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Template:Infobox Indian urban area Hyderabad pronunciationⓘ or Haydarābād /haɪd̪əraːbaːd̪/ (Telugu: హైదరాబాదు,Urdu: حیدر آباد ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. With approximately 6.1 million people (61lakh), it is India's 6th largest metropolis [1] and the 41st largest metropolitan area in the world. Hyderabad has a twin city named Secunderabad which was formed when the British residency of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad had set up a military base near Hyderabad. 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 has always been a place where Hindus and Muslims have co-existed peacefully for centuries.

The dialect spoken in Hyderabad and the surrounding areas of Telangana is distinct from the dialect of the coastal Andhra region. Hyderabad and the rest of Telangana have a unique culture of their own in comparison to the coastal and Rayalseema regions of Andhra Pradesh. The Telugu spoke here has assimilated lot of Urdu words into it. And the Urdu spoken here is also unique with some Marathi words and a unique Hyderabad accent, giving rise to a dialect sometimes called as Hyderabadi Hindi.

Hyderabad is also one of the most developed cities in the country, and is the emerging IT and biotech hub of India. Hyderabad and Secunderabad are twin cities, separated by the Hussain Sagar (bound by the 'Tank Bund'), an artificial 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.

History

Main article: History of Hyderabad
File:Img charminar at night.jpg
Charminar on an evening sky.
Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (Urdu: محمد قلى قطب شاه), Sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, ruled from Hyderabad.

Hyderabad was founded on the banks of the Musi river in the present day Andhra Pradesh by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, Sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, in 1590; this relocation was intended to relieve a water shortage the dynasty had experienced at their old headquarters at Golkonda. They ruled over the Telangana region and some parts of present day Karnataka and Maharashtra.[2]

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").

When India gained 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 were in their right and opted for independence, either as a sovereign ruler or by acquiring Dominion status within the British Empire. The princely states could opt for remaining independent or join either India or Pakistan under the terms of independence to wich India was a signatory.

India abrogated and enforced an economic blockade on the land locked state. In order to keep essential trade and supplies flowing, Hyderabad state signed a Standstill Agreement with the Indian Union which surrounded the state from all sides. The will of the people was never ascertained by a referendem if people of the state wanted to join India or remain independent. The economic blockade was an illegal action so was the invasion of Hyderabad that eventually took place under Home Minister Sardar Patel. It was Operation Polo. On September 17, 1948, more than a year after India had gained independence, Hyderabad was occupied after five days of killings of innocent civilians as Hyderabad was a peaceful and an unarmed state.

The Nizam signed, under threat of force, the Instrument of Accession to the Indian Union, and Hyderabad was forced into the Indian Union as a state. But the old Hyderabad governace was so popular that they had to continue for the next 8 years as a separate state within the union. But the discrimination that took place against those Hindus and Muslims who were opposed to the forcible change has to be heard to be believed.

On November 1, 1956, the states of India were reorganized on linguistic grounds. The terrorities 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 making Hyderabad the capital city of the new state of Andhra Pradesh. New populations entirely different in culture were brought in the city of lakes and gardens making it to loose its distinct identity and beauty. Population was made to explode.

Economy

Hyderabad is known as the city of pearls, lakes and, lately, for IT Companies. The pearl market 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 from Developmental Banking at the [[Institute for Development in Research and Banking Technology]. The infrastructural facilities for basic research in Hyderabad are among 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 are expected to create extensive infrastructure in bio-technology.

Hyderabad is also a major centre for Art, and some leading painters have been associated with Hyderabad - [M F Hussain], Vaikutam, K V Sridhar (Pops), Laxma Goud and Jagdish Mittal (renowned collector of Indian modern art).

Some of the upcoming projects include:

Real Estate

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.

However, the real estate prices have spiralled only in some parts of the city, and continue to be flat mainly due to the slowdown witnessed during the last few quarters.[citation needed]

For instance, in Hyderabad, there has been a number of mega malls are being built. This was triggered mainly by two vital developments — one, the retail business has witnessed a growth despite factors hindering general collective growth, and two, the commercial prices in the industry in Hyderabad are relatively lower compared to those in major metros.[citation needed]

Development of specialised IT infrastructure by private players gained over the last two years after the Government kicked off the Hitec City. This led many developers to tap small and medium-sized companies with their projects, and thus paved the way for several independent specialised infrastructure projects targeting the growing IT industry.

A Singapore-based business group — Ascendas - has entered into an agreement with L&T Infocity Ltd, to develop a modern enclave, which will have a built-in space of about 5 lakh sq ft.[citation needed]

To support the office infrastructure with better housing facilities, a host of initiatives are underway in and around the Madhapur region of Hyderabad, where private players have lined up a range of multi-storeyed complexes.

