Ruins of Golconda

Monideepa Sahu sets foot in Golconda, Telangana, whose fort remains the hallmark of the city’s once-rich culture and trade

 An ancient fort stands on a hill, overlooking the bustling sprawl of Hyderabad in today’s Telangana. Once the seat of illustrious kings, the fortress of Golconda was the key to southern India. Legend has it that almost a thousand years ago, a shepherd boy discovered an idol on the rocky hill. The then Kakatiya ruler of Warangal built a mud fort around the sacred spot. The Kakatiyas’s signature remains on the carvings and stucco relief work at the entrance of the citadel, with its peacocks, griffins, lions and lotus motifs. The name Golconda is derived from golla konda, which means shepherd’s hill in Telugu.

Through the centuries, the Kakatiyas and the Munsuri Nayak chieftains expanded and strengthened the fort. Golconda Fort has three lines of massive stone walls rising over 12 metres. The outermost wall runs for seven kilometres, enclosing an entire town. With eight regal gateways and 87 towering bastions topped with cannons, Golconda in its heyday was an impregnable fortress of medieval Deccan. In 1363, the fort was surrendered to the Bahmanis. The fortified city remained a provincial capital of the Bahmanis, until their downfall in 1518. The Qutub Shahi rulers then made Golconda their capital, until it fell to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1687. Aurangzeb appointed Asaf Jah as the Subedar of the Deccan Province. Asaf Jah assumed the title of Nizam-ul-Mulk, and declared independence from the Mughals in 1713. The Nizams ruled the region until 1948.

Former trade hub

Famed for its fabled riches, the fortified city of Golconda was the hub of the world’s diamond trade. In medieval times, India was the only place in the world where diamonds were mined. The mines in nearby Kollur, Paritala and Atkur, as well as mines in Golconda, produced diamonds for the world. The legendary Kohinoor and the Hope diamond were discovered in Golconda, and were once stored within the fort’s vaults. The 185- karat Darya-e-Nur (Sea of Light), the grandest diamond among the crown jewels of Iran, was one of the many fine diamonds mined in here. People in the western world equated the name of Golconda with grand opulence. Italian traveller Marco Polo was among the many dazzled by Golconda’s splendour.

Aurangzeb’s attack reduced much of the fort to rubble, but remnants of its former glory survive. The armouries, the elegant Nagina Bagh garden within the fort, the guard lines, government offices, Ramdas jail, a mosque built by Ibrahim Qutub Shah (1550-1580) continue to stand within the fort. The Baradari on top of the 400 m hill overlooks the remnants of an empire and the modern city of Hyderabad below.

A complex system supplied water throughout the fort, to the various palaces and royal apartments, and to the roof gardens and fountains. Water lifted by Persian wheels was stored in tanks at various levels.

This stored water was distributed through the fort by a network of aqueducts and earthen pipes using the force of gravity. Golconda Fort also has an ingenious system of channelling sounds to send signals to distant strategically located points. The king and his guards could be warned of dangers this way. Visitors standing at the centre of the main entrance gate can see this in action. A clap made at this point is echoed by the opposite building which was built at a perfect angle to the entrance. Words whispered in one corner of the spacious durbar hall can be clearly heard by someone at the diagonally opposite corner. Claps from selected spots down below can be clearly heard in the king’s chambers at the hilltop.

The Ibrahim Bagh gardens near Golconda Fort contains the magnificent tombs of the Qutub Shahi rulers who ruled for 169 years, between the 16th and 17th centuries. They were great patrons of culture and learning. Ibrahim Bagh was the venue for concerts, dance recitals and plays, which even poor people could enjoy. Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah (1580-1612) wrote many exquisite poems in Urdu, Persian and Telugu. While Persian culture was a major influence, the Qutub Shahi rulers respected the regional culture. Though Telugu was not their mother tongue, they used it for official purposes.

The Qutub Shahi rulers founded Hyderabad with its iconic Char Minar, Char Kaman and the Mecca Masjid. The city was named after Bhagmati, the wife of Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah, who took the name Hydari Begum after her marriage.

Tomb tales

The Qutub Shahi Tombs exemplify the Golcondan Indo-Persian architectural style, showing Mughal, Hindu, Moorish and Persian influences. These tombs have onion-shaped domes and are built upon spacious, square platforms. The domes were once decorated with colourful tiles, and the tombs were furnished with rich carpets, chandeliers and canopies. Today, stately pointed arches and intricate stone and stucco ornamentation remind us of their former glory.

Apart from royal tombs, there is the Badi Baoli or large stepwell. It was built in the 16th century to collect rainwater from a wide catchment area and distribute it through a network of aqueducts. The mortuary bath meant for washing dead royals before their final journey is a perfect specimen of ancient Turkish or Persian baths. Nearby stands the dargah of Hazrat Hussain Shah Wali, the hallowed Sufi saint who built the Hussain Sagar in 1562. The Qutub Shahi Heritage Park is on the tentative World Heritage list. It is a silent reminder of our glorious past.