Found at: http://unusuallife.com/category/strange-places/ Mon 17 Dec 2007 Guest Post: The Diamond in the Rough Posted by Marlow Harris under Strange Places No Comments Hyderabad is a bustling, rapidly developing, metropolitan city almost smack in the middle of South India. At the same time its people are known for their laid back attitude and the famous Hyderabadi Biryani. The architecture and culture is one of the richest in India, today you would probably hear more about Hyderabad due to its growing presence in the IT field. Companies like Google, Microsoft, IBM and others have set up offices here. Hyderabad 1 I would like to take you away from all the noise and modern development and take a look back at the past of my city. Hyderabad 2 The city of Hyderabad got it’s name from a local girl known first as Bhagyamati whom the ruler of Golconda, Quli Qutub Shah, fell in love with. The city was then named Bhagyanagaram after her, and later on to Hyderabad after Bhagyamati converted to Islam and adopted the name Hyder Mahal. Golconda - Diamonds in the rough Golconda fort is the origin of some of the most spectacular diamonds the world had ever seen. It was also the birthplace of modern day Hyderabad. Trade between Persia and India grew as a result of the diamond trade mines in Golconda. Hyderabad 3 The main entrance gate to Golconda is an architectural marvel. It’s basically a loud speaker. Any announcements made while standing in the middle of the entrance chamber could be heard all the way at the top of the citadel - almost 0.63 miles away! Also, any whispers made in one corner of the entrance dome could be heard in the opposite corner with amazing clarity. I know because I tried it. The royal family would spend the hot summers of Hyderabad all the way at the top of the fort, but I’m sure they had a cool time. A specially designed array of ducts would swoosh the wind to constantly flow providing cool and breezy air to take away the heat of the day. The breeze was cool and even quite strong at times. Hyderabad 4 Even more ingenious was the water supply system which flowed from the bottom up! The bottom level tanks would get filled up first and then supply water all the way to the chambers at the top of a steep hill. Simple but so effective. Hyderabad 5 The fort of Golconda was probably one of the highest guarded and most defensive forts of its time. The Mughal ruler Aurangzeb tried hard to sack it for almost nine long months. It was only through the treachery of a gate keeper that he was able to enter into the fort, otherwise Golconda fort would have stood longer against his army. Hyderabad 6 Today the ruins of the fort are visited by many and the stories still live on. Standing at the top of the fort, you can tell that the rulers had a good time staying there. The view was probably much different too. WIKIPEDIA: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golkonda Golkonda (or Golconda), a ruined city of south-central India, is situated west of Hyderabad, capital of ancient Hyderabad state (c. 1364–1512). Several towns in United States of America are named after this fort. It later became one of the five Muslim kingdoms of the Deccan known as the Deccan sultanates, until it was captured by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's forces in 1687. Aurangzeb besieged the fort for nine long months. If it were not for the treachery of a staff who opened a side gate, Golconda would have held out longer. Three granite walls of megalithic construction surround the Fort, with the outermost wall having a circumference of about 7 km. The most important builder of Golconda was Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah Wali, the fourth Qutb king. Ibrahim was following in the spirit of his ancestors, the Qutub Shahi kings, a great family of builders who had ruled the kingdom of Golconda from 1512. Their first capital, the fortress citadel of Golconda, was rebuilt for defense from invading Mughals from the north. They laid out Golconda'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. They ruled over the Telangana region and some parts of present day Karnataka and Maharashtra.