Taramati and Premamati : royal dancers at the Qutub Shahi court

Taramati and Premamati : royal dancers at the Qutub Shahi court

       Two beautiful dancers were courtesans at the VIIth Qutub Shahi Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah's court (1626-1672) and during Abul Hasan Tana Shah (1672-1686), the last Qutub Shahi Sultan's reign : Taramati and Premamati. They had beautiful voices and enthralled the kings with their singing and dancing.They had pavillions built for them. Taramati Baradari is two storeyed , square shaped with strong arches on all sides, a typical Qutub Shahi structure with fine acoustics; and is located  some distance away from the Golconda Fort on a hillock. It is believed that when Taramati sang the breeze used to carry her mellifluous voice to the Sultan who was two kilometres away. The sisters have also been said to have danced on moonlit nights on ropes connecting the Baradari to the Golconda fort. Taramati was a dancer and singer par excellence and devoted her entire life to her art. She used to entertain people at the Taramati Baradari. A legend says that Taramati continued dancing even when Emperor Aurangzeb had asked her to stop.

On the opposite side is the Premamati mosque, which is believed to have been used by them for offering prayers. Both the sisters are buried in the royal cemetery of the Qutub Shahis at Ibrahimbagh in Hyderabad.

Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah with attendants, painting, Deccan School, 18th century.

By Deccan School - http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/features/12-11/features2319.htm, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21077967

 Taramati (probably), artist's representation (image at the Baradari complex,2016)

Pic : Isha Vatsa         

Premamati (probably),artist's representation (image at the Baradari complex,2016)

Pic : Isha Vatsa             



Taramati Baradari near Golconda, Hyderabad

By Chiranjeevi Ranga - I took the snap.., CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15997210



Night view at Golconda Fort.

By Devsneha (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

 

Taramati mosque inside the Golconda Fort complex.

By Bernard Gagnon - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34267456

 Abul Hasan Tana Shah, the last Qutub Shahi sultan.

Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=244237

Tombs of Taramati and Premamati.

Pic source : Isha Vatsa





References :

• Khan, Raza Ali/Hyderabad 400 years (1591-1991), Hyderabad : Zenith Publishers,1990.
• wikipedia.org

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Soma Ghosh

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