to tame the "mighty" Nizam's Army."

"His Exalted Highness, Lt. Gen Muzaffar-ul Mulk Wal Mumalik Nizam-ul-Mulk, Nizam-ud-Dowla, Nawab Sir Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur, the Faithful Ally of the British, Nizam of Hyderabad, was arguably one of the richest men in the world, nearly bowing with a traditional "namaste" before the redoubtable first Indian Union Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, at the Begumpet Airport."

"The Nizam paid for his mistakes. He remained stubborn not accepting any of the conciliatory efforts made by Jawaharlal Nehru. He was offered full protection and 40 per cent representation to Muslims in the constitution of a responsible government, though their population was 12 per cent. Exhausting all options, the Nehru Government sent the army."

"Hyderabad has grown into a cosmopolitan city largely due to Central government and defence establishments. In its most recent phase of growth, the IT boom galvanised Hyderabad's outskirts into a major international hub. Apart from AP's two other regions, Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra, many people from other parts of India and abroad, attracted by Hyderabad's resources, climate and peaceful environment, have made its home."

"The discovery of [such] archaeological evidences shows that the history of the city and environs goes much beyond Kakatiya and Qutb Shahi periods. The burial spot was on a five-acre patta land in Sy. No.124, in the possession of B. Mallaiah of the same village in Hayathnagar mandal of Ranga Reddy district, just off the Hyderabad-Vijaywada highway. On the face of it, the site was datable to 500 B.C, but unless systematic excavations were carried out, further details would not be known."

"The Hyderabadi art and architecture of the 18th and 19th Centuries is eclectic which imbibes the Mughal cultural traits and traditions on the one hand and borrows freely from the Western art traditions on the other, which had come into vogue in Hyderabad after the construction of the British Residency in 1806 A.D. The Hyderabadi artists, however, did not fail to draw inspiration from their own soil, may it be architecture, painting, dress and ornaments for which the city was famous."

"The Asaf Jahi architecture, including palaces, tombs and mosques, belonging to Kings and nobles, are good examples of a mixture of the Mughal and European art styles. Besides the Residency building, there are a number of churches in the city, which are built in typical British style of architecture."

"The "newest’ of the official residences of the Indian President, Rashtrapati Nilayam at Secunderabad, came into being as a result of India’s Independence. In the first decade of freedom, the separatist tendencies evinced by some political organisations in South India caused concern to the founding fathers of the young republic. Among the various slogans of the separatists, one was that the President of the Indian Republic had all his official residences in north India. As such in 1955, the then President, Dr Rajendra Prasad, decided that there must be an official residence in South India, so that during his visits to the South, the local populace doesn’t feel that he comes as a "guest" to the various Raj Bhavans. Since the President was likely to spend only six to eight weeks every year in South India, a small edifice was to be chosen, so that the annual upkeep could be kept at the minimum."

"The mansion chosen by President Rajendra Prasad in 1956 had been originally built by the British in 1870 as the summer resort for the British Resident to Hyderabad state, who found the town cooler than the nearby cantonment of Secunderabad. This building with the total land area of 101 acres, is a single-storeyd edifice, with a dining hall, durbar hall, morning room and other ceremonial halls. There are 16 rooms for the President and his staff. There is also a visitors’ annexe which can accommodate more than 150 people."

"Constructed in 1562 and situated between the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad... the almost 450 years old lake Hussainsagar is an engineering marvel and a symbol of traditional wisdom of water conservation in this semi-arid region of peninsular India...In recent years the lake has emerged as the major recreational centre and ecological land mark on the map of the country."

"Starting with the period prior to the city's birth in 1591, Hyderabad, [is] one of contemporary India's most important cities. The city has a fascinating march from Bhagnagar to Hyderabad to 'Cyberabad', has evolved unique composite culture, which has continued to attract people since its founding by its poet-builder."

"Hyderabad is a historic beautiful City and is the Capital of Andhra Pradesh. The city is called “Pearl City” and famous for its twinkling pearls and [[w:Laad Bazaar|glass embedded bangles. The city was founded during Qutub Shahi dynasty and was called Bhagyanagar. The present Hyderabad district came into existence in August 1978 with total geographic area of 199.6 square kilometers and covers the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad."

"Hyderabad being the State Capital is highly developed in all aspects. It is situated at an altitude of 536 metres and offers pleasant weather conditions. The total geographical area of the District is 199.60 square kilometers."

"The Hyderabad development area is divided into two parts. The first part is the incorporated area of the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad-Secunderabad and the Cantonement area. The second part is the peripheral area excluding the incorporated area in the Hyderabad development area."

"The Old City or shall we say the real Hyderabad? The part of town that has all the monuments that we are all so proud of, all the wares that we are so famous for, and all the folks that make us so unique!"

"It was in 1591 that Hyderabad was founded by Mohd Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth king of the Quli Qutub Shah dynasty, based in Golconda fort. The Shah decided to build a new city on the banks of the Musi river because Golconda posed a problem of drinking water and raging epidemics. Over the next few decades, while Golconda continued to exist, Hyderabad, with Charminar as its centrepiece, became the new hub. It [is] 25km away from Golconda."

"Four hundred years ago what is Hyderabad city was an area covered with granite stone hills, forest and a river flowing through."

"Misfortune befell the city with the conquest of the Deccan by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1687. The headquarters of the Deccan then shifted to Aurangabad under the Mughal rule. In 1763, the Nizam shifted the headquarters to Hyderabad and again the city flourished."

"In the year 1802, Nawab Mir Alam built a reservoir. Construction was supervised by an Englishman, Mr. Russel. Water from the Mir Alam tank was channeled to the Purani Haveli Palace and others. Later was supplied to the public."

"The British Residency was established on the northern banks of the Musi River now referred to as Secunderabad and the gap between Hyderabad and Secunderabad gradually filled with residences and industry."

"The Falaknuma Palace stands majestically on the crest of a hill and is reached by a small winding road. It was built at a cost of rupees thirty-five lakhs by the late Sir Vigar-ul-Ulema and bought by the Nizam in 1897. The Nizam VI lived and died in the palace. Successive viceroys and the last Governor General of India, C. Rajagopalachari."

"In September of 1908, the usually quiet Musi river rose in fury and stuck the city with large scale destruction. Sir M.Vishveswarayya together with Ali Nawz Jung proposed damming the river on its two tributaries, the Musi and the Easi and channeling it as it passed through the city. Two reservoirs were thus formed in 1922 and 1927 and the new Hyderabad Water Works resulted."

"In the Deccan, a Muslim State ruled by H.E.H. the Nizam, special stamps and currency known as Halisika minted in Hyderabad was minted."

"The first mint in Hyderabad was established at the old royal palace, Sultan Shah, in 1803. Almost a hundred years later, the mint was modernized and shifted to Saifabad."

"The first Hali coins bearing the Charminar motif were silver rupee and four anna coins in 1904-1905. Nickel coinage for Hali came into vogue in 1919, when the round one-anna piece was minted."

"The decision to bifurcate the state has cleared the air, bringing in stability in the market. But now there is clarity that second capital is also going to function from Hyderabad and this is going to be value addition for real estate market."

"In 1591, the fifth Qutb Shahi Sultan of Golconda, Mohammad Quli (r.1580-1612) built a city as ‘a replica of heaven’. He named it Bhagnagar, after his beloved Bhagmati. In 1983, the German architect Jan Pieper quoted chapter and verse to argue that the city was indeed an architectural metaphor for the Quranic heaven."