[1] Contents [hide] * 1 History * 2 Diamonds * 3 The Fort * 4 Qutub Shahi Tombs * 5 See also * 6 Trivia * 7 Further reading * 8 External links * 9 See also * 10 Notes [edit] History In the 16th century, Golconda was the capital and fortress city of the Qutb Shahi kingdom, near Hyderabad. The city was home to one of the most powerful Muslim sultanates in the region and was the center of a flourishing diamond trade. Golconda is located 11 km west of the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh state, India According to a legend, the fort derives its name from Golla Konda, which is a Telugu word for Shepherd's Hill. It is believed that a shepherd boy came across an idol on the hill. This led to the construction of a mud fort by the then Kakatiya dynasty ruler of the kingdom around the site. The city and fortress are built on a granite hill that is 120 meters (400ft) high and is surrounded by massive crenelated ramparts. The beginnings of the fort date to 1143, when the Hindu Kakatiya dynasty ruled the area. The Kakatiya dynasty were followed by the state of Warangal, which was later conquered by the Islamic Bahmani Sultanat. The fort became the capital of a major province in the Sultanate and after its collapse the capital of the Qutb Shahi kings. The fort finally fell into ruins after a siege and its fall to Mughal emperor Aurangazeb. After the collapse of the Bahmani Sultanat, Golconda rose to prominence as the seat of the Qutb Shahi dynasty around 1507. Over a period of 62 years the mud fort was expanded by the first three Qutb Shahi kings into a massive fort of granite, extending around 5 km in circumference. It remained the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty until 1590 when the capital was shifted to Hyderabad. The Qutb Shahis expanded the fort, whose 10 km outer wall enclosed the city. The state became a focal point for Shia Islam in India, for instance in the seventeenth century Bahraini clerics, Sheikh Ja`far bin Kamal al-Din and Sheikh Salih Al-Karzakani both emigrated to Golconda[2]. The Qutb Shahi sultanate lasted until its conquest by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1687. The fortress held out against Aurangzeb for nine months, falling to the Mughals through treachery. Kancharla Gopanna, popularly known as Bhaktha Ramadaasu, a devout Hindu who constructed Bhadrachalm temple without informing the sultan at that time [Tana Shah], was kept in a jail located inside the fort. [edit] Diamonds The Darya-e-Nur Diamond The Darya-e-Nur Diamond The Hope Diamond, from the Golconda mines The Hope Diamond, from the Golconda mines Golconda was once renowned for the diamonds found on the southeast and cut in the city. India[1], at that time, had the only known diamond mines in the world. The Mines of Golconda themselves yielded diamonds of trifling quantity. Europeans knew that diamonds were found only in these fabled mines. Golconda was, in fact, the market city of the diamond trade, and gems sold there came from a number of mines. The fortress city within the walls was famous for diamond trade. Magnificent diamonds were taken from the mines in the region surrounding Golconda, including Darya-e Nur, meaning sea of light, at 185 carats, the largest and finest diamond of the crown jewels of Iran. Its name has taken a generic meaning and has come to be associated with great wealth. Many famed diamonds are believed to have been excavated in the mines of Golconda which include: * Darya-e Nur * Nur-Ul-Ain Diamond * The Koh-i-noor * The Hope Diamond * The Regent Diamond By the 1880s, Golconda was being used generically by English speakers to refer to any particularly rich mine, and later to any source of great wealth. During the Renaissance and the early modern eras, the name "Golconda" acquired a legendary aura and became synonymous for vast wealth. The mines brought riches to the ruling Qutb Shahis of Hyderabad State, who ruled after the independence from the Mughals in 1724, until 1948, when Hyderabad was annexed, to become an Indian state. [edit] The Fort Golconda fort overlooking Hyderabad Golconda fort overlooking Hyderabad A Golconda Gate A Golconda Gate Golconda consists of four distinct forts with a 10 km long outer wall with 87 semi circular bastions; some still mounted with cannons, eight gateways, four drawbridges and 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 the fantastic acoustic effects, characteristic of the engineering marvels at Golconda. 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. Bala Hissar Gate is the main entrance to the fort located on the eastern side. It has a pointed arch bordered by rows of scroll work. The spandrels have yalis and decorated roundels. The area above the door has peacocks with ornate tails flanking an ornamental arched niche. The granite block lintel below has sculpted yalis flanking a disc. The design of peacocks and lions is a blend of Hindu - Muslim architecture. Bala Hissar Darwaza Bala Hissar Darwaza Toli Masjid, situated at Karvan, about 2 km from the Golconda fort, was built in 1671 by Mir Musa Khan Mahaldar, royal architect of Abdullah Qutb Shah. The facade consists of five arches, each with lotus medallions in the spandrels. The central arch is slightly wider and more ornate. The mosque inside is divided into two halls, a transverse outer hall and an inner hall entered through triple arches. Hope you enjoyed this little glance into history.