Golkonda is located 11 km
west of the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh state
Golkonda or Golla konda (shepherd's hill) a ruined city of
south-central India and capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda (c.1518–1687),
is situated 11 km west of Hyderabad
The
most important builder of Golkonda was Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah Wali, the fourth Qutub king
of the Qutub Shahi Dynasty. Ibrahim was following in the spirit of his
ancestors, the Qutub Shahi kings, a great family of builders who had ruled the
kingdom of Golkonda from 1512. Their first capital, the fortress citadel of
Golkonda, was rebuilt for defense from invading Mughals from the north. They laid out Golkonda's splendid
monuments, now in ruins, and designed a perfect acoustical system by which a hand clap sounded at the fort's main
gates, the grand portico, was heard at the top of the citadel, situated on a
300-foot (91 m)-high granite hill. This is one of the fascinating features
of the fort.
The
Golconda fort used to have a vault where once the famous Kohinoor and Hope diamonds
were stored along with other diamonds.
Golkonda was once
renowned for the diamonds found on the south-east at Kollur Mine near Kollur (modern
day Guntur district), Paritala (modern
day Krishna district)
and cut in the city during the Kakatiya reign.
At that time, India had
the only known diamond mines in the world.
Many famed
diamonds are believed to have been excavated from the mines of Golkonda, such
as:
THE FORT
Golkonda
consists of four distinct forts with
a 10 km long outer wall with 87 semicircular bastions (some still mounted
with cannons), eight gateways,
and four drawbridges, with a number of royal apartments & halls, temples, mosques, magazines,
stables, etc. inside. The lowest of these is the outermost enclosure into which we enter by the "Fateh Darwaza"
(Victory gate, so called after Aurangzeb’s triumphant army marched
in through this gate) studded with giant iron spikes
(to prevent elephants from battering them down) near the south-eastern
corner. At Fateh Darwaza can be experienced a fantastic acoustic effect,
characteristic of the engineering marvels at Golkonda. A hand clap at a certain point
below the dome at
the entrance reverberates and can be heard clearly at the 'Bala Hisar' pavilion, the highest point almost a kilometre away. This
worked as a warning note to the royals in case of an attack.
The fort has an ingeniously evolved water supply
system. The water raised by Persian wheels was stored in overhead tanks at
different levels. Water thus collected was effectively distributed to various mahals, other apartments,
roof gardens and fountains in the citadel through stone aqueducts and a network
of earthen pipes by sheer force of gravity.
QUTUB SHAHI TOMBS
The tombs of the Qutb Shahi sultans lie about one kilometer north of Golkonda's outer wall. These structures are made of beautifully carved stonework, and surrounded by landscaped gardens.
The tombs of the Qutb Shahi sultans lie about one kilometer north of Golkonda's outer wall. These structures are made of beautifully carved stonework, and surrounded by landscaped gardens.
Highlight of the fort is a light-and-sound
show. The timings of the show are different during summers and winters. During
November–February, the shows begin at 6:30 pm, and during March-October, the
shows begin at 7 pm. On Wednesdays and Sundays the shows are presented in
English; on Tuesdays, Fridays, and on Saturdays, in Hindi; and on Thursdays,
Telugu.
This is an
interesting place for archeologists and who love history.
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