The earliest accounts of Nizamabad’s history date back to the 5th century, when the region was called Indur. King Indradatta ruled this region, and it prospered during his reign. Later on, the city of Nizamabad became a part of Hyderabad, which was a princely state ruled by a Nizam. The region of Nizamabad remained under the rule of the Nizams from 1724 to 1948. The city’s name is derived from the word ‘Nizam’ and translates to mean ‘long live the Nizam’. The name was given by the ruler, Asaf Jahi VI, whose kingdom stretched throughout the Deccan plateau during the 18th century. The actual city of Nizamabad was established in 1905. Post India's independence in 1947, Hyderabad was taken over by the Indian Armed Forces. The move by the Indian Army to take over Hyderabad is famously referred to as Operation Polo. And it also brought an end to the reign of the Nizams.
In the 6th century BC, Ashmaka, a Surya Vamsha king, established a kingdom and built the city Poudana. This city was later captured by King Karna with the help of the Nagula tribe. Consequently it is believed that the inhabitants of Poudana were descendants of the Nagula tribe and therefore were brave and fearless in nature.
Ashmaka soon moved into the hands of the Nanda kings. They were however severely defeated by Chandragupta Maurya who established his control over the territory with the help of his shrewd and intelligent Prime Minister Kautilya or Chanakya. The Mauryas were followed by the Satavahanas, Ikshwakas, Vishna Kundinas, and the Badami Chalukyas who established their sovereignty over Nizamabad. It is little wonder that their rule have sufficiently contributed in influencing its heritage and culture.
In the 8th century, the Rashtrakuta king Indra Vallabha Panthya Varsha Indra Som ruled over Ashmaka. His long and effective reign led people to rename this city after its great ruler to commemorate his successful reign. Hence Ashmaka came to be known as Indur or Indrapuri. The name remains etched in the minds and hearts of its people who wish to refer to their favorite city with its old name as an endearment. Indur soon assumed significant prominence as is evident from its reference in the religious scriptures of various Indian religions namely Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism.
In 1324 Indur faced its first Muslim onslaught. The brave Nagula blood flowing in their veins led them to fight fiercely with the Muslim sultans in a bid to protect their independence. However, the huge Muslim army ultimately forced them to surrender in defeat in 1323 when Ul-ug Khan captured Bodhan Fort and Kotagiri. In 1324, Indur formally came to be included in the sovereignty of the sultans.
In 1347 when the Bahamani kings established their hold over Indur, the city underwent another turning point in its history. For a considerable period after that till 1500 AD, the existence of Indur was seeped in confusion. It came to be ruled by the Bahamani kings as well as by the Vijayanagar kings both of whom began to force their control over Indur by turns.
The fall of the Bahamani kings at the hands of the Qutub Shahi kings lent a new influence on Indur. It came to be adorned with Qutub Shahi architecture namely forts built at Bodhan, Kotagiri Kowlas Nala and so on.
With the ascent of Aurangzeb to the throne of Delhi, the Golkonda kingdoms including Indur came into the hands of the Mughals. The Asaf Jahi occupation followed soon after. Indur’s role in the 1857 mutiny led it to be included in the Indian union. Since it continued to remain under the aegis of the Nizams, Indur was then renamed as Nizamabad. The district of Nizamabad finally came to be formed in 1956 AD. This marked the entry of Indur into the modern era.
The modernization of Indur can be traced back to 1905 and can be marked by the laying down of railway tracks between Secunderabad and Manmad. This was the first time a mode of transport was being set up to establish faster communication between Nizamabad and the rest of the world.
