Hyderabad in south India was ruled by the Golconda Shiite state, as part of the Safawite Shiite empire, in the 1500s and 1600s. That part of India still has an old Shiite community headed by a group of grand ayatollahs who are deeply respected by the Shiite religious leaders of Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and other parts of the Middle East.
The Hyderabad connection is considered quite important among religious leaders of the Jaafari order of Shiism. This is mainly for two reasons:
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