Hyderabad

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Template:Hyderabad infobox Hyderabad (హైదరాబాదు in Telugu, حیدراباد in Urdu), the 5th largest metropolis of India [1], is the capital of the present day State of Andhra Pradesh. It is known for its rich history and culture with monuments, mosques, temples, and a rich and varied heritage in arts, crafts and dance. Hyderabad and Secunderabad are Twin cities, separated by Husain Sagar (also known as Tank Bund), an artificial lake constructed during the time of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali in 1562.

Geography

Hyderabad city is located in the center of Andhra Pradesh, in the region of Telangana. It lies on the Deccan ("Dakkan", meaning south) plateau, 541 meters (1776 ft) above sea level, and sprawls over an area of 260 km² (100 mile²). Hyderabad is on the banks of river Musi. The historic "old city" of Hyderabad, home to the famous Charminar and Makkah Masjid, lies on the southern bank of the river. The city has grown over the centuries on both banks and is now a sprawling metropolitan area that spreads out in all directions from the Musi river.

Origin of the name

File:CharminarStreet.jpg
Charminar through a narrow street.

Hyderabad was named by a prince Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, who then became theSultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. He named it after a Hindu danseuse (devadasi) named Bhagmathi, who he fell in love with and married despite opposition from his father, the then king Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah. When Mohammad Quli founded the city, he named it Bhagyanagar in her honour. When she embraced Islam and changed her name to "Hyder Mahal," the city's name was changed to match it and has since been called Hyderabad, literally, "the city of Hyder."

History

For a detailed history of the city, please see the History of Hyderabad.

Hyderabad was founded by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fourth ruler of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty, in 1589. Hyderabad has since then been the meeting place of many different cultures and traditions. Over the centuries, the city has been ruled by the Qutb Shahis, the Mughals, the Asaf Jahis and after independence, the people themselves. Historically, Hyderabad has been the city where the distinct cultural and linguistic traditions of North India and South India meet.

Economy and IT industry

Hyderabad is also known as the second Silicon Valley [2] in India after Bangalore. Hyderabad's IT exports exceeded the $1 billion mark in 2004[3]. Hyderabad has made heavy investments in digital infrastructure and is well known throughout India for its technology sector. In the late 1990s and the early years of the 21st century, the increasing numbers of IT and ITES companies located here - both home-grown ones as well as offshoots of multinational companies - have led civic boosters to call their city "Cyberabad".

The axis of the HITEC City (Hyderabad Information Technology and Engineering Consultancy Services City) is an artistically and yet functionally built ten-storey cylindrical building(see image below) aptly named "Cyber Towers", surrounded by a galaxy of imposing structures raised to house IT companies, foreign and Indian. One look at the township will explain why around 25% of IT professionals in the United States are from Hyderabad.

File:CyberTowers.jpg
Cyber Towers IT Park, Hyderabad on a clear evening sky.

India's fourth largest software company SATYAM is headquartered here. Hyderabad has several software technology campuses with leading companies like Infosys, Microsoft, CSC, Oracle, Wipro, Kanbay, GE, ADP, Dell, Deloitte, HSBC, SumTotal, Intergraph, Analog Devices, IBM, Keane, Baan, InMage, SatNav Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services, Amazon and Google having established centers in the city.

Apart from the software, Hyderabad is also a major center for pharmaceuticals with Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, an emerging global pharmaceutical company listed on the NYSE, being headquartered here. The entertainment industry also has a big presence in the city with the Ramoji Film City (entered in the Guinness book of world records as the world's largest film studio) being located here.

Hyderabad is also the city of pearls and pearl ornaments with the famous pearl market situated near Charminar. Several products like silverware, saris, 'Nirmal' and 'Kalamkari' paintings and artefacts, unique 'Bidri' handicraft items, lacquer bangles studded with stones, and silk and cotton, handloom clothing materials are made in the city.

