History of Hyderabad: City of culture and aesthetics!

Read about the culture, beauty, rulers and history of Hyderabad. 

History of Hyderabad which once took pride in its quintessential Deccan culture, still stands as the place of composite civilization. From ancient structures to contemporary society, the city binds its people with its secular thread. However, one visit to the city still makes people get the essence of Turks, Persians, Arabs, and Africans who had once settled here. In this story, we have traced back to the origin of the city to bring in here all about Hyderabad.

The origin

Hyderabad was founded by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the 4th sultan of Golkonda in 1591. His father Ibrahim Qutb Shah hailed from Persia who built several cities during his time. The Indo-Saracenic style Charminar built by Quli Shah became the center around which the whole city was planned. The kings from the Shah dynasty also built various Ashurkhanas- the mourning places for Shiyas.

Stories regarding names of Hyderabad

According to some medieval historians, the founder of Hyderabad, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, was in love with a dancer named Bhagmati. She lived in Chinchalam village even before the foundation of the city. It is believed that Quli Shah had named the city 'Bhaganagar' after her and changed the name to 'Hyder Mahal' after she converted to Islam. The Bhagyalakshmi temple situated in Hyderabad is said to be in her name too. However, the temple cannot be traced in the old pictures of Hyderabad. The Archeological Survey of India has also declared the construction illegal a long time back.

City of Nizams

The legacy of Nizams in Hyderabad continued for more than 200 years, from 1724 to 1948. The glory of Nizams was very popular during that time. The TIME magazine, in its 1937 cover, had mentioned Nizam of Hyderabad VII as the richest man in the world. The credit for the beautiful Indo-Islamic architecture present in the city also goes to the Nizams of Hyderabad.

Aesthetics all over

Be it the Qutb Shahi dynasty or Nizams of the city, the love for Deccan architecture remained the same. The Shahi dynasty had hired Telugu Hindus to take care of the structures they built. Some Hindu families are still maintaining the ritual even today. While going to Golconda fort, beautiful halls and domes are found as an example of Isfahan (a city in Iran) arches. Some historians also believe that the fashion of pearls was introduced by Nizams. Even today, Hyderabad is known for its expertise in pearl making.

Also Read: Meet the ‘Fastest human calculator’ in the world, a 20-year old boy, Neelakanta Bhanu Prakash from Hyderabad!

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