Question

how did the Nizam become an important power in Hyderabad

Answer 1

TheNizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad, popularly known as the Nizam ofHyderabad, was a monarch of theHyderabad State, now divided intoTelanganastate,Hyderabad-Karnatakaregion ofKarnatakaandMarathwada regionofMaharashtra.Nizam, shortened fromNizam-ul-Mulk, meaningAdministrator of the Realm, the title of thesovereignsof Hyderabad State, was the premier Prince of India, since 1724, belonging to theAsaf Jahdynasty.The Asaf Jah Dynasty was founded byMir Qamar-ud-Din Siddiqi, aviceroyof theDeccanunder theMughal Empirefrom 1713 to 1721. He intermittently ruled afterAurangzeb's death in 1707. In 1724, Mughal control lapsed, and Asaf Jahdeclared himself independent in Hyderabad.Following the decline of the Mughal power, India saw the rise ofMaratha Empire. The Nizam himself saw many invasions by the Marathas, which resulted in the Nizam paying aregular tax (Chauth) to the Marathas. The major battles fought between the Marathas and the Nizam includePalkhed,Udgir,Rakshasbhuvan, andKharda, in all ofwhich the Nizam lost.[1][2]In 1903 theBerarregion of the state was separated and merged into the Central Provinces ofBritish India, to form theCentral Provinces and Berar.In 1947, at the time of thepartition ofIndia, Britain offered the 566princelystatesin the sub-continent the option of acceding to either India or Pakistan, or remaining independent.Hyderabad was the largest and mostprosperous state of all princely states in India. It covered 82,698 square miles (214,190 km2) of fairly homogeneous territory and had a population of roughly 16.34 million people (as per the 1941 census), of which a majority (85%) wasHindu. Hyderabad State had its own army, airline, telecommunication system, railway network, postal system, currency and radio broadcasting service. In spite of the overwhelmingHindu majority, Hindus were severelyunder-represented in government, police and the military. Of 1765 officers in the State Army, 1268 wereMuslims, 421 were Hindus, and 121 others were Christians, Parsis and Sikhs. Of the officials drawing a salary between Rs.600-1200 per month, 59 were Muslims, 5 were Hindus and 38 were of other religions. The Nizam and his nobles, who were mostly Muslims, owned 40% of the total land in the stateThe Nizam decided to keep Hyderabad independent, unlike the other princely states, most of which acceded to India or to Pakistan voluntarily. The leaders of the newIndian Uniondid not want an independent - and possibly hostile - state in the heart of their new country, and were determined to assimilate Hyderabad into the IndianUnion, by force if necessary. In September 1948, inOperation Polo, theIndian Armymarched into Hyderabad, deposed the Nizam, and annexed the state into the Indian Union.[3][4]Seven Nizams ruledHyderabadfor two centuries until 1947. The Asaf Jahi rulers were great patrons of literature, art, architecture, and culture, andrich food. The Nizams patronized aspects of aPersianate society, copied from their Turco-Mongol Mughal overlords, and whichbecame central[citation needed]to theHyderabadi Muslimidentity.[citation needed]The last Nizam had been the richest man in the world in his time.[5]The Nizams also developed the railway, and the introduction of electricity; developed roads, airways, irrigation and reservoirs; in fact, all major public buildings in Hyderabad City were built during his reign under theBritish Raj. He pushed education, science, and establishment ofOsmania University.