IT magnates speak about Hyderabad

Hyderabad IT Industry recent developments

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  • "Dell opens centre in Hyderabad". Cyberabad Times. October 20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

Bio-technology hub "Genome Valley"

Hyderabad has become a major biotechnology capital with the presence of several leading scientific research organizations and biotech companies. 'Genome Valley' near Hyderabad—a state-of-the-art biotech cluster providing world-class facilities to over 100 biotech companies. The Genome Valley is a 200 acre Knowledge Park(KP) which is a joint initiative of ICICI Bank and the Andhra Pradesh government. KP is the first of its kind knowledge-nurturing centre for the Indian companies and a knowledge gateway for multinational companies. Spread over 600 km², covering the mandals of Shamirpet, Medchal, Keesra and Uppal in Ranga Reddy District, the Genome Valley has developed as a natural cluster for biotech research, training and manufacturing activities.

In a recent development, the world's first ever "Centre of Excellence in Medical Bioinformatics" was inaugurated at the Gandipet campus of CDFD, Hyderabad by the President of India.

File:GenomeValley2.jpg
Map of Genome Valley near Hyderabad

The presence of some of the leading institutions (see below), have proved to be strong partners for Andhra’s biotech sector.

The Knowledge Park has five Innovation Corridors on its agenda. The first phase of Innovation Corridor I, comprising 10 laboratories, each of about 3,000 ft² (300 m²), is operational and fully occupied. The second phase of Innovation Corridor I, comprising 16 laboratory modules of 1,700 ft² (170 m²) each, is ready for operation.

File:CCMB building.jpg
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad

Genome Valley BioCluster comprises of the following

Genome Valley references

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Nano-technology Park

The Nano-technology Park is coming up in the sprawling 350-acre (140-hectare) Hardware Technology Park, near the new International Airport, Shamshabad, in Andhra Pradesh. The project is slated to be ready within the next 15 to 18 months from now.

The mega fab unit titled Rajiv Gandhi Nano-Tech Silicon India (NTSI), will be developed in two phases.

  • Phase I, - a logic semiconductor fab will incur investments of $600 million and will develop wafers with a capacity of 30,000 units per month.
  • Phase II is expected to incur investments of $2.5 billion.

Education and research

Indian School of Business at an early morning.

Hyderabad is an important seat of learning in southern India. It has ten major universities and several professional colleges. The universities are as follows: Osmania University, the University of Hyderabad, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Mawlana Azad National Urdu University, Dr B R Ambedkar Open University, the first Open University in India, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), a Super Speciality medical institution of Internation fame,the Central Institute of English & Foreign Languages (CIEFL), Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University, NALSAR University of Law, and Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University.In addition, Hyderabad has research centres such as the following.

Hyderabad's other well reputed schools and professional colleges including, C.B.I.T, Vasavi college of Engg, Mufakhkham Jah College of Engineering and Technology, M.V.S.R. Engineering college, the Deccan Medical College, the historically acclaimed City College, Anwarul Ulum College, Madrasah-i A'izzah, Madrasah-i 'Aliyah, All Saint's High School, The Hyderabad Public School, Sujatha High School, Little Flower High School, Rosary Convent High School, Kennedy Vidya Bhavan School and Tagore High School New Mallepally.

Defence and space research labs

Hyderabad has a defence research lab known as Defence Electronics Research Laboratory (DLRL) which was established in 1962 to work on the design and development of communication and radar systems. Currently DERL is involved in the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) of Defence Research Development Organisation.

The other defence research laboratories at Hyderabad are...

  • Advanced Numerical Research & Analysis Group (ANURAG),
  • Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL),
  • Advanced System Laboratory (ASL),
  • Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL),
  • Research Center Imarat (RCI),
  • Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Vishakapatnam.

Sriharikota satellite launching station

The Sriharikota launching range is situated in the Sriharikota Island, on India's east coast. This island is in the Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh State, lies along the east of Pulicat Lake. The Satish Dhawan Space Centre is present at Sriharikota island. It is also referred to as "SHAR". SHAR belongs to the Indian Space Research Organization also known as "ISRO". This is an ideal location for space vehicle launches throughout the year, since it is not very much affected by the south-westerly and north-easterly monsoons.

