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Things to see in Golconda Fort (Telangana - Andhra Pradesh)

A visit to Golconda Fort and the tomb of Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah is one of the must-visit top things to do in Hyderabad. 
Golconda Fort things to see
Pic Courtesy: Gunjan Pandey - Own work via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
 
Kohinoor Diamond from Kollur Mines at Nagina Bagh, Golconda Fort
Pic Courtesy: iMahesh - Own work via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
 
I went there during my school-days for the school excursion trip. One of the most important places to see in Hyderabad is Golconda Fort. Golkonda, as the name says in Telugu, is Sheperd’s Hill, because a shepherd discovered an idol of God here, and thus this name. This fort was built in the 16th century by the Qutub Shahi Rulers. This place was known for its diamond rich mines in earlier times. The famous Kohinoor diamond was mined here in the Kollur mines which are covered today by Nagina Bagh. Infact this fort once housed the Kohinoor diamond as well.
Even the largest modern day building with several hundred floors and facilities, would stand dumb against this. There are numerous specialties here. Pretty more than any present day comfortable building, but still a lot eco-friendly and cost effective too.
Acoustics at Golconda Fort
The best way to experience and understand the secrets of Golconda Fort is with a guide. The things to see in Golkonda Fort are to quite amazing & intriguing and it is very much possible to miss them without a guide to show / demonstrate them. Acoustics are unbelievable in this fort. I can give few examples now. One is that a clap at the Fateh Darwaza, an entrance, right below the central floral design on the ceiling would resonate perfectly at a point on the fort wall at 300 feet height atop the fort. See the pic, it’s those two points. This was a perfect idea to convey a message from the base to the fort within seconds, without wasting time or energy. If you got the point, this is the predecessor of the modern day mobile phone…!!!
The second is in the acoustics room in here in the fort, the sounds made at one corner of the room are perfectly audible in the diagonally opposite corner. So, what’s new in this? Anywhere, this is possible. Ok, let me explain it more clearly. Even if you make a small sound, a whisper, even a flutter of a fabric, made facing the dead corner, would be perfectly audible in the wall in the absolutely diagonal corner. This helped them to share secrets even if the room is highly crowded, without anyone’s least suspicion. Now that is… the predecessor of wireless…!!!
The third example for sound engineering is, in another acoustics room here, the slightest disturbance causes vibrations all over the room. A whisper or even a scratch on the head...!!!
acoustics - a secret of golconda fort
Pic Courtesy: Mahadevan PG - Own work via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
 
Is it only acoustics, that is intriguing here? No…  There is a room in here that is called the AC Room (a new name for our understanding). This room has 2 chairs of stones, one for the king and another for the king. All the air that reaches these chairs, are so cool, after taking all the twists and turns and becomes cool from even if its scorching heat outside.
The lavatory facility here is in par with any star hotel of today. There are provisions to transport hot water and cold water in 2 pipes separately, to the bathroom. Not just bathroom, but to many other rooms. This fort being at a height of 120 m from the ground, imagine water being carried to this height without modern day electric pumps, and in two different temperatures.
The toilets here are just like the modern day Indian lavatory, with foot rests too. The pit is 30 feet deep. Our guide actually lighted a match stick and dropped it in to shop us the depth of it. Still, it was quite strange at the back out the mind which said, “You are awe inspired by the place where the nawabs shit”. Ahem… Forget it…
Canons at Golconda Fort
Pic Courtesy: Krishna Chaitanya Velaga - Own work via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
 
Ramdoss Jail in Golconda Fort with carvings of Hanuman
Pic Courtesy: LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA - Indian IdolUploaded by Ekabhishek via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 2.0
 
Apart from the technical marvel, there are other things of interest too, apart from the usual symbols of any fort – cannons, cannon balls, spears etc. etc. etc. The 7 feet long rifle, at the armor hall display, is a piece of functional art.
In the period of the Qutub Shahi Dynasty, the soldiers were selected with great care. Their eligibility – 7 feet tall and ability to lift the 145 kg cubical rock here with a single hand. Well, we did try, 7/8 of us with both the hands. No… The rock did not even nudge a mm. 
Then is the St.Ramdoss Jail. St. Ramdoss was arrested here in this fort for religious reasons, coz he didn’t take the permission to construct a certain temple. Still, even being in this fort, he continued his prayers and hymns and not only that. He also started sculpting figurines on the wall with a stone. Again, religious tolerance was pretty good in that era. Inspite of the several decades of Sultanate reign, the Jagadamba temple within the fort is left untouched, and it stands till date for us to take her blessings.
There were 3 routs to reach the top of the fort earlier they say, one of which is unused now. All these routes have rest houses for the palanquin bearers. Also, while employing them, the front bearers are shorter than the back bearers so as to keep the palanquin horizontal. From right atop the fort, the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad are a visual treat.
Tomb of Mohammad Quli Golconda Hyderabad
Pic Courtesy: Bernard Gagnon - Own work via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
 
Just at 2 km from the Golconda Fort are the tombs of the Qutub Shahi Rulers. There are 7 tombs in all from Mohd. Quli followed by his heirs. A specialty here is that from the tomb of Mohd. Quli, all the other tombs could be seen.
Well, then coming soon with the other places of to see in the Pearl City of Hyderabad.

