Zahirabad

Zahirabad, formerly Badi Ekkhelli, is a town and Revenue division in Sangareddy district of the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Zahirabad mandal of Sangareddy district. It is the commercial centre of Medak district.LocationBadi Ekkhelli lies 100km northwest of Hyderabad on the Mumbai highway .Town nameZahirabad township was originally named Badi Ekkhelli. The current name of the city was coined by a Paigah noble called Mohammad Zaheeruddin Khan (Nawab Zaheer Yar Jung Bahadur). He was the eldest son of Nawab Moin-ud-Dowlah Bahadur (Dowlah Bahadur; a follower of the Zoroastrian divinity, Asman) and the Amir-i-Paigah (lord) of the Asman Jahi (his family estate). The Paigah family or clan were a Sufi Islamic aristocratic family of Hyderabad state.Though the name has been changed, the local name Badi Ekkhelli retains its place among the locals.HistoryImportant points in the history of Zaheerabad include the drought of 1972 and the Hyderabad Police Action of 1949.DemographicsIn 2001, the census population of Zaheerabad was 140,160. Sixteen percent of people were under six years of age. The rate of literacy was 59.5 percent, higher than the national average. Women were less literate than men (55 percent to 69 percent). The common languages spoken are Telugu, Urdu, Kannada and Marathi.