There have been several historical space vehicle launches starting with the Rohini 125 sounding rockets, SLV-3, ASLV, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the latest Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle. Currently there are two lauchpads at SHAR.

National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA)

The National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) satellite earth-station which comes under the Department of Space, Government of India is located at Shadnagar, near Hyderabad.

The NRSA is an autonomous institution supported by Department of Space. It is responsible for the acquisition and processing of data from remote sensing satellites. It is also used for reception of data from Indian remote sensing satellites, US Landsat, NOAA, French SPOT and microwave data from the European remote sensing satellite.

Civic administration

The city is administered by a municipal corporation Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad(MCH), whose titular head is the Mayor who has few executive powers. The real executive power of the corporation is vested in the Municipal Commissioner, an IAS officer appointed by the Andhra Pradesh state government. The MCH is in charge of the civic needs and infrastructure of the metropolis. Hyderabad is divided into hundred municipal wards, each overseen by a corporator. The corporators of the administration are voted through a popular vote and almost all the state political parties field their candidates.

The city is composed of one district in Andhra Pradesh, it comes under the jurisprudence of the District Collector. The collectors are in charge of property records and revenue collection for the Central government. They also oversee the national elections held in the city. The metropolitan area also encompasses the Ranga Reddy District, which was carved out of an earlier unified Hyderabad district.

Like other metropolises in India, the Hyderabad Police is headed by a Police Commissioner, an IPS officer. The Hyderabad Police comes under the state Home Ministry. Hyderabad 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, which has under the State's jurisdiction. Hyderabad also has two lower courts, such as the Small Causes Court, for civil matters, and the Sessions Court for criminal cases.

Hyderabad contributes two seats to the Lok Sabha (Lower House). In addition, parts of the city are part of two other electoral districts for the Lok Sabha. Hyderabad elects thirteen representatives to the State's Legislative Assembly.

Transportation and infrastructure

The MMTS Necklace Road Station

The Hyderabad Airport at Begumpet is well linked to other cities in India and to international destinations including the Middle East, Southeast Asia, especially Singapore and Malaysia, and most recently to Newark, New Jersey and Chicago, Illinois, United States. A new International Airport is being constructed at Shamshabad in the outskirts of the city, and once complete, it will handle the international traffic in Hyderabad.

During the last few years, several flyovers have been constructed in various parts of the city to ease traffic congestion and several roads have been widened to 6-lane roads (3 on either side) in order to improve the speed of traffic movement. However, the average speed of traffic is still slow by international standards, with traffic traveling at 35 km/h (22 mph) on major surface arterials where they would ideally be travelling at 60–70 km/h (about 40 mph). Hence the dire need for a mass rapid transit system, which would help ease congestion significantly.

Road transport

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC official web site) established in 1932 started as a unit of the Nizam State Railways-Road Transport Division with 27 buses. Now with about 19,000 strong bus fleet, APSRTC is the largest state transport undertaking in the world and entered Guinness Book of World Records.

The APSRTC operates point to point bus services which connect important places within the city, with a very good frequency. APSRTC has several kinds of services like the

  • Veera,
  • Metro Express and an
  • Ordinary service.

Veera and Metro express are luxury and semi-luxury services respectively, and have few stops between any two points in the city. This enables passengers to commute quickly between any two places within the city. Information about APSRTC

Rail transport

Hyderabad has a light rail transportation system known as the Multi Mode Transport System (MMTS) (MMTS Photo feature). The MMTS connects various parts of the city with Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Lingampally and Faluknama. Hyderabad is also currently scheduled to get a Metro system to help ease urban congestion. The Konkan Skybus is also in the running.

Demographics

The city population is estimated at over 3.69 million in 2001 while the population of the greater metropolitan area is estimated at over 6.39 million. Religiously and culturally, the city is evenly divided between Muslims and Hindus which also includes a visible population of Christians. Languages spoken include Telugu, Hindi and Urdu with a significant amount of English used in business. People from many other parts of India have adopted Hyderabad as their hometown.

