Hyderabad

Hyderabad Hyderabad
metropolitan city
Founded	1591
Population  (2006)
• Metro	6,112,250
Website	www.ghmc.gov.in/

For other uses, see Hyderabad.

Hyderabad or Haydarābād /haɪd̪əraːbaːd̪/ (Telugu: హైదరాబాదు,Urdu: حیدر آباد) is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Situated in the region of Andhra Pradesh, the city has an estimated population of 6.1 million ( 61 lakh), making it the 6th most populous metropolis in India. Hyderabad is known for its rich history, culture and architecture representing its unique characteristic of a meeting point for North and South India, and its multi-lingual culture, both geographically and culturally. Hyderabad is also one of the most developed cities in the country. It is now a hub of information technology (or IT), ITES (BPO) and biotechnology.

Hyderabad and Secunderabad are the twin cities, separated by the Husain Sagar (bound by the 'Tank Bund'), a man made lake made during the time of Ibrahim Qutb Shah in 1562.

The Charminar (Urdu: "Four Minars") monument, built in the center of Hyderabad by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah in 1591, is a commemoration of the eradication of a plague in the region.

Etymology

Theories explaining the origins and etymology behind Hyderabad's name differ. A popular theory suggests that after founding the city, Muhammad Quli fell in love with and married a local Banjara girl known as Bhagamathi. He named this city after her as Bhagyanagaram. Upon her conversion to Islam, Bhagamathi changed her name to Hyder Mahal — and the new city's name was correspondingly changed to match it, resulting in the eponymous name "Hyderabad (literally, "the city of Hyder").

History

Main article: History of Hyderabad

Sultan Quli Qutb Mulk was the founder of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, the ruling family of the Golconda. The dynasty, previously a feudatory of Bahmani sultanate, declared independence in 1512. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, a ruler of the dynasty, founded the city of Hyderabad on the banks of the Musi River in 1591; this relocation was intended to relieve a water shortage the dynasty had experienced at their old headquarters at Golconda. He also ordered the construction of the Charminar, the iconic monument of the city, in 1591, reportedly in gratitude to the almighty for arresting the plague epidemic before it did irreversible damage to his new city.

As Qutb Shahi power and fortune rose during the 16th and early 17th centuries, Hyderabad became a center of a vibrant diamond trade. Golconda diamond mines are the birth place of the most famous diamonds in the world viz. Hope Diamond, Koh-i-Noor,the crown jewel in the crown of Queen Elizabeth. They contributed to the growth and development of Indo-Persian and Indo-Islamic literature and culture in Hyderabad. Some of the sultans were known as patrons of local Telugu culture as well. In the 16th century the city grew to accommodate the surplus population of Golconda and eventually became the capital of the Qutb Shahi rulers. Hyderabad became known for its gardens (called baghs) and its comfortable climate.

A Spanish Mosque in Hyderabad reflects past Islamic rule in the city

Mughal emperor Aurangzeb captured Hyderabad in 1687. During the short Mughal rule, the fortune of Hyderabad declined. Soon, the Mughal-appointed governors of the city gained more 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 Hyderabad. Thus began the Asaf Jahi dynasty that would rule Hyderabad until a year after India's independence from Britain. Asaf Jah's successors ruled as Nizams of Hyderabad. The rule of the seven Nizams saw the growth of Hyderabad both culturally and economically. Hyderabad became the formal capital of the kingdom and Golconda, the former capital, was all but abandoned. Huge reservoirs, like the Nizam Sagar, Tungabhadra, Osman Sagar, Himayat Sagar, and others 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.

After the Indian independence in 1947, under the terms of independence from the British, the State of Hyderabad headed by the Prime Minister, the cabinet and the Nizam opted for independence, either as a sovereign ruler or by acquiring Dominion status within the British Empire.

India then enforced an economic blockade. As a result Hyderabad state signed a Standstill Agreement with the Indian Union. On September 17, 1948, more than a year after India had gained independence, the Nizam signed the Instrument of Accession to the Indian Union.

On November 1, 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. Hyderabad and the surrounding areas were added to Andhra Pradesh, based on the Telugu speaking community. Thus, Hyderabad became the capital city of the new state of Andhra Pradesh.

Geography

Topography

Hyderabad city is located in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, in the region of Telangana. It lies on the Deccan Plateau, 541 meters (1776 ft) above sea level, over an area of 625 km² (244 mile²).

