feries From the 7th to the 10th century, the Chalukyas ruled the area, establishing their Dravidian style o

From the 7th to the 10th century, the Chalukyas ruled the area, establishing their Dravidian style of architecture, feries especially feries along the coast. The Chalukya and Chola dynasties merged in the 11th century to be overthrown by the Kakatiyas, who introduced pillared temples into South Indian religious architec feries

In 1724 the Hyderabad viceroy, Asaf Jah, took advantage of waning Mughal power and declared Hyderabad an independent state with himself as leader. The dynasty of the nizams of Hyderabad began, and the traditions of Islam flourished. Hyderabad became a focus for the arts, culture and learning, and the centre of Islamic India. Its abundance of rare gems and minerals the world-famous Kohinoor diamond is from here furnished the nizams with enormous wealth. (William Dalrymple s White Mughals is a fascinating portrait of the city at this time.)