Culture and religion

People in Hyderabad practice Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Hindus and Christians usually speak Telugu and the Muslims tend to speak Urdu. However, all the residents of the city of Hyderabad generally understand and communicate in Telugu, Urdu, and Hindi. Women of all cultures and faith communities in Hyderabad typically wear the traditional Indian dress, the sari - sometimes Shalwar Qamis. As a sign of public modesty, a large percentage of Muslim women in the city additionally wear either the burqa' or the hijab.

Cuisine

Hyderabadi cuisine is very distinct from the rest of the Indian cuisine. It is a blend of heavy Mughal influences and some elements of Telangana cuisine as well as the surrounding Andhra region.

There are several star hotels in Hyderabad which serve several different cuisines

  • 5 Star Hotels
Taj Krishna, Ramada Manohar, Hotel Viceroy, Sheraton Kakatiya Hotel & Towers, Taj Residency, Best Western Amrutha Castle, Taj Banjara
  • 3 Star Hotels
The Green Park, Park Inn Aditya, The Viceroy Hotel, Comfort Inn Woodbridge

Among the famous restaurants in Hyderabad is the Bawarchi, which specializes in biryani (formerly called Bawarchi biryani). Some of the other famous dishes include veggie biryani, Baghare Baygan, Khubani ka Mitha and double ka Mitha, as well as Hyderabad-style halim (a slang word for haris), a meat dish resembling oatmeal, traditionally eaten by Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan. As many Hyderabadis have been traveling to the Middle East in search for employment opportunities, particularly to the Gulf regions of Dubai, Qatar, and Bahrain, the halim dish is also gaining recognition in those regions. Local chains that serve the Halim and other Hyderabadi specialties in Hyderabad are Yusufain Pista House, Madinah Hotel, 555 Hotel, Café Bahar and Hyderabad House.

G. Pulla Reddy is famous for pure ghee sweets in Hyderabad and other cities abroad. Other renowned joints include Gokul Chat near Sultan Bazar .

Markets

Hyderabad is famous for its traditional markets, few of them are the Laad Bazaar, situated near Charminar, Sultan Bazaar at Kothi and General Bazar at Mahatma Gandhi Road. There are immense Shopping Malls, including Hyderabad Central, Life Style, Shoppers Stop, Big Bazar, MPM Mall.

Media

Hyderabad has a well-developed communication and media infrastructure. The city is covered by a large network of optical fiber cables by Reliance Telcom Company. The city's telephone service is serviced by four landline companies: BSNL, Tata Indicom, Reliance Infocomm and Airtel. There are six mobile phone companies: BSNL, Hutch, Idea, Airtel, Tata Indicom and Reliance Infocomm. Several phone companies also offer broadband Internet access.

Doordarshan runs several terrestrial television channels and two satellite television channels from its Hyderabad Doordasrshan centre. The city has two AM and one FM radio station, operated by All India Radio. The city also has a World Space radio network.

Telugu Television channels are classified as

  • News channels
ETV2, TV9 (A professional 24/7 NEWS channel), Teja News, DD News
  • Entertainment Channels
ETV, Maa TV, Teja, Gemini, C Channel, Siti Cable, Vissa, Zee Telugu, Aditya TV

Hyderabad has about 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, Andhra Bhoomi, Udayam and Andhra Prabha. The major Urdu dailies are, The Siasat Daily (the first Urdu newspaper in the world to go on-line), The Munsif Daily, The Rahnuma-i Deccan, and The Daily Milap. The major English dailies are The Deccan Chronicle, Business Standard, The Hindu, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Economic Times. Besides these major newspapers, there a number of localised neighbourhood newspapers that cater to several localities. Magazines published from Hyderabad include Swati, Navya, Andhra Prabha, Andhra Jyoti, Vipula, Vanita and Chandamama. Movie magazines include Sitara, Siva Ranjani and Jyoti Chitra.

