The annual Deccan Festival, celebrating the culture of the Deccan, is held in which city?

The Deccan Festival is an annual cultural festival held in Hyderabad, usually in February. It celebrates the rich culture, history, arts, crafts and cuisine of the Deccan region, especially the heritage of Hyderabad, and it is organised by the tourism department of the state.

The festival lasts for about five days and includes performances of classical and folk music and dance, ghazals, qawwalis and mushairas (poetry gatherings), exhibitions and sales of handicrafts, a pearl and bangle festival, and food festivals featuring Hyderabadi cuisine, such as biryani and haleem. The festival highlights the composite culture of Hyderabad, often called the "Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb", which combines Hindu and Muslim traditions.

Hyderabad was founded in 1591 by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, who also built the Charminar. The Qutb Shahis ruled from the Golconda Fort, which was famous for its diamond trade; the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond is believed to have been mined in this region. After the Mughal conquest of Golconda in 1687, the region was later ruled by the Asaf Jahi dynasty of the Nizams, from 1724 to 1948. Hyderabad became part of India in 1948 after Operation Polo. It was the capital of Andhra Pradesh from 1956, and became the capital of Telangana when the new state was formed on 2 June 2014. Hyderabad is famous for its pearls and bangles (sold at the Laad Bazaar near the Charminar), its biryani and its IT industry ("Cyberabad").

Hyderabad was the capital of Andhra Pradesh until Telangana was formed in 2014, so older sources place the festival in Andhra Pradesh.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Pune is known for the Sawai Gandharva music festival and Ganeshotsav.
• ✗Aurangabad hosts the Ellora-Ajanta Festival.
• ✗Bijapur (Vijayapura) is known for the Gol Gumbaz.