History of Hyderabad
The city of Hyderabad is more than 400 years old and is noted for its many mosques, temples, minarets, bazaars, and beautiful architecture. A multitude of influences have shaped the character of the city. Its palaces and buildings, houses and tenements, gardens and streets have a history and an architectural individuality of their own. This city of 5 million people has a heritage dating back to times immemorial.
Before the city was founded
Ancient history
The area around Hyderabad was once part of Ashoka's Mauryan Empire in the 3rd century BC. After Ashoka's death, the Satavahanas ruled the area for close to 500 years.
Medieval history
Various Telugu-speaking Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms ruled the area during the subsequent centuries, culminating the rule of the Kakatiya Empire based in Warangal. The fall of Warangal to Muhammad bin Tughluq's forces from the Delhi Sultanate in 1321 AD brought anarchy to the region. For the next few decades, the Bahmani Sultanate of the Deccan fought the Musunuri Nayakas on the north and the Vijayanagara Rayas on the south for control of the region. By the middle of the 15th century, the region was under the firm control of the Bahmani Sultanate which controlled the Deccan north of the Krishna River from coast to coast.
The Qutb Shahis
The Golconda Sultanate
In 1463, Sultan Mohammad Shah Bahmani dispatched Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk to the Hyderabad region to quell disturbances. "Sultan" Quli established himself as the administrator of the region, based at the Kakatiya hill fortress of Golconda which he strengthened and expanded considerably. By the end of the century, Sultan Quli ruled from Golconda as the Subedar of Telangana. The early years of the 16th century brought the internal squabbles within the Bahmani Sultanate to the fore. "Sultan" Quli enjoyed virtual independence from Bidar, where the Bahmani sultanate was then based. In 1518, he declared formal independece from the Bahmani Sultanate and established the Golconda Sultanate under the title Sultan Quli Qutub Shah. The Bahmani Sultanate disintegrated into five different kingdoms, with the others based in Ahmednagar, Berar, Bidar and Bijapur.
The Founding of a New City
Golconda flourished under the Qutb Shahis, with steady growth in population, trade and prosperity. By the late 16th century, population within the walled fort at Golconda had expanded considerably, to the point where epidemics were harder to prevent. In order to expand the main urban center of his kingdom, Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fourth king in the Qutb Shahi dynasty, founded the city of Hyderabad on the Musi River five miles (8km) east of Golconda in 1589. He also ordered the construction of the Char Minar, 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. The Purana Pul ("old bridge") spanning the Musi was built a few years earlier, enabling quick travel between Golconda and Hyderabad. Legend has it that the bridge was built by Mohammad Quli's father Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah so his son's life would not be endangered when he went to visit his future wife during the monsoon months.
The New City Flourishes
The early history of Hyderabad is inextricably intertwined with the history of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. As Qutb Shahi power and fortune rose during the 16th and early 17th centuries, Hyderabad became a center of a vibrant diamond trade. All seven Qutb Shahi sultans were patrons of learning and were great builders. 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. During the Qutb Shahi reign Golconda became one of the leading markets in the world for diamonds, pearls, steel, arms, and also printed fabric. 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. Visitors from other lands compared the city most to the beautiful city of Isfahan in Iran.
Mughal conquest and rule
The Beginning of the End of the Mughal Empire
By the mid-17th century, politics in the Deccan were ready for yet another tectonic shift. Mughal prince Aurangzeb spent most of his time in the Deccan fighting local kingdoms -- both Hindu and Muslim -- to establish and enforce Mughal suzerainty. Meanwhile, the rise of Maratha power under Shivaji kept the Mughals constantly challenged. After the death of Shah Jahan in 1666, Aurangzeb he consolidated power in Delhi as Emperor and returned to the south. He then spent most of his imperial reign in military camps in the Deccan, in an almost desperate campaign to expand the empire beyond the greatest extent it had reached under Akbar. The biggest prize in his eyes was the rich city of Hyderabad, protected by the reportedly impregnable fort of Golconda.
