Hyderabad

It's too bad more tourists don't come to Hyderabad. On the rolling hills around the beautiful Hussain Sagar (Hussain Lake), the city's minarets pierce the clear blue sky. There's a lot to see and do in a visit of two or three days: you can shop for pearls and bangles, enjoy terrific food, and experience both Hindu and Islamic culture.

The capital of the large southeastern state of Andra Pradesh, Hyderabad was established in 1590. Some 80 years earlier, the governor of the Telengana region, Quli Qutab Shah declared independence from the Bahmani kingdom, and established himself 11 km (7 mi) from modern-day Hyderabad, at Golconda. Lack of water and epidemics of plague and cholera convinced Mohammad Quli, the fifth ruler after the founder Quli Qutab Shah, to venture beyond his fortress and to create a new city nearby on the Musi River. Quli named the new city Hyderabad—after his beloved queen Hyder Mahal, originally a Hindu village girl. At the center of the new city was built the Charminar, a great arch from which four roads fan out.

The city's grandness and wealth attracted the interest of Aurangzeb, the last great Mogul ruler. His armies besieged Golconda and captured it in 1687. When the Mogul empire began to fragment after the death of Aurangzeb, the viceroy, Asaf Jah I proclaimed himself nizam (ruler) in 1724. The wealth and influence of the new dynasty of nizams went beyond the imagination—Hyderabad became the most important Muslim city in India. In modern Hyderabad, software, outsourcing, and telecommunications now rule the city. These industries have joined the more traditional textile and jewelry trades, and the city has stolen some of the limelight from Bangalore for its technological growth—and its sprawl. Teeming with six million people, Hyderabad has a serious problem with moving people from Point A to B. If traffic is moving, prepare to hear the crunch of an accident; if it's gridlocked, prepare to breathe in some exhaust fumes. Consider it part of the adventure. Note that everyone uses the city name Hyderabad even when they're referring to its twin city, Secunderabad, to the north, on the other side of the lake. Secunderabad, once a British cantonment, is now of note only for its railway station, which receives many of Hyderabad's long-distance trains.

Getting Around Hyderabad

Most of Hyderabad's interesting sights are in the Old City, best navigated by walking or with short auto-rickshaw trips. The other area of interest is Golconda, 11 km (7 mi) outside the city. You'll probably want to take a car or auto-rickshaw to get there, but it's really best explored on foot. Stock up on water before tackling the fort. Don't bother with Hyderabad's newer, suburban-ish twin city, Secunderabad, built by the British in the early 1800s but with little to offer a casual visitor.