TO GET THERE

Golconda Fort:
From Hyderabad – 11 km
Nearest Bus Stop – Golconda Bus Stop

Mohammad Quli Qutub Shah Tomb:
From Golconda Fort – 2 km

Dedicated to my dearest, nearest, sweetest School pals and teachers...

Bhushavali

An ardent traveler by passion. Being an ex - Art History Teacher, my area of interest especially lies in Nature and Heritage. Visited 85 UNESCO World Heritage sites as of June 2022. I've been listed among the Top 7 Women Travel Bloggers of India, Top 50 in UK. I have been interviewed in a couple of TV Shows, Radio Channels and Events as well. Read more about me and read the testimonials of different brands

19 comments:

  1. krish blogJune 6, 2009 at 6:12 PM

    i just forget to tell u... i was the KING at that time... :)

    and u have given all the technical aspect properly...

    so.. manthiri, aavungalukku 100 por kaasugal tharungal....

    ReplyDelete
  2. BhushavaliJune 6, 2009 at 9:08 PM

    @Krish, :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJune 8, 2009 at 5:06 PM

    நல்ல வேலை. பொà®±்காசுகள் தரச்சொன்னாà®°். நான் கூட கசையடியோ என்à®±ு பயந்தேன். [:D][:D]

    BTW, " Still, it was quite strange at the back out the mind which said, “You are awe inspired by the place where the nawabs shit”. Ahem… Forget it…"

    is very good.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownJune 8, 2009 at 5:07 PM

    that should read. "வேளை" spell check miss pannittaen. [:(]

    ReplyDelete
  5. BhushavaliJune 8, 2009 at 6:16 PM

    @ Nara

    Why Nara, en travelogue'kku kasaiyadi'ya..!!! Why...??? Paasathudan nanbar, porkasugal thandhirukkiraar...

    Thanks for the comment anyways... :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Avinash IyerJune 9, 2009 at 3:44 PM

    Reminds me of a saying by a wise man. 'The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different.' Quite true. On the other hand what I think is - Today we have a comfortable life more than that of a Nawab. Yet we don't seem to be as happy or as aristocratic as him. Why are we so unhappy? Ego? Pride? Hesitation to identify with the common man? Perhaps the answer lies somewhere between humility and ego.

    ReplyDelete
  7. BhushavaliJune 9, 2009 at 6:52 PM

    @Avi
    Wow... Do I now see the philosophical part of Avi...??? Hmmm... Quite right... Life is getting to cluttered nowadays with things that actually don't matter to mind, body and soul... The nawabs had no ac's and mobiles, see how well they communicated and lived an aristrocratic life... Inspite of our so-called growth, we are like this...

    ReplyDelete
  8. MeowJune 9, 2009 at 7:41 PM

    Memorable one na? But I missed this tour :(

    ReplyDelete
  9. BhushavaliJune 10, 2009 at 9:46 AM

    @Sowmi
    How come u missed this....?????

    ReplyDelete
  10. Avinash IyerJune 11, 2009 at 6:55 PM

    B,
    May be. :) It doesnt really matter if one is a Nawab or a common man. If he lives his life, once is enough.
    -Avi

    ReplyDelete
  11. BhushavaliJune 11, 2009 at 7:03 PM

    @Avi,
    True.. Life is indeed to live... :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. VenkatramanaJune 14, 2009 at 3:25 AM

    Good Presentation keep it up.Next time even more better will give 10/10 :-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. CruzJune 15, 2009 at 10:34 AM

    I guess u hav been to al dose places tht i had seen in movies, ver i cudnt go...Golkonda features r kewl...def wud visit if i happen to b der!

    ReplyDelete
  14. BhushavaliJune 15, 2009 at 11:53 AM

    @ Venkat,
    Thanks dear... I'll strive my best to get a 10/10 from you... :)

    @Sujay,
    Again welcoming you to this blog... :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownJuly 4, 2009 at 1:19 PM

    Hi Bush,
    Fantastic da...i still remember the way u admired and explained about the Potrait.Just got back to those three days in 30 min...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sathish NandanAugust 20, 2009 at 8:57 AM

    This is one of the place which i am trying to visit...Once(1998) i dont know where is Golconda fort. So mistakenly i went to Gol Gumbaz(Sultan Adil shah samadhi, Bijapur)...I went till the entrance & after knowing my fault, with anger i turned back. Atleast i must have visited Gol Gumbaz....

    ReplyDelete
  17. BhushavaliAugust 20, 2009 at 9:46 AM

    Hi Lilli,
    Thanks sweety. Ofcourse, veiled rebecca is the most beautiful, I'd say, more than Monalisa also.. :)

    Hi Jij,
    Why trying to visit... Plan it for your next visit to India... Btw, you're right, you should've visited Gol Gumbaaz atleast..

    ReplyDelete
  18. JanitSeptember 2, 2009 at 8:59 PM

    You can also check out my blog and picture of the Golconda Fort in Hyderabad.

    ReplyDelete
  19. BhushavaliSeptember 3, 2009 at 10:27 AM

    Hi Lunatic (is thr a better way to call u!!!),
    Thanks for dropping by and commenting... I'll check ur blog soon. Do drop in often here... :)

    ReplyDelete

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