Husain Sagar Lake

The original city of Hyderabad was founded on the banks of river Musi. Now known as the historic old city, home to the Charminar and Makkah Masjid, it lies on the southern bank of the river. The city center saw a shift to the north of the river, with the construction of many government buildings and landmarks there, especially south of the Husain Sagar lake. The rapid growth of the city, along with the growth of Secunderabad and neighboring municipalities has resulted in a large metropolitan area.

Climate

• Summer (May): Average maximum Temperature: 40 degrees Celsius. Average minimum: 25 degrees Celsius.
• Winter (December): Average maximum Temperature: 28 degrees Celsius. Average minimum: 13 degrees Celsius.
• Highest ever recorded: 45.6 degrees Celsius; Lowest ever recorded: 6.1 degrees Celsius.
• Annual precipitation: About 79 cm.
• Geological system: Archean.
• Soil: Red Sandy, with areas of Black Cotton soil.
• Surrounding terrain: Rocky/hilly. (The region around Hyderabad is known for its beautiful rock formations. There are many rock formation enthusiasts in the city.)
• Climatic: Tropical Wet and Dry (Koppen).

Culture

Birla Temple is one of the most prominent sites of Hinduism in the city

Hyderabad has been the meeting place of many different cultures and traditions. Historically, Hyderabad has been the city where distinct cultural and linguistic traditions of North India and South India meet. It is thus considered as the gateway to the South or gateway to the North. One can also perceive the strong fusion of the Muslim culture of Hyderabad with south Indian traditions of the region.

Hyderabad is a unique cosmopolitan city and home to people practicing Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism. Hyderabadis have developed their own distinctive culture, which is a mixture of ancient Hindu traditions of Telugu people and the centuries old Islamic Culture.

Telugu, Urdu and Hindi are the principal languages spoken in Hyderabad. Both Urdu and Telugu have linguistically impacted on each other in this region. The Telugu spoken here has assimilated many Urdu words into it. And the Urdu spoken here is also unique, with influences of Marathi and Telugu, giving rise to a dialect sometimes called Hyderabadi Urdu or Deccani. Hyderabad has always had one of the largest Urdu speaking populations in India, and the famous Osmania University here was the first Urdu medium university in India. The Telugu dialect spoken in Hyderabad and rest of Telangana prior to formation of the present state of Andhra Pradesh was very distinct from the one spoken in coastal Andhra. A large percentage of the population is also well-versed in English.

Women of all cultures and faiths in Hyderabad typically wear either the traditional Indian dress, the sari, or, increasingly, the Shalwar Qamis especially among the younger population. A large percentage of Muslim women in the city wear either the burqa or the hijab. The traditional Hyderabadi garb for females are the Khara Dupatta and the Shalwar Qamis, and for the males, it is the Sherwani. This is one of the more visible cultural attributes of Hyderabad.

Hyderabadi cuisine

Main article: Hyderabadi cuisine

The city's cuisine is a blend of Mughal, Persian and Telangana cuisine. Hyderabadi Biryani is an iconic dish of the region. Other culinary delights include Khurbani ka Mitha, Pheni (a sweet vermicelli delicacy eaten during the festival of Diwali), Paya and Haleem (a meat dish traditionally eaten during the holy month of Ramazan).

The Hyderabadi Biryani

Indian Mithai (sweet) shops are popular for their ghee sweets. Mau'zzam Jahi Market, Nampally, is known for its fruit biscuits and the sweet Dil Khush. A family residing in Azeez Bagh palace in the old part of the city is famous for the preparation of Badaam Ki jaali (Almond lattice confection). Also widely found on street-corners are cafes that offer Irani chai and Osmania biscuit.

Economy

File:Cyber Gateway Night.jpg

Cyber Gateway, Hyderabad's IT Corridor

Hyderabad is the financial and economic capital of the state. The city is the largest contributor to the state's gross domestic product, state tax and excise revenues. The workforce participation is about 29 percent. 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 and, lately, for its IT Companies. The pearl market known as Laad Bazaar is situated near Charminar. Ornaments made with Rice Pearls can be bought from Char Kaman or the General Bazaar Market. 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.

Andhra Pradesh inherited from the State of Hyderabad great academic institutes and research labs, both public and private institutes with very diverse areas of interest. The infrastructural facilities for basic research in Hyderabad are some of the best in the country, hosting a large academic population from all over the country and beyond.

Hyderabad is a major center for pharmaceuticals with companies such as Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Matrix Laboratories, Hetero Drugs Limited, Divis Labs, Aurobindo Pharma Limited and Vimta Labs being housed in the city. Initiatives such as Genome Valley and the Nanotechnology park are expected to create extensive infrastructure in bio-technology.

Like many Indian cities, Hyderabad has witnessed a remarkable growth in the real estate business, thanks to a predominantly 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.

