GOLKONDA FORT

Golkonda is a ruined city and fortress 11 km west of the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh state, India. 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 Kakatiyas were followed by the state of Warangal, which was later conquered by the Muslim Bahmani Sultanate. Golkonda consists of four distinct forts with a 10 km long outer wall having 87 semi circular bastions; some still mounted with cannons, eight gateways, four drawbridges and number of royal apartments & halls, temples, mosques, magazines, stables etc, inside. The lowest of these is the outermost enclosure into which we enter by the 'Fateh Darwaza' ( Victory gate, so called after Aurangzeb’s triumphant army marched in through this gate ) studded with giant iron spikes ( to prevent elephants from battering them down ) near the south
-eastern corner.
 At Fateh Darwaza can be experienced the fantastic acoustic effects, characteristic of the engineering marvels at Golkonda. A hand clap at a certain point below the dome at the entrance reverberates and can be heard clearly at the 'Bala Hisar' pavilion, the highest point almost a kilometre away. This acted as the warning note to residents in case of danger.

The tombs of the Qutb Shahi sultans lie about one kilometer north ofGolkonda's outer wall. These graceful structures are made of beautifully
carved stonework, and surrounded by landscaped gardens. Golkonda fort overlooking HyderabadThe fortress city within the walls was famous for its diamond trade, and many famed diamonds including the Koh-i-noor, the Regent Diamond and the Hope are said to have come from here. The wealth of the Golkonda mines enriched the ruling Nizams of  Hyderabad, which ruled the area from their independence from the Mughals in1724 to1948 ,when Hyderabad was annexed by India to become an Indian state. Hyderabad state was broken up in 1956, and Golkonda became part of Andhra Pradesh state.