Banjara Hills is an urban commercial centre and one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in

Hyderabad, Telangana Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. ...

, India. This is an upmarket locality close to

Jubilee Hills Jubilee Hills is an affluent suburban neighbourhood in Western part of Hyderabad, Telangana. It is one of the most expensive commercial and residential locations in India with prime land prices fetching up to 300,000 ($4015) per square yard. A t ...

. This area was a hilly forest and was least inhabited in the past. Only few royal members of the

Nizam The Nizams were the rulers of Hyderabad from the 18th through the 20th century. Nizam of Hyderabad (Niẓām ul-Mulk, also known as Asaf Jah) was the title of the monarch of the Hyderabad State ( divided between the state of Telangana, Mar ...

's dynasty lived here, which was a hunting ground for them. Even with its history and status, this area now has completely been transformed to an urban commercial centre consisting of an array of high-end hotels, restaurants, night clubs and office buildings of global corporations. Banjara Hills is segregated by its road numbers, with each road having its own importance: the numbers start from 1 and end at 14. Banjara Hills is considered the most expensive zip code in India according to ''Economic Times magazine'' and along with

, is the most prestigious borough/city in the greater Hyderabad area to live in. ''Economic Times'' estimated that properties in Banjara Hills were worth "a whopping Rs 96,000 crore", an equivalent to US$20.7 billion (As of 8 September 2011). The much neglected Banjara Lake is also located here.

History

The land was first bought by Nawab Mehdi Nawaz Jung, a minister in the court of the last Nizam in 1927, who built his residence, ''Banjara Bhavan'' (supposedly inspired by Antoni Gaudí's works) here. The last Nizam suggested that the area be named after the Nawab, as the man responsible for its development. However, the Nawab stated that it would only be fair to name the area after its original inhabitants, the

Banjara The Banjara (also known as ,Vanzara,Lambadi,Gour Rajput,Labana) are a historically nomadic trading caste who may have origins in the Mewar region of what is now Rajasthan. Etymology The Banjaras usually refer to themselves as ''Gor'' and outs ...

s. The ''Banjara Bhavan'' was visited by

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

as well as

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

, who wrote a poem inspired by the area. Road No. 1 of Banjara Hills is now known as

Mehdi Nawaz Jung Nawab Mehdi Nawaz Jung (23 May 1894 – 28 June 1967) was an Indian bureaucrat and was Secretary to the Executive Council during the Nizam rule. He also served as the Governor of Gujarat from 1960 to 1965. His house known as ''Banjara Bhavan'', ...

Road, named in his honour.

Landscape

Banjara Hills is famous for its hotels, upscale restaurants and large shopping malls. Taj Krishna, Taj Deccan and Taj Banjara are well-known star hotels in this area. Many restaurants offer cuisines from all over the world: Chinese Pavilion, Ohris Banjara, Barbeque Nation, and Fusion 9. There are many retail business establishments. Big malls like the

GVK One GVK One is a shopping mall located in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, India. The mall was opened to public on 1 May 2009. Stores The mall has 70 branded stores and its anchor store Shoppers Stop spans in three levels. The mall has a six-screen ...

City Center A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

, Midtown, Ohri's, Alcazar Plaza, Zing Designs, among many more dot the skyline. The highest building in the Banjara Hills area is the commercial Laxmi Cyber Center. The

Jalagam Vengal Rao Park Jalagam Vengal Rao Park (also known as JVR Park) is a park located in Banjara Hills in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The park was named after the 5th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh – Jalagam Vengala Rao. The park maintenance has been hande ...

is in Banjara Hills. This park is very beautiful, has its own charm, and many locals visit regularly for jogging and relaxing. Most of the businesses are concentrated on Road No.1 and Road No. 3.

Muffakham Jah College of Engineering and Technology Muffakham Jah College of Engineering and Technology (MJCET) is an engineering college located at Mount Pleasant, Road number 3, Banjara Hills, in the heart of the city of Hyderabad in India. The college is named after Muffakham Jah, Prince M ...

is on Road No. 3. This college has one of the largest campuses in the city. It works under the management and ownership of Sultan-ul-Uloom Education Society, which also operates Sultan-ul-Uloom College of Law, College of Education, Junior College, and School in the same premises. KBR park, named after Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, is close to Road No. 3. A cultural centre, called

Lamakaan Lamakaan ( ur, ) is an open cultural center in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, India. The non-profit organisation provides space for events such as arts, literature, theater, music, and debates. History Lamakaan started hosting events in March 2010. ...

, opened on Road No. 1 in 2010. The 400-year-old, ''Svayambhu Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple'' on Road No. 12 is famous for Grand Harinam sankirtans.

Guitarmonk Kapil Srivastava (born 23 June) is an Indian guitarist, music author, composer, trainer from New Delhi. Kapil completed his education from DAV Public School and thereafter pursued his graduation in commerce from University of Delhi. He starte ...

school is also there.

Hospitals

* Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital * Cancer Clinics * Omega Hospital * Care Hospital * Star hospital * Elbit Diagnostics * Surya Fertility Centre * Century Hospital * Virinchi Hospital * Rainbow Hospital *

L. V. Prasad Eye Institute The L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) is an eye-care network, established by Dr. Gullapalli Nageswara Rao, an ophthalmologist, at Hyderabad, in 1987. It is a non-profit, multi-campus, non-governmental institution. With more than 200 eye-care c ...

* Asha Hospital * Nova IVF Fertility Hospital * Felicity IVF Fertility Centre

Transport

TSRTC Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (abbreviated as TSRTC) is a state-owned corporation that runs bus transport services to and from the Indian state of Telangana. It was formed in 2014 by splitting the Andhra Pradesh State Road Trans ...

connects Banjara hills to parts of Hyderabad like

Dilsukhnagar Dilsukhnagar is one of the largest commercial and residential centers in Hyderabad. It was once part of the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad, but later merged with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. History The name "Dilsukhnagar ...

, Koti,

Ghatkesar Ghatkesar is a satellite town of Hyderabad in the Medchal-Malkajgiri district of Telangana, India. It is the Mandal headquarters of Ghatkesar Mandal in The Keesara revenue division. Located in the outer suburbs of Hyderabad, it is a part of The ...

, and

Khairtabad Khairatabad is a neigbbourhood in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is a mandal in the Secunderabad Revenue division of Hyderabad District. This is a Zone in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. There are five circles in this zone namely ...

. New flyovers have eased

traffic congestion Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s. When traffic de ...

towards this suburb. The closest MMTS train station is at Khairtabad. This suburb has a good road network, with roads being renovated constantly to accommodate high traffic during peak hours.

Localities

Somajiguda Somajiguda is a Commercial Centre of Hyderabad located on either sides of Raj Bhavan Road. It started as a peaceful residential locality but slowly has transformed into a modern business centre in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is a hub of comme ...

, Errammanzil Colony,

Srinagar Colony Srinagar colony is an important commercial and residential area in the western part of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It formed Ward No. 104 of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in 2009. Because the area is close to Madhapur, with many work ...

, G.S Colony,

Panjagutta Panjagutta is a commercial and residential area in western Hyderabad, India. The area contains IT hubs, shopping malls and jewellery shops. It has become a major transit point for traffic to and from the Hyderabad districts of Ameerpet, Banjara ...

and

are nearby / adjacent areas.

References

External links

{{Neighborhoods of Hyderabad Neighbourhoods in Hyderabad, India Shopping districts and streets in India