When did the Hyderabad State exist?

The Hyderabad State existed 1724–1948. On this map it is drawn 1727–1798, 1947.

How large was the Hyderabad State?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Hyderabad State covered about 263,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

South Asia · Mughals and successors

Hyderabad State

Mughal viceroyalty turned independent monarchy · 1724–1948

Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan, Mughal governor of the Deccan (1713–1721), broke free after defeating his rival at the Battle of Shakar Kheda in 1724 and ruled from Aurangabad under the title Asaf Jah, granted by Emperor Muhammad Shah. His style Nizam-ul-Mulk became the dynastic title "Nizam of Hyderabad," and by the end of his reign the Asaf Jahi dynasty was effectively independent of Delhi.

See it on the map → Wikipedia ↗

Type: Mughal viceroyalty turned independent monarchy, later the premier princely state of British India
Existed: 1724–1948
Shown on the map: 1727–1798, 1947 (2 periods)
Peak area: at its 18th-century peak roughly 263,000 km² of the Deccan (214,187 km² by 1941), in south-central India.
Region: South Asia

Origins and founding

Capitals and territory

Aurangabad was the capital until 1763, when the court shifted to the city of Hyderabad. The state covered the Telugu-, Marathi- and Kannada-speaking Deccan (today Telangana, Marathwada and Kalyana-Karnataka), but its coastal territories (the Northern Circars, ceded by the Treaty of Masulipatnam in 1766/68, and Guntur in 1788) were progressively surrendered, leaving it landlocked.

Major rulers and key events

Asaf Jah I (1724–1748) built a formidable army, but the state became a Maratha tributary after defeats at Palkhed, Rakshasbhuvan and Kharda, paying chauth until the Company's destruction of Maratha power in 1818. Nizam Ali Khan, Asaf Jah II (1762–1803), was the first Indian prince to sign a subsidiary alliance (1798), hosted a British Resident and cantonment (Secunderabad), and allied with the British against Mysore and the Marathas; his French-trained Corps Français de Raymond under Michel Joachim Marie Raymond was a famous military unit.

Government, economy and culture

An absolute monarchy ruling a predominantly Hindu population through a largely Muslim aristocracy of about 1,100 feudal lords; Persian was the court and revenue language until replaced by Urdu in 1886. Reforms under Salar Jung I (1850s–1860s) created divisions, districts and modern departments; the last Nizam, Osman Ali Khan (1911–1948), was reputedly the world's richest man, issued his own Hyderabadi rupee, and built the railway, Osmania General Hospital and the lakes Osman Sagar and Himayath Sagar.

Decline and end

At Partition the Nizam declared independence, appealed to the UN Security Council, and signed a standstill agreement with India. Indian troops invaded in "Operation Polo" (13–17 September 1948); the Nizam's army surrendered, and he signed the Instrument of Accession in January 1950.

Legacy and significance

Hyderabad survived as the largest princely state of the Raj and a byword for princely splendour; its territory was dissolved along linguistic lines in 1956, and its core became the state of Telangana (2014) with Hyderabad as capital.

Common questions

What was the Hyderabad State?: Mir Qamar-ud-din Khan, Mughal governor of the Deccan (1713–1721), broke free after defeating his rival at the Battle of Shakar Kheda in 1724 and ruled from Aurangabad under the title Asaf Jah, granted by Emperor Muhammad Shah. His style Nizam-ul-Mulk became the dynastic title "Nizam of Hyderabad," and by the end of his reign the Asaf Jahi dynasty was effectively independent of Delhi.
When did the Hyderabad State exist?: The Hyderabad State existed 1724–1948. On this map it is drawn 1727–1798, 1947.
How large was the Hyderabad State?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the Hyderabad State covered about 263,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Where was the Hyderabad State?: Aurangabad was the capital until 1763, when the court shifted to the city of Hyderabad. The state covered the Telugu-, Marathi- and Kannada-speaking Deccan (today Telangana, Marathwada and Kalyana-Karnataka), but its coastal territories (the Northern Circars, ceded by the Treaty of Masulipatnam in 1766/68, and Guntur in 1788) were progressively surrendered, leaving it landlocked.
Who ruled the Hyderabad State?: Asaf Jah I (1724–1748) built a formidable army, but the state became a Maratha tributary after defeats at Palkhed, Rakshasbhuvan and Kharda, paying chauth until the Company's destruction of Maratha power in 1818.
How did the Hyderabad State end?: At Partition the Nizam declared independence, appealed to the UN Security Council, and signed a standstill agreement with India. Indian troops invaded in "Operation Polo" (13–17 September 1948); the Nizam's army surrendered, and he signed the Instrument of Accession in January 1950.
How was the Hyderabad State governed?: An absolute monarchy ruling a predominantly Hindu population through a largely Muslim aristocracy of about 1,100 feudal lords; Persian was the court and revenue language until replaced by Urdu in 1886.
Why does the Hyderabad State still matter?: Hyderabad survived as the largest princely state of the Raj and a byword for princely splendour; its territory was dissolved along linguistic lines in 1956, and its core became the state of Telangana (2014) with Hyderabad as capital.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia: Hyderabad State en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyderabad_State

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 10 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

See the Hyderabad State in its world

Open the atlas at 1763 and every neighbour, rival and successor is on screen with it — then drag the slider and watch what happens next.

Open the map at 1763 →