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Hyderabad once lay on the outskirts of power. The township was the legacy of the Qutub Shahis who watched over it from the Durbar Hall atop Golconda, the Shepherds' Hill. Equations have changed, but the ruins of a formidable fort refuse to forget the glory of Golconda. Narrow alleys lead to the granite walls guarding history.

Crowded durbar, empty harem

Don Sebastian
2006-03-10 10:40:27

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Hyderabad once lay on the outskirts of power. The township was the legacy of the Qutub Shahis who watched over it from the Durbar Hall atop Golconda, the Shepherds' Hill. Equations have changed, but the ruins of a formidable fort refuse to forget the glory of Golconda. Narrow alleys lead to the granite walls guarding history.

Former subjects have breached the fort walls and made houses wherever the army has not claimed for its barracks. They sell pearls and biryani to the visitors lured by medieval vaults. Guides begin with a free demo of the unique acoustics of the fort: a clap at the Fateh Darwaza can be heard at the Bala Hisar atop the 400-foot-high hill.

The Qutub Shahis had expanded the modest structures built by the Kakatiyas in the thirteenth century into a fortress complex covering the entire hill and overflowing into the settlements outside. When the fort was completed in 1525 after 62 years of toil, it was a feat in architecture and engineering.

The 10-mile long outer walls remained impregnable for decades. After months of siege, Aurangazeb's army had to rely on a traitor within the fort to breach the Fateh Darwaza, one of the seven entry points. Even today the unguarded unlit labyrinths don't offer any easy clue. Every keystone keeps its secrets to itself.

The crumbled walls and scattered stones leave a pattern. Even in ruins the meticulous designs are marvellous. The fort walls have witnessed love and hate, benevolence and intolerance. Now blind bats rule the harem and prison alike. Lovers lurk in the shadows of the dead queen’s quarters.

At night, a light and sound show at the queen’s quarters brings back the kings and queens. Stories of glory and agony, valour and betrayal flash through the stone walls. The fort had elaborate arrangements to house an administration -- the Durbar, ministers' quarters, aquaduct, granary, armoury, stables, prisons and the decisive harem. There is even a temple on top.

Befitting a dynasty that once ruled Deccan, Durbar Hall is the ultimate vantage point anywhere in the twin cities. The Shahis used to give audience on this double-storey building. A cool current routed by an engineering brain streams through the hall. Guides say a tunnel connects Durbar Hall with Char Minar.

A guide narrates the story of a sage who diverted royal funds to build a temple. He was jailed in darkness - his hands chopped off - somewhere in the tunnel. The young tourists drift off to the terrace and excitedly point to somewhere in Jubilee Hills. Golconda has buried its past of hatred. The monument now belongs to young men and their queens.