Sainikpuri

Sainikpuri is a residential neighbourhood in the northeastern part of Hyderabad City. It falls under Kapra mandal of Medchal-Malkajgiri District, and is currently administered under GHMC East Zone. It started as a co-operative housing society venture for retired army personnel, but now has houses which belong to other defence services as well as civilians. Late Brig M. K Rao, Late Brig S.N.Docca (former commandant of EME School, now MCEME) and Late Lt. Col. Tiwari Singh were the first few to have got plots in the society and had a vision to develop the colony into an elite area. The housing plots originally allotted to the members of the Sainikpuri co-operative society were of the size of 700–1,000 square yards each. Owing to this reason, most residences have large lawns and gardens. Roads are well laid and numbered. Avenues are lined with a variety of flowering and fruiting trees, and are ideal for morning and evening walks. The sprawling cantonment area, as well as College of Defence Management (CDM) which is a premier establishment of the Indian armed forces, are in the vicinity of Sainikpuri. The old buildings are now slowly giving way to multi-storied apartments, and it is becoming a costlier affair to acquire living space in this area.

The area was originally a part of the Neredmet village before becoming Sainikpuri Colony. The name of the place is derived from the original residents who were Sainiks, meaning soldiers, and puri meaning place. Sainikpuri started as a co-operative housing society venture in 1960s for retired army personnel. But now it has houses which belong to other defence services as well as civilians.

There is a common auditorium / mess which offers a variety of services for the residents of Sainikpuri. These services include a gymnasium, a basketball court, a badminton court, a library and a community hall. Hanging around the banks of the Kapra Lake is another pastime that the youngsters in the area indulge in. Due to the lake, there is an abundance of ground-water and greenery around. The colony is clean and the temperature is low, which has made it a popular spot for morning and evening walks.

Most serving and retired members of armed forces residing in Sainikpuri are also the members of another club, the R.S.I. Club at Alwal. The R.S.I. Club is strictly for the armed forces personnel, their families and their guests, and strict dress-code and manners are enforced. Movie-screenings and 'Tambola' are held on Saturdays in the R.S.I. Club, Alwal, which also frequently organizes cultural events and welfare activities for the families of the officers.

Culturally Sainikpuri is Pan-Indian due to its Armed Forces origins, and has been home to people from almost every major culture of India. When Sainikpuri was established, it was removed from the rest of the Hyderabad-Secunderabad axis by at least 10 kilometers. In course of time, it slowly developed a cultural character of its own, that of a conglomerate of upper-middle-class families of diverse ethnic origins.

Amongst the Hindu shrines of Sainikpuri are the Lakshmi Narayana Swamy temple along with Lord Uma Maheshwara formed the important temple complex when it was initially a Dhyana Mandir to allow meditations. Shirdi Saibaba Temple located near Sainikpuri Post-office in Saipuri colony, Vijaya Ganapathi Temple standing on the High Tension Line Road, and Sri Venkateshwara Temple at the Eshwaripuri Colony which stands on the encroached part of the Kapra Lake. There is also the famous Shiva-Vishnu Temple in the vicinity of the Sainikpuri community Hall. It is located amidst scenic surroundings, and is popular among the devout locals. On the northern fringe of Sainikpuri, there is a Christian shrine of Our Lady of Vailankanni. There is also a mosque in the Defence Colony area. The Nalla Pochamma (or Goddess Kali) Temple is in the Ambedkar Nagar area, and was founded, developed and maintained for almost 30 years by a local resident, Shri Maddela Hanumantha Rao. Scores of devotees offer prayers at this shrine, especially on the annual festival known as 'Bonalu'.

It was in the Eshwarpuri Colony near Sainikpuri that the battle scenes in the Telugu movie, "Dana Veera Sura Karna," considered to be a classic among Telugu movies, were filmed. This landscape features in several old Telugu movies. Surroundings of the Shiva Vishnu Temple are popular amongst cinematographers for film-shootings.

Sainikpuri initially had four blocks - A, B, C and D. In early 1980s, additional area was added to Sainikpuri and it became the E block. Neredmet-Vayupuri is another residential area established and developed on the same lines along with Sainikpuri. Other residential colonies have come up to the north of Sainikpuri. Madhavpuri, Classic Enclave, Dr. Ambedkar Nagar Colony, Lakshmipuri, Osmania University Teachers Colony (OUT Colony), Saibaba Officers Colony, Bhasker Rao Nagar (especially 40/1), Eshwaripuri colony, H M T Bearings Officer's Colony, Suryanagar Colony, Kalyan Gardens, Mahalakshmipuri (Excise) Colony, Shaili Gardens, Manik Sai Enclave, Tulsi Gardens, Maruthi Gardens, Sylvan Greens, Yapral residential area etc., are a few to name. Defence colony is another well established organized residential area adjoining Sainikpuri, and is as old as Sainikpuri.