You may or may not know that one of my fascinations is with old buildings, chief among them, Castles and Forts. Whenever I see or read about one of these I can't help but be amazed at the workmanship that went into making it what it was. Consequently, one of the highlights of of our visit to Hyderabad (for me at least) was the day (most of it at least) we spent viewing the remains of the still imposing Golkonda Fort.
"The city and fortress are built on a granite hill that is 120 meters high and is surrounded by massive crenellated ramparts. The beginnings of the fort date to the 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 Sultanate. 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."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golconda_Fort)
I can't exactly describe the feeling of being in the same place that kings and emperors, soldiers and builders, freemen and slaves, all lived and died, fought and ruled and left their stamp on the land. Here are some pictures that show some aspects of the fort and the scope of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment