Hyderabad and the Deccan: Sultanates, Nizams and a Modern Metropolis

A Deccan capital

Hyderabad was founded in the late sixteenth century under the Qutb Shahi dynasty, whose Deccan sultanate developed a distinctive court culture drawing on Persianate, Telugu and regional traditions. The Charminar and surrounding old city remain powerful markers of this history.

The Nizams

After Mughal expansion into the Deccan, the Asaf Jahi rulers known as the Nizams established a powerful Hyderabad state. Their domains survived through British paramountcy as one of the largest princely states in the subcontinent.

1947 did not settle Hyderabad’s status immediately

At Indian independence, the princely state of Hyderabad did not immediately accede to India. Indian forces entered the state in 1948 and Hyderabad was integrated into the Indian Union. This is an important example of why the political map of modern India was still being formed after August 1947.

A multilingual modern city

Telugu, Urdu, Dakhni, Hindi, English and other languages form part of Hyderabad’s urban life. Historic bazaars, Islamic architecture and regional foodways coexist with a major technology, pharmaceutical and education economy.