Golconda Fort in Hyderabad is a majestic
monument, which lies on the western outskirts
of the city. It speaks of a great cultural
heritage of 400 years and is considered
as a place that is worth visiting. Golconda
was famous for its diamond mines in olden
days. The world-renowned 'Kohinoor' diamond
is believed to have come from here. The
Golconda fort is built on a granite hill
120m high. The fort has 8 gates or Darwazas
as they are called in local language.
The main gate is called Fateh Darwaza.
The hills around the fort lend a very
mysterious charm and colossal grandeur
to the gigantic fort.
Qutub Shahi kings who reigned during
the 16th century built the Golconda fort.
There is an interesting story behind the
Golconda Fort. The place was originally
called as 'Golla Konda' in Telegu, which
is the official state language of Hyderabad
city. Roughly around 1143 in the rocky
hill called 'Mangalavaram', a shepherd
boy found an idol, which was given to
the then king, Kakatiya who built a mud
fort. From 1507, within a span of 62 years
the Qutub Shahi rulers transformed the
humble mud fort into a marvelous granite
wonder. The stunning Golconda Fort lost
its entire splendor and luster as the
Mughals invaded and plundered this breathtaking
wonder into a heap of ruins.
The Golconda Fort reaches to a height
of 120 meters with a boundary wall covering
a range of 10 kilometers of the outskirts
of Hyderabad. The Golconda fort comprises
of four small forts within itself. Some
of those are heaped with cannons, drawbridges
and number of royal living chambers &
halls, temples, mosques, stables etc.
You have to enter the fort through 'Fateh
Darwaza', which is also called the 'Victory
gate'. The main attractions of this entrance
are the acoustic effects, which is a remarkable
feature of the Golconda Fort. It is said
that such an articulate construction was
used in those ancestral days for security
purposes.
The latest feature that adds more excitement
to the Golconda fort is the Light and
Sound show. The amazing light and sound
impacts with the narration of the hair
raising story of the golconda Fort is
sure to amuse all tourists visiting the
Hyderabad city.
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