And not to be left behind, and to latch on to the emerging business opportunity, the State-owned Andhra Pradesh Housing Board has signed up with two overseas partners — one Malaysian, the other Singapore-based, to develop integrated townships to meet the real estate demand-supply mismatch.

IT Industry

Main article: Hyderabad, India and IT Industry
File:CyberTowers.jpg
Cyber Towers IT Park, Hyderabad on a clear evening sky.

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. Ramoji Film City, the largest film studio in the world is located on the outskirts of the city.

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.[4]. IT exports from the city are expected to exceed Rs 12,500 crores ($ 2.5 billion) in the 2005-06 fiscal year[5]. 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 also has a distinction of being The Software Training Capital with the sheer number of software courses that are attended by thousands from all over.

Hyderabad has been the front runner in terms of attracting huge investments from Fortune 500 Companies. Hyderabad is poised to become a global city after the city has clinched Semiconductor Fab deals from Intellect Inc, Semindia. Hyderabad has been selected as the location for India's first Fab City, a silicon chip manufacturing facility, being setup with an investment of $3 billion by the AMD-SemIndia consortium.[6]

Education

Main article: Education in Hyderabad, India
Indian School of Business entrance.

Hyderabad is an important seat of learning in southern India. The city hosts two Central Universities, two Deemed Universities, and six State Universities. Osmania University is one of the oldest universities in India. Many institutes for technical education like Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, International Institute of Information Technology and medical colleges are located here. Also based here are the Indian School of Business and the National Academy of Legal Studies & Research (NALSAR). Hyderabad has various research institutes such as the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology. It is also 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.

See also: List of institutions based in Hyderabad India

Research institutions and labs

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.

The other research laboratories at Hyderabad include (alphabetical order)

Civic Administration

The city is administered by Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH)[7], 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 the infrastructure of the metropolis. Hyderabad is divided into one 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, and comes under the jurisprudence of the District Collector. The collectors are in charge of property records and revenue collection for the Central government. They oversee the national elections held in the city. The metropolitan area 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. Hyderabad also has two lower courts, such as the Small Causes Court for civil matters, and the Sessions Court for criminal cases.

Hyderabad contributes 2 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.

It must be noted that, officially, the Indian government recognises Hyderabad as a major city of India and has given the metropolitan status to only four cites in India. There is a pending demand to upgrade Hyderabad and Bangalore to Metropolitan status as they both meet the criteria to be declared so.

Transportation

Airports

Hyderabad is well connected to all parts of the country and world by air. Hyderabad city has had an airport since the 1930s at Begumpet. This airport provides two terminals, for domestic and international travels. The airport provides flights to all major destinations in India, as well as connections to locations in Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Americas and Sri Lanka with non stop flights to and from many cities in these areas. As the demand for air travel has grown in recent years, like most major airports in the country, the Begumpet airport now suffers from overcrowding, this has led to major problems, especially in the domestic terminal, and conditions are cramped, unattractive, and sometimes unsanitary.

To meet the growing demands of the city a project to build a much bigger and state-of-art Airport is underway at Shamsabad, which lies on the outskirts of the city. The new airport, once completed, will be able to provide much needed infrastructure to handle large aircraft, and international traffic. The airport is expected to be one of the best in this region and will house world-class facilities. The airport is being developed to cater to a total of 7 million passengers a year and will in the final stage be able to cater to 40 million passengers a year. The total cost of the project is Rs 1,330 crore. The airport will be built on an area of 5,400 acres and will have the longest runway among Indian airports and will be able to handle the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380. The work on the flyover linking Mahdipatnam to the Shamshabad Airport has started, and it is expected to be one of the biggest projects undertaken by Hyderabad Urban Development Association, also known widely as HUDA.[8]

Rails

Hyderabad has a light rail transportation system known as the MultiModal Transport System (MMTS)

The MMTS Necklace Road Metro Station
Main article: Transportation in Hyderabad, India

(MMTS Photo feature). The MMTS connects various parts of the city with Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Lingampally and Falaknuma. Hyderabad is currently scheduled to get a Metro system to help ease urban congestion. Nationally, too, Hyderabad and especially Secunderabad are considered as among the important railway cities. The South Central Railway headquarters are located at Secunderabad.

There are three main railway stations:

  • Secunderabad Railway Station (Which recently got ISO 9002 Certification)
  • Hyderabad Railway Station (Nampally)
  • Kachiguda Railway Station. A lot of development has come up at the Kachiguda Railway Station, like an extension of the platform. It is now the starting point of many trains like Kachiguda-Bangalore, Kachiguda-Tirupathi etc., to divert the traffic flow from Secunderabad.

