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|
| Form City |
Via |
Distance (kms) |
|
| Charminar |
Puranapul - Lungar House |
7 kms |
|
| Koti |
Nampally - Mehadipatnam - Lungar House |
10 kms |
|
| Patancheru |
Lingampally - Raidurgam - Lungar House |
26 kms |
|
| Secunderabad |
Lakdika pool - Mehadipatnam - Lungar House |
13 kms |
|
| Shamshabad |
PV Narsimha Rao Expy - Lungar House |
24 kms |
|
|
The Golkonda fort was first built by Kakatiyas as part of their western defenses. The fort Plan was designed after the
Kondapalli Fort near Vijayawada, Krishna Dt. It was built in 945 CE-970 CE. The fort was strengthened by Musunuri
Nayaks who overthrew the Tughlak army occupying Warangal. In the 16th century, Golkonda was the capital city of the
Qutb Shahi kingdom, near Hyderabad. The city was home to one of the most powerful Muslim sultanates of the region
and was the flourishing center of diamond trade.
The city and fortress are built on a granite hill that is 120 meters (400 ft) high and is surrounded by massive crenelated
ramparts. The beginnings of the fort date to 1143, when the Hindu Kakatiya dynasty ruled the area. The Kakatiya dynasty
were followed by the state of Warangal, which was later conquered by the Islamic Bahmani Sultanat. The fort became
the capital of a major province in the Sultanate and after its collapse the capital of the Qutb Shahi kings. The fort finally
fell into ruins after a siege and its fall to Mughal emperor Aurangazeb.
After the collapse of the Bahmani Sultanat, Golkonda rose to prominence as the seat of the Qutb Shahi dynasty around
1507. Over a period of 62 years the mud fort was expanded by the first three Qutb Shahi kings into a massive fort of
granite, extending around 5 km in circumference. It remained the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty until 1590 when the
capital was shifted to Hyderabad. The Qutb Shahis expanded the fort, whose 7 km outer wall enclosed the city. The state
became a focal point for Shia Islam in India, for instance, in the 17th century, Bahraini clerics, Sheikh Ja`far bin Kamal
al-Din and Sheikh Salih Al-Karzakani both emigrated to Golkonda.
The Qutb Shahi sultanate lasted until its conquest by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1687. The fortress held out against
Aurangzeb for nine months, falling to the Mughals through treachery.
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SHIVA LINGAM Found at Rachakonda Fort |
| Loddi Mallaiah Temple in Nallamalla Forest |
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