Information Technology industry

Main article: Information Technology industry in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad city is today known for its IT and IT Enabled Services, Pharmaceuticals and Entertainment industries. Many call centers, Business process outsourcing (BPO) firms, dealing with IT and other technological services were set up in the 1990s making it one of the major regions for call center setups in India.

File:CyberTowers.jpg

The Cyber Towers IT Park in Hyderabad.

The development of a township with state-of-the-art facilities called HITEC City, prompted several IT and ITES companies to setup operations in the city. An aggressive promotion of growth in this area has led civic boosters to call the city "Cyberabad". Hyderabad has also been referred to as the second Silicon Valley of India next to Bangalore. 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 centres in the city. The major areas where such campuses have been setup include Madhapur and Gachibowli.

Hyderabad is home for some of the Fortune 500 companies.Microsoft has its Development center in Hyderabad which is Microsoft's largest product development center outside the headquarters in Redmond. Another mega project is the proposed semiconductor fabrication facility to be built by a consortium of companies, Intellect Inc and Semindia, called Fab City.

Demographics

The cities population is estimated at 3.6 million or more in 2006 while the population of the greater metropolitan area is estimated at over 6.1 million. Religiously and culturally, the city is united with Muslims, Hindus and Christians. The main languages spoken are Urdu, Telugu, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, and Deccani. Also, there is a high population of people, of tribal origin, who have immigrated to the city in search of work. These people, called the Banjaras, have their own distinct culture and language different from the other languages spoken in this region. Their language is called Gorboli, and is closely related to the Roma language spoken by the Roma in Europe. Telugu, Urdu, Hindi, and Deccani are the local languages of the indigenous population. There is a significant amount of English used in business. People from many other parts of India have adopted Hyderabad as their hometown.

Education and research

Main article: Education in Hyderabad, India

Indian School of Business

Hyderabad is an important seat of learning in southern India. The city is home to three Central Universities, houses two Deemed Universities, and six State Universities. Among them is the flagship, Osmania University, established in 1917, it is the seventh oldest in India and the third oldest in South India. Many institutes for technical education like Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, International Institute of Information Technology, Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University ,ICFAI Business school(University), and medical colleges such as the Gandhi medical college are located here. Also based here is Indian School of Business,Hyderabad Central University and the National Academy of Legal Studies & Research Nalsar.

Salar Jung Museum

Hyderabad has various research institutes such as the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages ( CIEFL was accorded Central University status recently). It is the home of Maulana Azad National Urdu University as well as BR Ambedkar Open University. This educational infrastructure attracts students from all over the country and some beyond, especially from Africa and the Middle East. Due to the rising IT boom in the state, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani has now decided to start a new campus in Shamirpet area of Ranga reddy district an area in the outskirts of Hyderabad.[2]. A new IIT has been proposed by the central government in Medak District which is just an hour's drive from Hyderabad.Recently Georgia Institute of Technology signed an MOU for setting up its offshore campus in the city.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) had set up Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL) in 1962, to work on the design and development of communication and radar systems. Currently DLRL is involved in the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) of DRDO. Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) was setup by DRDO, which has diversified into the missile complex at present. It is devloping strategic weapons for defence. Nuclear energy sector has a strong presence with three organizations under Department of Atomic Energy (India) such as Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) and Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), located here for conducting basic research and providing the much needed materials and technology required for carbon free energy generation.

See also: List of institutions based in Hyderabad, India

Civic administration

The city is administered by Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), whose titular head is the Mayor who has few executive powers. The 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 metropolis. Hyderabad is divided into 100 municipal wards, each overseen by a corporator. The corporators of the administration are elected through a popular vote, and almost all the state political parties field candidates.

The metropolitan area of Hyderabad covers two districts, Hyderabad and Rangareddi. The administration of each district is headed by a District Collector who is in charge of property records and revenue collection for the Central government. The district collector also oversees the national elections held in the city.

The Hyderabad Police comes under the state Home Ministry and is headed by a Police Commissioner, an IPS officer. 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 Police.

Hyderabad is the seat of the State High Court and also has two lower courts - the Small Causes Court for civil matters, and the Sessions Court for criminal cases.

Hyderabad elects two members to the Lok Sabha, the lower-house of the Indian parliament, who represent the constituencies of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. In addition, parts of the city overlap two other Lok Sabha electoral districts. Hyderabad elects thirteen representatives to the State's Legislative Assembly.