Sports and stadiums

File:Gmcbalayogi.jpg
G.M.C Balayogi Stadium, Hyderabad, India
Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad, India
File:LBStadium.jpg
L.B. Stadium, Hyderabad, India
K.Vijay Bhaskar Reddy Indoor stadium, Yousufguda, Hyderabad, India
Swarnandhra Pradesh Sports Complex, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, India

Sports besides cricket are also popular in Hyderabad. In the inaugural Premiere Hockey League in 2005, Hyderabad Sultans won the championships. Hyderabad also recently got a new cricket stadium, Visakha International Cricket Stadium.

List of stadiums in Hyderabad

Most of these stadiums were built to host the Afro-Asian Games 2003 at Hyderabad.

  • G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium
    • This stadium has a capacity of 30,000 spectators. It is an ultra modern stadium with 8 line competition synthetic athletic track and 4-lane synthetic practice track. It uses the latest high-mast lighting for day-night events and provides obstruction-free viewing for all spectators and is a very picturesque stadium amidst breath-taking landscape.
  • Indoor Stadium A/C
    • This stadium has a capacity of 4000 spectators, is fully air-conditioned, and a multi purpose stadium. It has wooden flooring which is approved by International Federation and is up to DIN standards.
  • The Lal Bahadur Stadium
    • This stadium has a capacity of 25,000 spectators and is equipped with floodlights around the field and provision of internal lights for the spectators. With dimensions 105 m x 70 m field and a 1 inch grass turf.
  • Aquatics Complex
    • This stadium has a capacity of 2000 spectators, is an aquatic complex for swimming, diving, water polo and synchronized events. It is a temperature controlled pool through modern heating systems and fibre-reinforced polymer filters.
  • Vijay Bhaskar Reddy Indoor Stadium
    • This multi purpose stadium has a capacity of 2000 spectators and adopts a world class wooden flooring with temperature control.
  • SAAP Tennis Complex, Fateh Maidan
    • This central court has a capacity of 4000 spectators and has a 7 top class synthetic surfaces.
  • Shooting Range, Hyderabad Central University
    • This is a out door shooting range with a capacity of 600 spectators and facilities for 120 competitors at a time, with facilities for 15 different games at a time using latest electronic equipment targets.
  • Swarnandhra Pradesh Sports Complex, Gachibowli, Hyderabad
    • This sports complex uses a synthetic turf with sophisticated sprinkler system for watering and drainage and has galleries with RC flat slabs and unique suspended steel roof structure. Pavilion housing the Federation Office and amenities including lounges for players, guests and media.
  • Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium (formerly known as Visaka Internation Stadium)
    • This is an exclusive cricket stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad.

Attractions

The Golconda Fort, Hyderabad, India
  • 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.
  • Charminar - the major landmark in Hyderabad with four graceful minarets.
  • Nehru Zoological Park - among the largest in Asia.
  • Falaknuma Palace - Built by Nawwab Wiqar 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 magnificient fortress complexes in India.
  • Husain Sagar - man-made lake that separates the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
  • Laad Bazaar - directly to the west of Charminar, and known for its bangles.
  • Makkah Masjid - a stone-built mosque, immediately southwest of Charminar.
  • NTR Gardens - Well laid out garden on the banks of Husain Sagar
  • Prasads IMAX Theatre - is the first IMAX theatre to open in South India. It was also the world's biggest IMAX screen at the time of opening.
  • Public Gardens of Hyderabad - one of the best laid-out gardens in the country with buildings of the State Legislature, Jubilee Hall, etc.
  • Purani Haveli - The official residence of the Nizam.
  • Ramoji Film City - as the name suggests a Film City on the Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway. Open to visitors and houses the various sets that were used in films. It has recently entered into the Guiness Book of World records for sheer size of the film city.
  • Salar Jung Museum - houses the largest one-man collection of antiques in the world.
  • Snow World - An amusement park which enables citizens of this tropical city to experience very low temperatures and snow

References

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