Historical Place of the Week----GOLCONDA

Golconda fort is one of the most magnificent fortress complex in India which lies on the western outskirts around 11km from Hyderabad, the capital of the state of Andhra Pradesh. The history of Golconda Fort dates back to the early 13th century, when this south eastern part of the country was ruled by the Kakatiyas. The bulk of the ruins of this fort, date from the time of the Qutub Shahi kings, who had ruled this area in the 16th and 17th century. The fortress is built on a granite hill 120 metres high, surrounded by massive crenellated ramparts.

Shepherd's Hill or 'Golla Konda', as it was known in Telugu, has an interesting story behind it. In 1143, on the rocky hill called 'Mangalavaram', a shepherd boy came across an idol. This was conveyed to the Kakatiya king, who was ruling at that time. The king got a mud fort constructed around the holy spot and nearly 200 years later Bahamini rulers (1364) took possession of the fort. From 1507 over a period of 62 years the mud fort was expanded by the the first three Qutub Shahi kings into a massive fort of granite, extending around 5km in circumference, which has been a silent witness to many historic events. The illustrious rule of the Qutub Shahis at Golconda ended in 1687, with the conquest of the fort by the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb, who almost completely destroyed the fort and left it in a heap of pathetic ruins.