Transportation

Main article: Transport in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

The MMTS Necklace Road Metro Station

Hyderabad is connected to the rest of the country by National Highways—NH-7, NH-9 and NH-202. Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation established in 1932 started as a unit of the Nizam State Railways-Road Transport Division with 27 buses. It consists of about 19,000 strong bus fleet currently. Hyderabad has the third largest bus station facility in Asia, with 72 platforms for 72 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 APSRTC operates point to point bus services which connect important places within the city. There are more than 4000 buses in the city running the point to point service. The yellow colored Auto Rickshaw usually referred to as an "auto", is the most widely used taxi. Recently other automobiles like motorcycles and cars were introduced as taxi.

Hyderabad has a light rail transportation system known as the MultiModal Transport System (MMTS) which offers connectivity between rail and road transport for the facility of the commuters. The South Central Railway headquarters are located at Secunderabad. The three main railway stations are Secunderabad Railway Station, Hyderabad Railway Station (Nampally) and Kachiguda Railway Station. The Begumpet Airport has domestic and international terminals. A new international airport is under construction at Shamshabad. Like other Indian cities, Hyderabad suffers from traffic congestion. One of the main problems is the extremely high number of two-wheelers(scooters, bikes,etc.) being used by the people in the city, as opposed to cars and/or public transport. Many a time, it has also been noticed that the drivers of auto-rickshaws, two-wheelers and buses drive quite recklessly, endangering not only themselves and other motorists, but also the growing reputation of the city. Several flyovers have been built to ease the congestion, but their impact on the poor traffic situation seems to be minimal, especially because an improvement in the traffic situation is dependent on, more than anything else, a change in the attitude of the drivers and motorists. An inner ring road going around Hyderabad within the city limits and outer ring road. The Andhra Pradesh Government has Sanctioned for the construction of a Metro to ease up the bustling traffic in the City. outside the city limits have also been planned.

Media

Main article: Media in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

Cinema

Hyderabad is home to the second largest film industry in India, Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood which produces hundred of movies every year. Saradhi Studios, Annapurna Studios, Ramanaidu Studios, Ramakrishna Studios, Padmalaya Studios, Ramoji Film City are some of the notable film studios in the city. Hyderabad also has the most movie theaters in the country.

The IMAX theatre

The first Hyderabad International Film Festival (HIFF) was organized in 2007 by the Hyderabad Film Club and Andhra Pradesh Film Directors Association. The festival included a competition section for short and documentary films and Golden Pearl was given away for the awardees. Prasads IMAX at Hyderabad has the asia's largest 3D IMAX screen.

Radio, television and print

The FM radio channels 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), S 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. Many private regional television channels broadcast from Hyderabad, including ETV, Gemini, Teja, Maa TV, ETV Urdu, Vissa, ETV2, TV9, Zee Telugu, Gemini Music, Gemini News Channel, NTV, TV 5, Aap Tak. NDTV, India's largest and oldest private media broadcaster, also has a studio in the city.

Hyderabad has three print media groups that publish several newspapers and magazines in English, Telugu and Urdu. The major Telugu dailies include the Eenadu, Vaartha, Andhra Jyoti, Prajasakti, Andhra Bhoomi and Andhra Prabha. The major English dailies are The Deccan Chronicle, Business Standard, The Hindu, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Economic Times. The major Urdu dailies are The Siasat Daily, The Munsif Daily, The Etemaad Urdu Daily, The Rahnuma-i Deccan and The Daily Milap. Besides these major newspapers, there a number of neighbourhood newspapers that cater to several localities. Magazines published from Hyderabad include Swati, Navya, Andhra Prabha, Andhra Jyoti, Vipula,Chatura, Vanita and Chandamama. Movie magazines include Sitara, Superhit , Chitranjali, Santosham and Jyoti Chitra.

Communications

Hyderabad is covered by a large network of optical fiber cables. The city's telephone system is serviced by four landline companies: BSNL, Tata Indicom, Reliance and Airtel. There are six mobile phone companies: GSM players inclue BSNL, Hutch, Idea, Airtel and CDMA is offered BSNL's Tarang, Tata Indicom and Reliance.

Several companies like BSNL's DATAONE, Tata Indicom, Bharti, Hathway offer broadband Internet access.