Hyderabad Falls to the Mughals
Aurangzeb laid siege to Golconda in 1686. Golconda held fast under months of siege, and Aurangzeb had to retreat in frustration. Aurangzeb returned in 1687 and laid siege for 9 months camping in the Fateh Maidan ("victory field," now the Lal Bahadur Stadium). Local legend has it that the fortress held on, but the gates were opened at night by a saboteur who was bribed by Aurangzeb. Sultan Abul Hassan Tana Shah, the seventh king of the dynasty, was taken prisoner. Hyderabad's independence was eclipsed. Aurangzeb's efforts would turn out largely in vain, with Hyderabad remaining in Mughal hands for less than four decades.
For a few decades, Hyderabad declined, and its vibrant diamond trade all but destroyed. Aurangzeb's attention moved away quickly to other parts of the Deccan, with the Marathas slowly but steadily gaining ground against the Mughals.
The Asaf Jahis
Viceroys Become Kings
With the emaciation of the Mughal Empire after Aurangzeb's death in 1707, the Mughal-appointed governors of Hyderabad gained more autonomy from Delhi. In 1724, Asaf Jah, 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.
Hyderabad Starts Growing Again
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, Tungabadra, Osman Sagar, Himayat Sagar, and others were built. Survey work on Nagarjuna Sagar had also begun during this time.
A Delicate Balancing Game
When the British and the French spread their hold over the country, successive Nizams won their friendship without bequeathing their power. The Nizams allied themselves with each side at different times, playing a significant role in the wars involving Tipu Sultan of Mysore, the British and the French. During the reign of the third Nizam, Sikandar Jah, the city of Secunderabad was founded to station French troops and subsequently, British troops. The British stationed a Resident at Hyderabad and their own troops at Secunderabad, but the state continued to be ruled by the Nizam. Hyderabad, under the Nizams, was the largest princely state in India, with an area larger than England, Scotland and Wales combined. It was considered the "senior-most" princely-state, and within the elaborate protocols of the Raj, its ruler the Nizam was accorded a 21-gun salute. The State had its own currency, mint, railways, and postal system. There was no income tax.
Surrounded but Isolated
Although Nizam's dominions were surrounded by British India, his state was politically isolated from the rest of India. The Nizams were reputed to be autocratic and often despotic rulers. They pledged allegiance to the King of England in order to retain control over their vast dominions. By the 20th century, they had the titles "Faithful Ally of the British Empire," and "His Exalted Highness." The latter title inspired ridicule among revolutionary students at the Nizam College in the mid 1900s, who parodied the initials HEH as "His Exhausted Highness." The seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, was considered the world's richest man, and he was famously known to employ 11,000 servants and use a diamond as a paperweight. Mir Osman Ali Khan founded the Osmania General Hospital, and the Osmania University, the first modern university to teach in an Indian language (Urdu) -- the first university after Nalanda and Takshashila to do so.
Hyderabad and Indian Independence
When India gained independence in 1947, the Nizam declared his intention to remain independent, either completely sovereign or by acquiring Dominion status within the British Empire. In order to keep essential trade and supplies flowing, he signed a standstill agreement with the Indian Union which surrounded him on all sides. The law and order situation soon deteriorated, with escalating violence between the private Razakar army fighting for continuation of the Nizam's rule and the communists of Telangana fighting for liberation. As the violence spiraled out of control with refugees flowing into the coastal Andhra region of the Madras state of India, the Indian Government under Home Minister Sardar Patel initiated a police action titled Operation Polo. On September 17, 1948, more than a year after India had gained independence, Hyderabad was liberated after five days of police action. Hyderabad was integrated into the Indian Union as a state and the representatives of its 18 million people were admitted to the Constituent Assembly then drafting a constitution for free India. For the next eight years, Hyderabad continued as a separate state within the union.
On November 1, 1956, the states of India were reorganized on linguistic grounds. Consequently, the terrorities of the State of Hyderabad were divided between newly created Andhra Pradesh, Bombay state (present-day Maharashtra), and Mysore state (present-day Karnataka). Hyderabad and the surrounding areas were added to Andhra Pradesh based on Telugu linguistic majority, and Hyderabad became the capital of the new state of Andhra Pradesh.