Golkonda Fort Hyderabad Telangana History and Interesting Facts

Golkonda Fort Quick Facts

Golkonda Fort Overview

Golconda or Golkunda Fort is a fortified and demolished city located near Hyderabad, the capital of the southern Indian state of Telangana. The ancient Qutbshahi state was famous for diamonds and jewels all over the world. This historical fort is named after the Telugu word 'Golla Konda'. Musi river flows in the south part of this fort.

Golkonda Fort History

Golconda was originally known as Standard. The fort was first built by the Kakatiyas as part of their western defense on the lines of the Kondapalli fort. The fort was renovated and fortified by Queen Rudrama Devi and her successor Prataparudra. Later, this fort was occupied by the Musuniri rulers, who defeated the Tughlaq army and captured Warangal.

The fort was ceded to the Bahmani Sultanate by Musunuri Kapay Bhupathi as part of a treaty in 1364. Under the Bahmani Sultanate, Golconda began to grow gradually. Sultan Quli Qutb-ul-Mulak (1487–1543), sent as the governor of Telangana, established it as his seat of government around 1501. Bahmani rule gradually weakened during this period and Sultan Quli formally became independent in 1538, who established the Qutb Shahi dynasty at Gulkonda.

Made of mud, this fort was renovated by the first three Qutb Shahi sultans by granite to the present structure. This fort remained the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty till the year 1590 and remained their capital till the creation of present Hyderabad. Later in the year 1687, it was conquered by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Golkonda Fort Interesting Facts

1. Initially made of mud, this fort was built with huge rocks during the reign of Muhammad Shah and Qutb Shah.
2. Built on a granite hill, the fort is 120 meters (390 ft) high.
3. This Fort was built to avoid the invasion of the Mughals from the northern end. Acoustics is the biggest feature of this fort.
4. The fort has a total of 8 gates and was surrounded by a 3-mile-long strong stone wall.
5. There are many Royal apartments and Halls, Temples, Mosques, Magazines, Stables, etc. inside the fort.
6. There is also a Fateh Darwaza at the lowest part of the fort, also known as the Victory Gate. On the south-eastern side of this door, there is a fort of precious iron.
7. Bala Hissar Gate, built in the east direction, is the main entrance of Golconda, its doors are meticulously carved on the sides.
8. There are Three lines of walls in the fort. These are within each other and are more than 12 meters high.
9. Other buildings built in the fort mainly include weapon houses, Habshi Kaman's (Abyssian arches), camel stables, Taramati Mosque, Private Room (Kilwat), Nagina Bagh, Ramsasa's Kotha, Mortuary Bathroom, Amber Khana and Durbar Room, etc.
10. It is said that if you clap while standing in the courtyard of the palace, it can be heard even from the topmost place of the palace, which is located at a height of 91 meters from the main gate.
11. Inside the fort, the Shahi Bagh built 4 centuries ago still exists today.
12. The temple of Jagadamba Mahakali is also present at the top of the fort.
13. About half a mile from the fort, in the northern part, there are tombs made of granite stone of the Qutbshahi rulers, which can be seen even today in a broken state.
14. Many valuable things like Kohinoor Diamond, Hope Diamond, Nasak Diamond, Noor-al-An, etc. were found in this fort, famous all over the world.