GOLCONDA FORT

LOCATION:

Situated on the western outskirts of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, at a distance of around 10-11 km from the capital city. It stands atop a hill, at a height of 400 ft from the ground surface.

HISTORY:

The thirteenth century fort is a creation of the Kakatiya kings of southern India but the current structure that we see was a result of reconstruction made by the first three Qutub Shahi kings of the Qutub Shahi dynasty.

It took around 62 years to reconstruct the mud fort into a strong granite fort with massive fortification. The fort saw many historic events taking place, till it was converted into ruins by the overpowering Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who ended the rule of the Qutub Shahis in the year 1687 AD.

ARCHITECTURE:

The architectural brilliance of the fort can be seen from the various ingenious features that make it so different from the other forts. The amazing acoustics of the fort are a special attraction of the fort, as the walls are angles in such a way that the sounds of the claps within the fort can be heard from the top of the hill too!

The exotic design of the fort is scientifically designed to have proper ventilation and cool breeze within the fort, just amazing and unimaginable for such a period. Not just that, the water supply system is also one of the dominating features of the fort.

The fort is encircled by huge walls with iron-spiked gates to fortify and protect the interiors. The main door of the fort looks gigantic, with a height of 25 ft and a width of 13 ft. It is known as the Fateh Darwaza or the 'victory gate'. It houses several royal rooms, a mosque, a temple and a parade ground.

MAJOR ATTRACTIONS:

The special attraction of the fort is its astonishing acoustics, the sound of the claps in the fort can be heard from the top of the nearest hill, which is 1km away.

The tombs of the Qutub Shahi kings are housed within the fort complex, adorned by beautiful gardens and and carved stones.

The highest cliff of the fort, known as 'Bala Hissar', Kala Mandir, the factories and the palaces attract the travelers' attention.

The fort is said to have a mysterious secret underground pathway from the Durbar Hall, connecting the fort to the nearby palace at the foothills.

The sound and light show, in English, Hindi and Telugu languages, at 6 pm daily for a duration of 55 min, except for Mondays.

NEARBY SIGHTSEEING:

Charminar:

A fine representation of the Indo-Islamic architecture, Char Minar is the most famous monument of Hyderabad. The square-shaped structure is supported by four minarets having small bulbous copulas. The top floor of the monument holds a mosque where prayers take place every friday. The splendor of Charminar doubles up when illuminated at dusk.

Chowmahalla Palace:

The Chowmahalla Palace houses four palaces, as the name suggests. It served as the guest house for the premier visitors. The clock tower, Khilwat Mubarak, and the Council Hall are part of the grand palace. It was in the year 2005, that is quite recently, the palace was opened for public visit after careful restoration.


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