A Brush with History

Rising 400 feet above the ground level, I was exuberating with joyous accomplishment, while through my sub-conscious mind I could hear Qilich Khan enthusing his army and lead the charge; the canons booming and the galloping horses up the treacherous mountain path leading up to what is called in Telugu as the Shepherd Hill or the “Golconda”. Over 300 years had passed since the famous Granite fort which was thought to be impregnable was brought down through the military might of Aurangzeb’s commanders, Nawab Khwaja Abid Siddiqi (better known as Qilich Khan ) and his son Qaziuddin Khan Siddiqi (or Feroz Jung). It was Qaziuddin’s son Asaf Jah I, who later on laid the foundation of the Nizam dynasty in Hyderabad.

The magnificent fort of Golconda was built by the Kakatiya dynasty initially as a mud fortress in the year 1143 AD. However it remained but a symbolic structure until the advent of the Qutub Shahi kingdom, when it rose to prominence. Golconda was part of the Bahmani kingdom, but it never figured as an eminent position of their rule. It was in 1507 when Quli-Qutub-ul-Mulk who had migrated from Delhi and served under the Bahmani Sultan Muhammad Shah, captured Golconda following the disintegration of the Bahmani Dynasty. By 1518 a new epoch of Sultanate, of Turkish origin had been established and Sultan Quli-Qutub-ul-Mulk laid the foundation of Qutub-Shahi dynasty in the region presently called as the Telangana region of South India, with Hyderabad as its citadel. The fort of Golconda was strengthened and rebuilt as a massive structure out of granite stones over the next 62 years. It reached its zenith of glory by 1590 under the rule of Muhammad Quli Qutub Shah (1580-1611) the most influential of the Qutub Shahi kings. The fort stretched around to a circumference of 7 kms, encircling the city within its ambits. However in early 17th century Mohammed Quli-Qutub Shah moved his capital out of Golconda to the nearby plains of what is now the city of Hyderabad. During this period the fort lost its position of significance, until 1687 when the focus shifted back to Golconda when the Mughal king Aurangzeb laid siege to the fort.

Under the treaties signed by previous Sultan, the rulers of Deccan were to pay Annual Taxes to acknowledge the authority of Aurangzeb on the entire Indian Subcontinent. However the last of the Qutub Shahi King, Abul Hasan Qutub Shah, also known as ‘Tana’ Shah refused to pay the taxes in 1683. This invited the wrath of Delhi powerhouse which resulted in an organized campaign by Aurangzeb, to reassert his authority over the Deccan Sultanate. Aurangzeb appointed Qilich Khan and Feroz Jung as the commanders of this expedition, who were serving in Dulatabad at that time. Foreseeing troubled times ahead Abul Hasan returned himself to the safe confines of Golconda. The Mughal army laid siege to the fort in 1687 and surrounded it for more than 9 months, pounding its impregnable granite walls with all its arsenal and force, without success. There are varying accounts of how the fort was conquered by Aurangzeb’s military; however it was through treachery only that the gargantuan fort was subdued under the Mughal assault.

According to one testimony, a Hindu Qiledaar of Golconda who served under Abul Hasan betrayed his master and provided the secret entrance to the fort. The Qiledaar was piqued by denial of permission by the Sultan to build a Temple within the precincts of Golconda. However, naive was the old man who thought his desire would be fulfilled by the Mughals, when a more tolerant Qutub Shahi King, refuted his wishes. The fort was run amok by the Mughal army and the Qiledaar subsequently hanged at its very gates, whose path he showed to the enemy. “One who cannot be faithful to his master, whom he served for decades, how he can be our trustworthy”, so said the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb after the conquest.

The other chronicle which is more acknowledged is the perfidy by Muhammad Sayeed better known as Mir Jumla, a General under Abul Hasan Qutub Shah. Mir Jumla was one of the most valiant commanders of the Sultan. He had won innumerable battles and was credited with expanding the influence of the Kingdom beyond the Godavari belt and upto Krishna River. He was a brilliant strategist and his knowledge of warfare was immense, which resulted in a personality clash between him and the Sultan. Abul Hasan wary of his General’s growing influence looked to curb his authority, leading to discordance between the two. The Sultan immediately ordered for incarceration of Mir Jumla’s son. Upon hearing the news, the General returned from his expedition down south and begged for forgiveness before Abul Hasan. The Sultan reaffirming his authority pardoned Mir Jumla, cautious to keep his clout under check. However the disgruntled General, kept the grouse against the Sultan, pledging to repay back at an appropriate time. That moment of revenge dawned in form of Mughal Army laying siege to the Golconda Fort. Mir Jumla was one of the commanders in charge of protecting the last of remaining symbol of Qutub Shahi Dynasty. For 9 months the Mughal forces surrounded the fort, cutting off all possible contacts of the Golconda with the outside world. Unaware were they of a secret tunnel leading to the new city of Hyderabad, from which the supplies were being replenished for the occupants including the royal kinship as well as their subjects. The Mughal Commander Qilich Khan, sought refuge in cunning means for overpowering the grandiose structure. His rummage for a traitor led him to Mir Jumla, who was on a lookout for such an opportunity to get back at the Sultan. As per a secret covenant, during one night of October 1687, Mir Jumla slyly opened the giant gates of the fort while the palace dwellers were in deep slumber. The Mughal army waiting for this moment invaded with all their might and plundered the Granite Marvel. The impregnable Golconda Fort lay under submission of Mughal kingdom. It was ravished and pillaged into annihilation, while Abul Hasan was captured and taken away to Daulatabad.

As I rested atop the ruins of the Golconda, I could recall the place from where the other battalion of the Mughal force waited while the lead forces ran amok through the main entrance. The backside of Golconda, which now overlooks a serene Cantonment area of Indian Armed Forces and its training center, is the most accessible and least steep incline on the way up-to the fort. There is a Masjid overlooking this slope, and facing the western side or towards the Qibla. Perhaps a reason thought by the architects of Golconda Fort, thinking this would discourage the invading forces to attack the fort with a Masjid in between. But the astute commanders of Mughal forces had planned their strategy considering this aspect as well. They destroyed the walls adjacent to the Masjid without harming even a pebble of the religious place. The ruins of the walls lay forth my presence and climbing a few big boulders I was able to have a good peep inside the Golconda Fort.

I stood atop the peak of this accessible point while circumnavigating a glance over the huge city of Hyderabad, in the distance I could see the Qutub Shahi tombs, far away I could make out what seemed like the four pillars of Charminar and some other wreckage of what would have been the historical testament of this beautiful legacy. A strong gust of wind tousled my clothing as I spread my arms and then contended with my achievement having scaled the heights; I let out a triumphant bellow. Qilich Khan might have had the same feeling and vented out his energies in a similar cry of Victory.

I descended downhill as a radiant Sun began its path of ascension.
Check out more details on the Fort of Golconda at the following website:
http://www.vasanthvisuals.com/golconda.html