Architectural
| By : Ajit Hari Sahu | Previous | Next |
| Posted on : 31 Aug, 2005 | Total Views : 286 |
Golconda
Golconda Fort, Rani Mahal, Royal Palaces of Golconda, Lovely Pavilions, Tombs, Ramdas Kotha...
The deserted ruins of Golconda Fort, crowning a hill 11 kilometers (seven miles) west of Hyderabad, still throb with the might of the Qutb Shahi kings. Golconda's recorded history dates from 1364 when it was no more than a small mud-walled fort. By 1518, when the Qutb Shahi kings rose to power, the fort had been enlarged and rebuilt in hard granite with huge iron spikes in its massive gates to repel battering war elephants.
Invasion was a constant threat and the measures taken to prevent it included cordon walls, high ramparts, huge semicircular bastions, a wide moat and a balcony from which boiling oil could be poured on would-be invaders. Although the fort withstood many attacks, it fell in 1687 after a siege of eight months. Ironically, it was the treachery of a Qutb Shahi general that brought defeat, not inadequate defences. The extraordinary acoustics for which Golconda is rightly famous also played a part in its protection; the entry gate and the summit's citadel were designed so that the guards on the lower level could easily be heard at the top.
But Golconda also has a softer side. In addition to its massive defences there are also the palaces and mosques of its kings and nobles and the lovely pavilions, gardens and Turkish baths of their queens, princesses and favourites. The exquisitely decorated rooms of the Rani Mahal once sparkled with precious jewels and were surrounded by gardens ad fountains.
But death has its place here, too. Mortuary baths were built where special attendants washed the royal dead who could be interred only after a ceremonial cleaning. Many of the Qutb Shahi kings are buried at Golconda in massive tombs inscribed with their names and the dates of their reigns. Amongst the dead is Taramati, the favourite of Abdulla Qutb Shahi; the delicacy of her tomb recalls a courtesan whose sweet voice the wind once carried all over the hillside.
The Muslim kings were tolerant of the beliefs held by their many Hindu subjects. Near the Royal Palaces is a small temple dedicated to the goddess Kali. One Hindu official incurred royal displeasure when he appropriated money to remove a Golconda temple. Apprehended and found guilty, he was incarcerated in the prison that now bears his name, Ramdas Kotha. The idols he made of his favourite god Rama and Rama's consort and brother can still be seen here.
Supplying water to the rocky aridness of Golconda required sophisticated engineering. The problem was solved with a system in which 'Persian wheels' raised water through cooling clay pipes into canals and storage reservoirs. The system made it possible to create and maintain beautiful gardens.
In the heyday Golconda, literally the 'Shepherd on the Hill', was famous throughout the known world. Visitors were drawn by reports of its glorious wealth and the fabulous bazaars that traded in precious stones. The great Koh-i-noor diamond that now graces the British crown was mined here.