Roads

The Necklace Road
File:ORR.jpg
The Outer Ring Road Expressway

Hyderabad is well connected to many other locations in India, such as Bangalore, Mumbai, Kurnool, Guntur, Nagpur, Warangal, Pune, and Vijaywada, either through directly or through intermediary locations. The highway (express way) network linking Hyderabad to various parts of the country is very good. Indian National Highways, NH-7, NH-9 and NH-202 pass through the city. The city shall also be part of the North-South Corridor.Being in the heart of Telangana it is very well connected to all the towns and cities of the region.

The city has also one of the best laid out internal road systems. A series of flyovers decrease the traffic congestion in the city. Many of the important roads are 3-lane on either side. Due to the burgeoning number of personal vehicles, the city is beginning to face traffic problems. As a measure to ease this, the city plan calls for an inner ring road going around Hyderabad within the city limits and a yet to be constructed, but planned, outer ring road[9] outside the city limits. These ring roads are expected to ease the traffic congestion by a lot inside the city since most heavy vehicles which pass through the city on the national highways can now bypass the city using them.

File:Fly Over Hyd.jpg
A "Fly Over" at night in Hyderabad

However, as in most in Indian cities, due to increasing number of vehicles, the city traffic has grown leading to chaotic traffic snarls and a lack of perceptible lane discipline. Driving has become a stressful experience for vehicle owners. Accidents are on the rise especially with two wheelers and Auto-ricksaws.

A new Expressway called Hyderabad Outer Ring Road of about 160 km is being built now and will be done in about 4 - 5 years.[10]

Alternative Transportation

The city is also linked to various parts by an multi modal transit, MMT system. 3-seater and 7-seater autos are available within city limits. In the 3-seater autos of Hyderabad, you pay exactly by the meter, unlike in cities like Chennai. 7-seater autos are shared autos, and cost slightly more than RTC (public transport) buses. Private air-conditioned cabs operators are available on call.

Bus Service

Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation[11] 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; APSRTC is the largest state transport undertaking in the world and is listed in the 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. This enables passengers to commute quickly between any two places within the city.[12]

Hyderabad has the largest bus station facility in Asia, with 72 platforms for 72 buses to load passengers at a time. It is named officially as the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, and called locally as the Imlibun Bus Station.

Demographics

The city population is estimated at over 3.6 million in 2006 while the population of the greater metropolitan area is estimated at over 6.1 million. Religiously and culturally, the city is divided between Muslims and Hindus which includes a visible population of Christians. Languages spoken include Telugu, Urdu and Hindi. There is also a very visible population of people, of tribal origins, who have immigrated to the city in search of work. These people, called the Banjaras, have their own distinct culture and language very different from other languages spoken in this region.

Telugu, Urdu 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.

Geography and Climate

Hyderabad city is located in the center 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 260 km² (100 mile²).

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 has grown over the centuries on both banks and is now a metropolitan area that spreads out from the Musi river.

  • Annual temperature: 25 - 40 degrees Celsius.
  • Annual precipitation: About 60 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

Buddha statue at the centre of the Husain Sagar Lake

Hyderabad has been the meeting place of many different cultures and traditions. Historically, Hyderabad has been the city where the distinct cultural and linguistic traditions of North India and South India meet. The Muslim culture of Hyderabad has fused with south Indian traditions of the region.

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

Telugu and Urdu are the principal languages spoken in Hyderabad. Telugu being the official language of Andhra Pradesh (and the second largest language in India after Hindi), is widely spoken here. 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.

Deccani, a dialect of Urdu and Hindi, is spoken and understood there. Both Urdu and Telugu have linguistically impacted on each other in this region. The Telugu dialect spoken in Hyderabad and rest of Telangana is 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. 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 one of the more visible cultural attributes of Hyderabad.

Hyderabadi cuisine is a blend of heavy Mughal influences, traditional Andhra and Telangana cuisine. A number of restaurants have come up that serve a variety of cuisines. All the major hotels in city host one or more restaurants that are popular among the cityfolk.

The most famous dish of Hyderabad is Hyderabadi Biryani. Other culinary delights include Khubani ka Mitha, Pheni (a sweet vermicelli delicacy eaten during the festival of Diwali) and Halim (a meat dish traditionally eaten by Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan).

Indian Mithai(sweet) shops are famous for their pure ghee sweets. Karachi Bakery near Mau'zzam Jahi Market, Nampally, is popular for making biscuits including the local Osmania biscuits. 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).

Perhaps the most renowned restaurant in the Twin Cities is the Golden Persis at Paradise Corner in Secunderabad. Other restaurant chains in the city include The Taj Mahal, Kamat Hotel, and Hyderabadi House.

Media

Hyderabad has a well-developed communication and media infrastructure. The city is covered by a large network of optical fiber cables by Reliance Telecom. 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 offer broadband Internet access.

