Saturday, August 8, 2009

The Magnificent Golconda Fort



I love forts. I may not dwell too much into their history, but am amazed by the engineering skills of the ancient times, all without mechanical aids that are used in modern day construction. And to think they have withstood battles, foreign invasions and natural calamities are a marvel.

The ardous climb

View from the top

The fort wall

The Golconda fort was built in the 13th century. The perimeter of the fort is about 7 miles. It has 87 semi circular bastions. Like most forts in India, it a huge gate which has sharp iron knobs to protect from attack of elephants. The center porch was acoustically designed, and the sounds from here could be heard at the centre point at the top of the fort, and the arrival of any visitor would be immediately conveyed in this manner. The fort houses arms depot, the baths, barracks, watering canals, the stables and reservoirs ( these were constructed at different levels and the irrigation systems at the fort were considered extremely superior). The general assembly or the Balahisar is located at the summit of the fort, which is 400 ft above the sea level.

The fort is invariably on the itinerary of any visitor to our city. But with bad roads and terrible traffic, the thought of visiting the fort is a nightmare. To avoid these hardships, guests would be generally put on the sight-seeing bus . But when my brother who was here on a holiday from the U S of A with his family expressed a desire to see the fort, I decided to take them there. And it was well worth the effort, as always.
The path to the fort has encroachments, in fact, the shops and houses led almost to the entrance of the fort, and a golf course that is coming in the vicinity is a major threat to the lovely structure. One must compliment the archaeological department for keeping the place 'fairly' clean. And to allow cameras to be taken in without a fee.
However, signs like this cause some amusement.

And one wonders if this signboard (below),considering the condition of the board, is as ancient as the fort itself.


One would wish there were more descriptions of the various structures and direction boards to help you along. But these cannot detract from the magnificence of the structure.

If only the locals would appreciate the beauty of the monument and help preserve the site, our city would truly have come a long way.



Check out this link - http://www.wanderingeducators.com/best/traveling/carnival-cities-september-9-2009.html
- my post on Golconda Fort was accepted for the Carnival of Cities.

5 comments:

  1. I am eager to be here some day! I have heard lots about it and now read it here. Great post!

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  2. Great photos, Radha! And thanks for the detailed description!

    Last year I had come along with my family to Hyderabad. But could not see the fort because it would have been too much for me to walk.

    My husband and son went though, and were full of admiration. My son took some lovely photos, too.

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  3. Nice post Radha. Ialso have been to golconda fort Hyderabad. You can check my blog for information about the same.

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  4. Hi,

    I'm a huge fan of forts as well. There aren't many in Central America, but they do have teeny tiny ones:)

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  5. really amazing article about the golconda fort. this is really great place

    ReplyDelete

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