About Music and Dance of Hyderabad:
Hyderabad has a rich legacy of music and dance. Since ancient time, performing arts have been given much importance in the city of Hyderabad. It was major form of recreation and entertainment for the Nizams during their era. Slowly, it developed into a tool of meditation and preaching God’s teachings. One of the most important forms of music in Hyderabad is the Carnatic music. It also spelt as Karnatic music. Like all forms of art of the Indian culture, Carnatic Music is believed to have a divine origin – Carnatic Music is said to have originated from God. Its natural origins come from ancient discourses that describe the correlation of the origin of swaras (musical notations) to the sounds of animals and birds, the sound emanating from a bamboo reed as air passes through its hollows, and man’s keen sense of observation and insight that attempted at stimulating these sounds. These sounds were arranged in a manner that it produced melodious tunes synchronized with time, pitch and talam (beats). Carnatic music has ancient ragas, which are said to invoke the divine energy. The 3 main gurus of Carnatic music belong to the state of Andhra pradesh. They are saint Tyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri. Though it is losing its appeal among the current generation, there are people who still practice this ancient form of music, which is an absolute delight to the ears. Apart from the traditional music, Hyderabad rocks to the music of popular film numbers in Hindi, Telegu and Tamil. International music is also becoming a rage among the masses with Pop and Hip-Hop being the most popular. Hyderabad is well known for its varied forms of classical dance. Kuchipudi, a mixture of abhinaya (acting) and music, is the most unique and ancient kind of dance of this area. Perini, a different form of Shiva Taandavam (dance of Lord Shiva) also hails from this state. It had its origin as a warrior dance and is almost always performed by an all male group.
General Information about Hyderabad:
Location: Hyderabad
State: Andhra Pradesh
Capital: Hyderabad
Language: Telugu, Hindi, English
Temperature: Max 42˚C, Min 27˚C (summer), Max 21˚C, Min 14˚C (winter)
Best Season: October to February
How to Reach Hyderabad:
By Air:
Hyderabad is connected to the rest of the world by both national and international flights. The Hyderabad airport is divided into both domestic and international terminals. The domestic terminal is called the N.T. Rama Rao Domestic Terminal. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Air Sahara, Deccan Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and Spice Jet are the major domestic flights that operate here. The international terminal is called the Rajiv Gandhi International Terminal. Major international flights operating here are Lufthansa Airlines, Silk Air Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Saudi Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines and Qatar Airlines. The airport is located at Begumpet.
By Rail:
Secunderabad, which is the co-sister city of Hyderabad, is the head office of Southern and Central railways. Besides the Secunderabad railway station there are two other railway stations namely, the Hyderabad railway station (also known as Nampally) and Kacheguda railway station. All the trains leaving from Hyderabad and Kacheguda railway station have a stoppage at the Secunderabad railway station.
By Road:
Hyderabad city is well connected to all the major states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Orissa. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has maintained a well laid out system of roadways, which connect Hyderabad to almost every city and town. Its head office is at Secunderabad. Some major national highways that pass through Hyderabad are NH – 4, NH – 5, NH – 7, NH – 9, NH – 16, NH – 18, etc.