 Hyderabad
is a city of
Hillocks. Mian
Ghulam Shah Kalhoro
of the Kalhora
Dynasty founded the
city in 1768. The
Hyderabad city was
then named Neroon
Kot it was a small
fishing village on
the banks of [river
Indus] and was
called the heart of
the Mehran. Mian
Ghulam Shah Kalhora
loved the city so
much that in 1768,
he ordered a fort to
be built on one of
the three hills of
Hyderabad to house
and defend his
people. The fort
since then is called
the Pacco Qillo or
the Strong fort.
After the death of
the great Kalhoro,
started the Talpur
Rule. Mir Fateh Ali
Khan Talpur left his
capital Khudabad,
the Land of God and
made Hyderabad his
capital in 1789. He
made the Pacco Qillo
his residence and
also held his courts
there. Mir Fateh Ali
Khan Talpur along
with his three other
brothers were
responsible for the
affairs that
persisted in the
city of Hyderabad in
the years of their
kingdom. The four
were called Char Yar,
Sindhi for Four
friends.
The Talpur rule
lasted almost over
50 years and in
1843, Talpurs faced
a greater threat.
The British came
face-to-face with
the Talpurs at the
Battle of Miani on
17th February, 1843.
It is said that even
in rigor mortis the
Ameers (Mirs -
leaders) held their
swords high fighting
the British. The
battle ended on 24th
March where the Mirs
lost and the city
came into the hands
of the British.
The British
demolished most of
the buildings around
to accommodate their
troops and their
military stores.
Hyderabad lost its
glory. No longer
were the roads
covered with
perfume. In 1857,
when the First War
of Indian
Independence raged
across the
sub-continent, the
British held most of
their regiments and
ammunition in this
city.
The land, until the
partition of the
Sub-Continent, was
occupied by the
Sindhi Hindus. When
the partition
occured, the Sindhi
Hindus left
Hyderabad to move
towards India
leaving their land
and fortunes behind
to promised land in
the new-found
Hindustan while the
settlers from across
the border coming to
Hyderabad, known as
the Mohajirs were
given land mostly in
the town of Hirabad.
While the popualtion
of the people grew
with the migration
in progress, the
Government proposed
the creation of two
more towns, namely
Latifabad and
Qasimabad.
The 1980s saw a
black period in the
history of Hyderabad
as riots errupted in
the city between the
two ethnic
diversities in
majority, the
Sindhis and the
Mohajirs. Bloodshed
and murder reached
extremes. The
Sindhis retreated to
settlements in
Qasimabad and the
Mohajirs settled
down in Latifabad
but the city has
never been the same
again, forever
divided by
ethnicity. |
