Hyderabad-Secunderabad - History |
 Last Nizam ( 1911 - 48 ) |
Hyderabad
was India's biggest and richest princely state, as large as
England and Scotland together. Its rulers, known as the Nizams,
belonged
to the Asaf Jahi dynasty, founded in 1724 by Nizam-ul-Mulk
who first came to Hyderabad as the Mughal Governor of the Decan,
and then established his Independence as Mughal power in Delhi
waned. The endary hoard of emeralds and their legendary hoard
of emeralds and their diamond mines near Golconda, and many
tales are told of their extravagance and Eccentricities. The
Seventh and Last Nizam, Osman Ali Khan, was the richest man
in India but, Unlike his ancestors, he was a notorious miser
who smoked Cigarette butts and wore the same set of Shabby,
patched clothes for weeks on end. After Independence in 1947,
the Nizam resisted joining the Indian Union. However riots
broke out and Indian Army action to restore order finally led
to the state's accession. |