Nizam VII : visionary of a new Hyderabad State

Nizam VII : visionary of a new Hyderabad State

  The seventh Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan was one of the richest men in the world during his life time. He came to rule the princely state of Hyderabad in pre-independence India, when his father the VIth Nizam, Mahboob Ali Khan died in 1911. He was addressed as His Exalted Highness , the Nizam of Hyderabad. He ruled as Nizam for 37 years up to 1948. Later he was Rajpramukh from 26th January 1950 up to  October 1956.

     The Nizam had many other titles which included Nawab Bahadur Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqui, His Highness Rustam-i-Dauran,Asaf Jah VII, Nizam of Hyderbad, Sipah Salar, Fateh Jung,GCSI.

Farhan Nizam, Persian dictionary, first edition, 1926.

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

    He was a builder and visionary. He built many buildings to house institutions like a college,hospital,university for the benefit of the public. He also made the Hyderabad House at New Delhi. It is used by the Indian Government to hold diplomatic events. He built  a splendid building to house the court. He established a railway system called Nizam's State Railway and public transport by introducing buses. He also built the Asafiya Library now called State Central Library, the Hyderabad Museum and the Jubilee Hall.  He built the Nizamsagar dam in 1923-31 and Osman-sagar reservoir. He started a thermal electricity plant near Hussain Sagar in 1920, India's first, which supplied power to the state. He got many reports made by professionals which suggest an excellent documentation system. He started new departments like Archaeology, in 1914. He started the Nizamia General Hospital (Unani medicine) at Hyderabad in 1926. He established the City College in 1921.

      All his life he lived in a palace called King Kothi bought from a nobleman at Hyderabad.  He contributed to the World War I efforts of the British and came to be called Faithfully Ally of the British.

  Nizam VII of Hyderabad




















Nizam VII of Hyderabad.

Image courtesy : Syed Ahmed



 Nizam VII of Hyderabad with his grandson Mukarram Jah,1934.

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons




Gate,King Kothi Palace, Hyderabad.

By Kingkoti_palace_dwaramu.JPG: Bhaskaranaiduderivative work: Sarvagyana guru - This file was derived fromKingkoti palace dwaramu.JPG:, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22336570




Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru is greeted by the Nizam 
during his visit to Hyderabad State,photograph,late 1940s.

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

    He started the Deccan Nizam Airways at Hyderabad with an airport at Begumpet area at Hyderabad. He established a bank Hyderabad State Bank which later became State Bank of Hyderabad, now merged with State Bank of India. He started his own currency. He was responsible for educational reforms and made primary education compulsory. He started agricultural research in his state in the Marathwada region.  The Nizam did not want the Hyderabad state  to join India after Independence, hence Operation Polo had to be carried out under Major General J.N Choudhuri in 1948.

     The Nizam had a fabulous collection of jewels which was acquired by the Indian Government.The seventh Nizam contributed to India's Defence Fund for  India's war effort with China in 1965 by way of 5000 kg of gold.

High Court of Judicature, Hyderabad, 1930s image.

Image courtesy : Sultanuddin Ahmed

High Court of Judicature, Hyderabad,2017.

By Sudeeksha10 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons




Osmania General Hospital,Hyderabad,image, 2012.

By Bhargavinf - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21586970




Arts College, Osmania University, Hyderabad,image 2016.

By Akhil.challa - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=51475337





Hyderabad House, New Delhi, image 2016.

By Narendra Modi - With Prime Minister Theresa May at Hyderabad House., CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52921652



City College, Hyderabad, image, 2013.

By Bhaskaranaidu - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28557819



Hyderabad Railway Station, image, 1892,Hyderabad.

Lala Deen Dayal [Public domain, Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons



Secunderabad Railway Station,image,1948.

By Jack Birns (Jack Birns Photos) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons




A view of NSR bus on Tank Bund Road, Hyderabad,image,1932.

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons



Nizam Sagar Dam, Nizamabad.





Nizamia General Hospital, Hyderabad.

By Pranav Yaddanapudi from Hyderabad, India - [1], CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11746973 References :

• Hyderabad : a city in history/Khan,Raza Ali, Hyderabad : Zenith Press,1990.
• Pictorial Hyderabad/Mudiraj,Krishnaswamy, Hyderabad : Chandrakanth Press,1934.
• wikipedia.org

Posted by :


Soma Ghosh


Ⓒauthor