Sports

Indoor Stadium

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

Sporting icons of Hyderabad

• Former Indian Cricket Player, Abbas Ali Baig
• Former Indian Cricket player C.K.Nayudu
• Former Indian Cricket player,Abid Ali
• Former India's #1 Junior Table Tennis Player, Abu Tayeb Mohammed (ATM)Yahya
• Former Indian Cricket Player, Arshad Ayub
• World class Shooter, Gagan Narang
• Former Indian Cricket team captain,Ghulam Ahmed
• International Polo Player, Mir.H.Ahmed
• Former Indian Men's Table Tennis Champion, Mir Khasim Ali
• Present captain of Indian Women's Cricket Team, Mithali Raj
• Former Indian Cricket Player, M.L.Jaisimha
• Former Indian Cricket team captain,Mohammad Azharuddin
• Olympian and Former Indian Hockey player,Nandanoori Mukesh Kumar
• Badminton player (Winner of The All England Badminton Championship - 2001),Pullela Gopichand
• Former Indian Cricket Player,P Krishna Murthy
• Badminton player, Saina Nehwal
• Tennis player who is the first Indian woman to win a WTA singles title, Sania Mirza
• Former Indian Cricket Player and Former Indian Cricket Team Selector, Shivlal Yadav
• Olympic tennis player,Syed Mohammad Hadi
• Indian Cricket player, V. V. S. Laxman
• Former Indian Cricket player and Present Indian Cricket Team Selector, Venkatapathy Raju
• International Chess Player, P.Hari Krishna - International Chess player Koneru Hampi

The National Games

The selection of the city as a host of the National Games in 2002 resulted in a major investment to build some of the best world-class stadiums in the country. Later these stadiums played host to the Afro-Asian Games held 2003 . Today the list of stadiums of international standard found in Hyderabad is large and diverse. Also the 4th World Military Games are to be held in October, 2007 in Hyderabad.

Stadia

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

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

Attractions

File:Golconda1.jpg

Golconda Fort

A statue of Buddha at the Hussian sagar lake

• Charminar - the major landmark in Hyderabad with four graceful minarets.
• Falaknuma Palace - Built by Nawab Viqar al-Umra', a beautiful and stunning piece of architecture.
• Golconda Fort - located on the outskirts of the city, Golconda Fort is one of the most magnificent fortress complexes in India.
• Chowmahalla Palace- It was the seat of Asaf Jahi dynasty, where the Nizam entertained his official guests and royal visitors. Built in 1750 by Nizam Salabat Jung and designed along the lines of the Shah's palace in Isfahan, this actually consists of a group of palaces each used as a Durbar Hall.
• Salar Jung Museum - houses the largest one-man collection of antiques in the world. Huge collection of artifacts dating back to a few centuries can be found here.
• Makkah Masjid - a stone-built mosque, immediately southwest of Charminar. Remarkable for its architecture, size and its royal splendor.This is one of the most beautiful masjid's in HYD
• Birla Mandir (Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh) - a Hindu temple made of white marble located on top of a hill overlooking the city.
• Birla Planetarium - located in the heart of the city on the panoramic hillock of Nawbat Pahad, the Birla Planetarium is a tribute to the advances made in science and technology.
• Chilkur Balaji - Temple of Lord Sri Venkateshwara. Around 23 km from Mehdipatnam. (This temple locally caught the name of "Visa Balaji" temple,as most of US Visa aspirants believe in Visa interview success after visiting this temple)
• Nehru Zoological Park - among the largest in Asia.
• Gandipet - A man-made lake, the largest in Hyderabad.
• Husain Sagar - A man-made lake that separates the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. It is famous also for the 18-metre tall Buddha statue on a platform island called "Rock of Gibraltar" in the middle of the lake, and for the Tank Bund that is the main road between the twin cities.
• Laad Bazaar - also called Chudi Bazaar is on the west of Charminar, and known for its exquisite bangles.
• Lotus Pond - A beautiful garden built around a pond situated in Jubilee Hills, said to have been designed by an Italian designer. This garden is currently maintained by the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad. It is also home to a few rare species of birds.
• Purani Haveli - The official residence of the Nizam.
• Qutb shahi Tombs - Home for various Tombs dedicated to Rulers of Qutb shahi Dynasty, located at Shaikpet, near Golconda Fort.
• Paigah Tombs
• Sanghi Temple - A temple dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara graces a promontory overlooking Sanghi Nagar.
• Ramoji Film City (RFC) is the world’s largest integrated film studio complex, at nearly 2,000 acres (8 km²). It is also one of Asia’s most popular tourism and recreation centres. Opened in 1996, it is located about 25 km from Hyderabad on Vijayawada National Highway(NH-9).

Sister cities

Hyderabad has three sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International.

Riverside, California, USA Miyoshi, Hiroshima, Japan Suwon, South Korea

External links

[http://www.apmlas.com www.apmlas.com[http://www.example.com

• Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad
• Hyderabad Urban Development Authority
• Travel Guide of Hyderabad on Wikitravel
• Hyderabad at Curlie
• City Development Plan

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