Golconda Fort Review
Golconda Fort is located in west of Hyderabad, around 11 km in the Golconda city. It is one of the magnificent historical monument and serves as a must see tourist place when in Hyderabad.
This historical monument is said to be around 400 – 450 years old. The specialty about this monument is the fact that it has been built on a granite hill, making it a spectacular and unique fort.
This fort is said to have been famous for the diamond mines in the olden era. In fact the city of Golconda was famous for its diamond trades and was an efficient market city with stunning diamonds and gems. It is well known fact that the famous ‘Koh-i-noor' diamond was part of this place.
There are around eight gates or Darwaza as they are known locally of the fort. The most famous of them being the Fateh Darwaza which also happens to be the main gate of the fort.
The fort is engulfed from all the sides with enormous expansiveness and enigmatic spellbound beauty. The total height of the fort, by the way it stands out comes to around 120 meters roughly. In all there are around 4 small forts within the huge range of Golconda fort.
Throughout the pathway of these four forts one may find several cannons, royal chambers, mosques, old stables and temples. Once you enter the main gate, that is the Fateh Darwaza, which also means the ‘Victory Gate', you find yourself in the middle of an eloquent architecture.
Golconda Fort had the sovereignty of the Qutub Shahi Kings, who have said to build this fort in the 16th century. The original name of the fort is mentioned as ‘Golla Konda' which means ‘shepherd's fort' in Telugu which is the extensive language spoken in Andhra Pradesh. Once a renowned grandeur turned onto dilapidated ruins as the Mughal invaded and looted the entire richness and luster of this majestic monument.
The additional feature of this fort is the ‘Light and Sound Show' held every evening. This show showcases the entire history attached to the fort and the golden era. The best part about this show is the narration which I believe is done by Amithabh Bachchan. I mean common, even kids can recognize that deep intense voice. That narration did add charm to the show. The Light and Sound show is held daily at 7 pm in English, and incase you wish to hear with Amitabhji narrating the show than that has to be the Hindi show which is held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and that too at 8:15 pm. I am not sure whether the show in other various languages is narrated by him or not? I attended the one in Hindi and hence can vouch on it. Rest can't say!
A small advice that goes with this show is that carry a mosquito repellent, if you wish to save yourself from those mosquito bites, as the show goes on for whole 55 minutes.
The opening times of this fort are 7:00 am to 8:00 pm and the entry ticket is around Rs.120/- for adults and Rs.100/- for kids.
Few other attractions that can be seen within the Golconda Fort are the Premathi Nritya Mandir, the Taramathi Gana Mandir, few of the major gates, the cannons and the overall tour of the fort. The Qutub Shahi tombs are located at northern side of the Golconda Fort, around 1 km away. These tombs are beautifully carved and are placed in between landscaped gardens. These tombs are open for public and many visitors visit them daily. Then there are few secret passages which are said to lead to Charminar, another historical monument in Hyderabad. The passages are though closed down and hence the mystery of where they reach remains unsolved.
|
|