Golla Konda

We thought of Going to see Golkunda Fort during our trip to Sri Lanka, Chennai and Hyderabad in Dec. 2012-Jan 2013. We went to see the fort on 2nd Jan.2013.We were staying in Best Western Hotel which is located on an Extension Road of Kuvuri Hills, near Jubilee Hills, just 2 kms short of Hi-tech city.This was a new place and hence very comfortable. We got a good deal at Rs.4500/- per day which included breakfast and lunch or dinner. We took an auto rickshaw from the trijunction for Rs 200/- which was parked at the Fort gate  when we went to see the Fort.It was my wife Anu's deal and worked cheap and good.
Initially the Golkonda was built as mud hill by the Kakatiyas kings  around 945-970 CE.Thereafter it went under the control of Tughlak army but was recaptured by Musunuri Nayaks and re-strengthened. Around 1507 the Fort became the capital of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty and in the next 60 years it was converted into a massive fort of granite,built on a granite hill which was 400 ft high.

The Fort area covers about 5 kms in circumference, covered by outer wall measuring 7 kms.The Qutb Shahi moved the capital from here to Hyderabad in 1590 and in 1687 it was conquered by Aurangzeb the Mughal Emperor. Qutb Shahi's were Shias by faith and hence this area became the seat of Shia clerics. Golkonda consists of four distinct forts,eight gateways and four draw bridges.It is known for accoustic effects.A hand clap at any point below the dome of the fort at the entrance is heard clearly at the top of the hill near "Bala Hissar"pavilion.



From a part of steps going to the top of the Hill, one can see the Hyderabad city,growing into a huge metropolitan,now becoming joint capital of Telegana and Seemandhara (Andhra Pradesh), a new modern airport,a metro, and the growing IT hub. 

Much of the area is falling into disuse and hence wild shrubs are growing all over.A place once renowned for Koh-i-noor,Regent and Darya-e-Nur diamonds has lost its shine now.Kollur and Paritala diamond mines were the only diamond mines in those days of Kakatiya kingdom and thereafter.Golkonda was the center of diamond trade though Golkonda mines yielded fewer diamonds.The ruling Asaf Jah /Nizams got much of their richness from this diamond trade.Hyderabad became a state in 1724 after independence from the Mughals. It was annexed by the Indian Forces in 1948 ,thanks to the brinkmanship and determination of Sardar Patel much to the chagrin of Jawaharlal Nehru.

Graffiti,broken rocks,trash and general apathy is visible around the ruins

Architecturally Golkonda represents different set of culture, different from the blend of Central Asian and Persian architecture of Northern India. South India in days bygone was far from the influence of Northern India and hence the architect here combines the influence of Muslim and Hindu culture.The carvings on the doors and presence of lions,peacocks lotus etc on the stucco and elsewhere displayed a different culture.

There are still some green spots which refresh the eyes. Since we had gone here in the winters, the dryness was not felt but in summer heat this place becomes dry, reflecting heat from the stones and rocks around. We do not know what has happened to water reservoir system of the Kingdom which supplied water to all the areas and residents in this huge complex. Water appears to be scarce here and hence there is little to attract tourists here.

Local visitors keep coming to see this Shephard's Hill and see the sculputured jaalis and frescoes.

Golkonda is a part of history and gemology and whenever there would be mention of Forts,koh-i-noor etc, Golkonda would be on the top of the list. Study tours by school children is a regular feature here besides the Sound and Light show which is available in the evenings at or around 6 pm depending upon the Season. The show has a voice-over of legendery Amitabh Bacchan.

We were happy to see these young boys and girls at the Fort, getting a lesson or two of the past, when life revolved around Rajas and Sultans. Many of them may return as Architects,Teachers, or IT engineers looking to the fact that Hyderabad is a hub of Silicon India.

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Hong Kong Airport

Hong Kong airport is one of the busiest airports in Asia and the 12 th busiest in the world for passenger traffic.It is world busiest cargo handler and  handled more than 56,557,751 passengers in 2012. There are 60,000 employees on this airport handling almost 100 airliners and watching flights taking off for almost 180 cities of the world. Since we frequently travel to India by Cathey Pacific airlines, we have a lay over at this beautiful airport a number of times.Here are few of the pictures which I captured on 23-24 Jan.2014.