Monuments of Golconda Fort, Hyderabad

The mud fort was converted into a massive fort of granite from 1507 AD by the first three Qutub Shahi kings over a period of 62 years. The fort was extended to a circumference of around 5 km. The rule of the Qutub Shahs at Golconda came to an end in 1687 AD with the capture of the fort by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. He nearly annihilated the fort and left it into a mass of undignified ruins.

Golconda Fort is a complex comprising of four distinct forts. There is a 10 km long outer wall with 87 semi-circular bastions. The some of the bastions are still mounted with cannons. The fort has eight gateways, four drawbridges and several royal apartments, halls, temples, mosques, magazines and stables inside. The primary structure of the fort is laid out in a series of enclosures that holds the public and administrative structures as well as the royal residences and halls. The Nagina Bagh also lies within an enclosure but it is in utter ruins.

One can enter the Golconda Fort through the Fateh Darwaza or the Victory Gate in the southeast corner, called after the march of Aurangzeb after his victory. The gate is studded with iron spikes so that even the elephants cannot knock them down. The Fateh Darwaza has terrific acoustic effects, which characterizes the engineering skills of the architects of Golconda. The echo of the clap of hands at the center of the dome can be heard clearly at Bala Hisar Pavilion, which is the highest point of the fort and is around 1 km away. The acoustic feature was probably added deliberately to act as a warning note to the soldiers in case of an invasion.

The Bala Hisar Gate is the most impressive of all the gateways. The decoration of the gateway is done by putting the mythical beasts and lions on stucco panels of the spandrels. One has to climb some 380 uneven stone steps from the Bala Hisar Gate to reach the fort.

Akanna and Madanna were two important Hindu officials in the court of Qutub Shah. There offices are further up. The large iron weights are half buried in the ground. The ruins of the Ambar Khana or the granary and the Bari Baoli or the step well can be seen near the upper terrace. There is also see a Hindu temple of Madanna, which belongs to the Kakatiya period. It is carved out of a huge boulder and has colorful frescos of the Goddess Kali on the white-painted facade. There is also evidence to suggest that the fort had an efficient arrangement of water supply to the resident areas over the hill. You can see the queer clay pipes as you climb the steps.

The mosque built by Taramathi is also an important structure. Ibrahim Qutub Shah built a small mosque in 1518 AD, which is distinguished by the prominent corner minarets. The courtyard of the mosque extends up to the ramparts providing magnificent views of the landscape below. There is a small Rama Mandir under the boulders close to the mosque. Ram Das, revenue official who was jailed by Abul Hasan Tana Shah for misusing state funds, carved figures of Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman on the rock surface in the cell.

At the top is the Bala Hisar Baradari, which is a wind-swept pavilion. It has twelve arches and three storeys and used as a durbar hall. Strong piers divide it into vaulted bays where a raised chamber with triple arches opens from the rear wall. A stone throne is on the uppermost terrace. A pavilion, a little away in the hills, is believed to have housed Taramathi, Abul Hasan's paramour. The Baradari has another engineering marvel. It is the natural air-conditioning provided by an empty space between the double walls, which sucks the air and releases it with accumulated pressure in the chambers.