HUSSAIN SAGAR LAKE - ANDHRA PRADESH

Hussain Sagar is a lake in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, built by Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali in 1562, during the rule of Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah. Hussain Sagar Lake is one of the largest manmade lake situated at the confluence of Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Begumpet.

It was 5.7 square kilometers built on a tributary of the River Musi to meet the water and irrigation needs of the city.  A famous monolith of Lord Buddha is installed at the center of the lake which was erected in 1992. Hussain Sagar Lake is popularly known as the Tank Bund, a major spot of tourist attractions.  At the end of the Hussain Sagar one can find the Masjid and Dargah of Sayedani Maa Tomb.  It is a sprawling artificial lake that holds water perennially.

Linking the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, the lake and its environs have several parks and scenic spots. The broad road on the tank bund is lined with lawns, and statues of 33 famous personalities of the state (which are now partially destroyed) stand along the bund. The State Tourism is providing new and better facilities like speed boats, motor boats, etc. The Necklace Road is another attraction which outlines the periphery of the Hussain Sagar Lake, enhancing its beauty even more. Standing on the water front at night, one is mesmerized by the glimmering row of lights demarcating the lake that looks like a diamond studded necklace. Other attractions around the lake are the Lumbini Park and the Birla Mandir. Lumbini Park features a musical fountain and well landscaped garden. The ancient temple of Katta Maisamma, symbolizing ‘goddess of the dam’, is very close to this road and pulls a lot of devotees every year.

The lake was originally constructed to supply drinking water but it is not used as a drinking water source since 1930. The lake also protected the citizens staying in the low lying areas around the lake from floods.

GOLKONDA FORT- ANDHRA PRADESH

Golkonda is located 11 km west of the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh state, India.

             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:

§  Darya-e Nur

§  Nur-Ul-Ain Diamond

§  The Koh-i-noor

§  The Hope Diamond

§  The Regent Diamond

§  Wittelsbach Diamond

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. 

            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.