GolKonda Fort

                         GolKonda Fort

 Golkonda Fort in Hydrabad is a

 majestic monument, which lies

 on the western outskirts of the city.

It specks of a great cultural heritage of 400 years and is considered as a place that is worth visiting.

Golkonda was famous for its Diamond mines in olden days. The world renowned 'kohinoor' doimond is believed to have come from here.

The Golkonda Fort is built on Granite hill 120km high. The fort has 8 gates or Darwazas as they are called in local language. The main gate is called as 'Fateh Darwaza'. The hills around the fortlend a very mysterious charm and a colossal grandeur to the gigantic fort.

You will have to visit the Golkonda Fort,10km west of Hydrabad city, to appreciate the majesty and grandeur of the 800 year old ruins and the architectural glory of those structures, which have survived the revage of the time and rampage of Mughal Vandals.

One of the most magnificent fort complexes in the country, Golkonda meaning shepherd hills, was built consecutively by three dynasties, the kakatiyas, the Bahmanis and Qutub shahis, the major contribution coming from the latter.

It betrays the confluence of Hindu and Muslim architectural perception of the times. It was the capital of Bahmani kings first and the Qutub shahis later for sometimes, before they shifted the capital to what is now the old city of Hydrabad.

Qutub Shahis kings who reigned during the 16th century built the Golkonda Fort. There is an interesting story behind the Golkonda Fort. The place was originally called as 'Golla Konda' in telugu, which is the official state language of Hydrabad city.

Roughly around 1143 in the rocky hill called 'Mangalavaram', a shephered boy found an idol, which was given to then king, kakatiya who built a mud fort.

From 1507, within a span of 62 years, the Qutub shahis rulers transformed the humble mud fort into marvelous granite wonder. The stunning Golkonda Fort lost its entire splendor and luster as the Mughal invaded and plundered this breathtaking wonder into a heap of ruins.

The Golkonda Fort comprises of 4 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 as 'victory gate'.

The main attraction of this entrance are the acoustic effect, which is a remarkable feature of the Golkonda Fort.

It is said that such an articulate construction was used in those ancestral days for secuirity purpose.

The latest features that adds more excitement to the Golkonda fort is the light and sound show. The amazing light and sound impacts with the narration of hair raising story of the Golkonda Fort is sure to amuse all tourist visiting the Hydrabad city.