By Savio D'costa
The story of the Fort, is a tale that spans 800 years. Built across three different dynasties, the Qutub Shahi’s are credited for transforming a humble mud fort into a marvelous granite wonder.
Legend has it that in 1143 a shepherd boy found an idol on the hill near Hyderabad. When the Kakitiya king heard this, he erected a mud fort on the spot. Hence the name “Golla Konda” (Shepherd’s Hill). This was the Qutub Shahi’s capital till water shortages forced them to move to what we now know as Old Hyderabad.
Abdul Hameed guides us to the center of the entrance portal, abruptly stops and claps his hands. Apparently the sound of one’s clapping can be heard at the top of the hill. This acoustical wonder is certainly one of the highlights of the tour.
Our climb to the top of the fort takes 45 minutes. Our exhaustion is short-lived for at the top we are treated to a panoramic view of Hyderabad. The fort is built on a granite hill, about 400 feet above ground. It has a 10 km long outer wall and three internal layers of massive fortification walls which rise over 40 feet. The outer wall is surrounded by a deep moat. The Fort is truly a grand design with 87 bastions with canons mounted on them, eight gateways, four drawbridges, temples, palaces and mosques … a secure city within a fort! As we reach the top of the hill, we can hear the sound of clapping by tourists who have just entered the portal.
The Fort was considered impregnable till it was attacked by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in about 1687. After a siege of over nine months a traitor inside the fort opened a gate and let the enemy in. Although in ruin, Golconda Fort is an architectural wonder of a time past and considered one of the seven wonders of Andhra Pradesh. The sound and light show held in the Fort’s courtyard brings its past glory to life and is an evening well spent.
( Video courtesy of HyderabadPlanet.com )
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