Radio Stations

The city has two AM and two FM radio stations, operated by All India Radio under the name Akashvani, Hyderabad. AIR has sold airtime on one of its FM channels to a company named DC-Interactive that broadcasts a show called Good Evening Hyderabad under the banner Radio Biryani.

An FM radio station called FM Rainbow also broadcasts daily within the city. Newer FM radio stations, as in other metropolitan areas, have also been launched in the city. The programmes are in Telugu, Hindi and English.

  • 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

Television Networks

Doordarshan runs several terrestrial television channels and two satellite television channels from its Hyderabad Doordasrshan centre. A multitude of regional television channels broadcast from Hyderabad.

Telugu Television channels are classified as

  • News channels
ETV2, TV9, Teja News, DD News, Vissa News, Arey News
  • Local(Regional) Entertainment Channels
ETV, Maa TV, Teja, Gemini, C Channel, Siti Cable, Vissa, Zee Telugu, Aditya TV, ETV Urdu

Hyderabad has about three print media groups that publish several newspapers and magazines in English, Telugu and Urdu. The major Urdu dailies are The Siasat Daily, The Munsif Daily, The Etemaad Urdu Daily, The Rahnuma-i Deccan and The Daily Milap. The major Telugu dailies include the Eenadu, Vaartha, Andhra Jyoti, 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. 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.

Tollywood

Main article: Tollywood

Hyderabad is the homeland of Tollywood, the Telugu movie industry, which apart from being a popular entertainment source and India's second largest film producer (after Bollywood), also provides livelihood to thousands of its citizens and contributes a large amount of revenue to the local government.

Earlier, many of the Telugu films were produced in Madras. However, improvement in infrastructure in the city, and initiatives such as setting up of the Ramoji Film City have changed the situation. Today not only are Telugu films made here, even films from Bollywood are being shot in Hyderabad.

Sports and stadia

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

Sporting Icons of Hyderabad

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.

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 and the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium.

Attractions

Birla Mandir on a cloudy day
NTR Gardens
  • 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.
  • Birla Mandir - a Hindu temple made of white marble located on top of a hill overlooking the city.
  • 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.
  • 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. Special buses and shared Auto Rickshaws are available. It will take apprximately 3-4 Hours for Darshan of Lord on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.
  • Nehru Zoological Park - among the largest in Asia.
  • Husain Sagar - 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 in the middle of the lake, and for the Tank Bund that is the main road between the twin cities.
  • Laad Bazaar - directly to the west of Charminar, and known for its bangles.
  • P.V.Ghat - The Samadhi of former Prime Minister, Shri P.V.Narasimha Rao, Labeled the Chanakya of modern India, he is credited to have put India on the path of reforms.
  • Prasads IMAX Theatre - is the first IMAX theatre to open in South India. It was 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.
  • 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, consists of a group of palaces each used for a Durbar Hall.
  • Sanghi Temple - A temple dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara graces apromontory overlooking Sanghi Nagar.
  • Snow World - An amusement park which enables citizens of this tropical city to experience very low temperatures and snow
  • Astha Laxmi Temple - A temple located in Vasavi Colony near Dilsukhnagar is the 2nd largest Laxmi temple in India.
  • Wargal Saraswati Devi's Temple - A temple located 50 km from Hyderabad towards medchal highway it is mounted on a big rock, rtc buses are avail on that route
  • Hyderabad Pearls - Many visitors who visit Hyderabad also take time to shop for the famous pearls and bangles sold in the city
  • Hyderabad International Convention Centre - Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) is South Asia's first truly world class convention centre located in Hyderabad- the burgeoning business hub of India, This first ever purpose built facility in the country has been conceptualized, designed and created to hold events for people between 50 and 5000. HICC offers state-of-the-art facilities that are comparable to the world's best convention centers across the globe. [[1]]
  • Hyderabad Central, A huge mall erected in Punjagutta area of Hyderabad
  • Madhapur - Home to the IT world of Hyderabad.
  • Anathagiri Forest - (Vikarabad - 70 km from Hyderabad)
  • Ramappa Temple, also known as the Ramalingeswara temple, is located 77 km from Warangal, the ancient capital of the Kakatiyas, 157 km from Hyderabad, is an example of brilliant Kakatiya art.
  • Naragajuna Sagar is an important Buddhist site and tourist place located 150 km from Hyderabad. Buddhist Museum is located in island of Krishna river and it can be reached by Launchy service from right bank of Krishna river. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam is one of the largest dams built in Asia. It is built on the Krishna River between Guntur and Nalgonda districts. It is one of the earliest hydro-electric projects of India.
  • Ramoji Film City (RFC) is the world’s largest integrated film studio complex, at nearly 2,000 acres. 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).

References

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