Bala Hissar : Golconda Fort's acropolis.

Bala Hissar : Golconda Fort's acropolis

      The Bala Hissar is the acropolis; at the topmost point at the Golconda Fort. The Golconda fort was a township in itself with the fort with its fortifications, bastions,gates,royal palaces, adminsitrative buildings,military offices,granary,arsenal mosques, ashurkhanas,dargahs,bazaars,hammams and roads. Sultan Quli named the area as   Muhammadnagar.  Golconda was the capital of the Qutub Shahis which later shifted to Hyderabad in 1591-2. However it became the capital again in 1656 when Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah shifted there. 

     

      The Bala Hissar area marks the inner area of the fort. The entrance is through the Bala Hissar Gate which shows Indo-Islamic design in stucco between the arch and lintel with mythical animals. It is the gate to the second line of fortification walls. The baradari at the top of the hillock, is commonly called Bala Hissar. It is double storied and can be reached after climbing more than 350 steps. It is on the topmost part of the fort about 130m above ground level  and is built by bricks and limestone with many big halls  which were used as assembly halls. The roof has an elevated structure which was the seat of the Sultan also called Tanashah ki gaddi. There is a deep well to the left. Toward the foothill used to be the harem. It is believed that the Sultan Mohammed Qutub Shah and Sultan Abdullah used to sit on this high point and listen to music wafting from a distance from the baradaris of Taramati and Premamati, royal courtesans. The acoustics of the fort were of a very advanced nature. A clap from below can be heard at the Bala Hissar on the top of the fort area. This was used as a communication system during the Qutub Shahi times.

Bala Hissar,Golconda Fort.

By Bernard Gagnon - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34139140



Bala Hissar Gate,Golconda Fort.

By Anupamg - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21148479

Peacock motifs, Bala Hissar Gate, Golconda Fort.

By Smkeshkamat (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons


Stucco work, Bala Hissar Gate, Golconda Fort.


By Bernard Gagnon (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons








Sultan Mohammad Qutub Shah, portrait,17th century.

By Golkonda Painters - http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=265605&partid=1&searchText=mughal&fromADBC=ad&toADBC=ad&numpages=10&images=on&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_database.aspx&currentPage=87, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17783141



Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah with dancers and attendants Golconda,painting,17th century. 

By Deccan School [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

References :

1. wikipedia.org
2. The heritage of the Qutb Shahis of Golconda and Hyderabad/Nayeem,M.A,Hyderabad : Hyderabad Publishers,2006.
3.  Marg, Vol XXXVII No:3, Bombay : Marg Publications.

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Soma Ghosh


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Chintz of Golconda : paintings on cloth

Chintz of Golconda : paintings on cloth

        The kingdom of Golconda was a trading centre for diamonds,gems and textiles. They patronised Kalamkari of Machilipatnam, a hand-painted craft during the 16th and 17th centuries. The textiles were made for the Sultanate of Golconda and Iran/Persia.  The designs were customised to the Islamic taste. The art of Kalamkari had evolved wherein the artist works with a pen or qalam; this art flourished in Srikalahasti too where temple hangings were made and in Machilipatnam in South India, as already mentioned. The English called it chintz, the Dutch called sitz,  the Portugese pintado. with time all cloth with patterns came to be known as  chintz. The Srikalahasti kalamkaris had an almost religious identity; scenes from the Hindu epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata  were made for scrolls,chariot banners etc.These were completely hand-worked.

      The kalamkari techinique used the qalam to trace patterns on the cloth. Vegetable and natural dyes extracted from parts of plants like roots,leaves and mineral salts of iron,tin, copper etc. were then filled to create the final product.  The artist was called qalamkar. Kalamkari thus literally means, art work done using a pen. In Machilipatnam hand-carved block prints were used. Finer details were made with qalam.

    The Machilipatnam artists made prayer mats, wall hangings,curtains,cloth belts etc. The designs included the cypress tree,mihrab (prayer niche) of a mosque and animals mentioned in Islamic writings. Floral patterns were much in use for many creations made for both the Europeans,for Persia and the Golconda kingdom. The tree of life is also a common theme. Human figures were also depicted.

   The wall hanging depicted below has five panels within a floral pattern framework. Floral designs can be seen within the panels too. The scenes depict Europeans and locals.

There are two mandapas on top with two women in each. There are onion shaped domes above the arch; the wall hanging depicts multi-cultural character.

Kalamkari wall hanging, early 17th century.

By Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum; Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 14.719.2_SL1.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10195568

     The creation below is a qanat or a curtain for a tent, with exquisite floral design. The main design, a flowering plant,  is in the middle with smaller flowers used in the multi-layered frame around it.

Curtain for a royal tent (qanat) from Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu region, 1665.

By Hiart - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53643424



References :

1. wikipedia.org
2. The heritage of the Qutb Shahis of Golconda and Hyderabad/Nayeem,M.A,Hyderabad : Hyderabad Publishers,2006.

Posted by :


Soma Ghosh


©author

Guns of Golconda : sentinels of time

Guns of Golconda  : sentinels of time

      The guns or cannons on the bastions at the Golconda Fort have been watching the centuries go by. The fireworks have long stopped and the smell of cannon balls evaporated. The Fateh Rahbar is on the Petla Burj, a bastion on the western wall of the fort. It was used during the last siege of Golconda by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (b.1618-d.1707) in 1687. The other cannons which are noteworthy are  Qila Kusha,the Azhada Paikar, the Atish Bar and Dushman Kob.





Emperor Aurangzeb,Mughal painting, late 17th century.

By Anonymous - The Cleveland Museum of Art, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19091333




Emperor Aurangzeb at the siege of Golconda,1687, Gouache painting, 18th century, Brown University Library,USA.

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

 Golconda Fort.

By Bernard Gagnon (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

                                  Cannon at main entrance Golconda Fort.

By Bhaskaranaidu (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

                                         Light cannon and cannon balls,Golconda Fort.

By McKay Savage from London, UK [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Cannon, Golconda Fort.

        Mughal weapons used to be made at shahi karkhanas (royal workshops) or bought from craftsmen. Emperor Aurangzeb had a large artillery, only the main cannons were given names.  Inventors used to be invited from Persia and Turkey. The Fateh Rahbar meaning 'guide to victory' cannon used during the siege of Golconda by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb's army. It is a large bronze cannon with a length of 486 cm, the diameter of its muzzle is 70 cm,bore 26 cm and end of the barrel is 84 cm. The total weight is 16.59 tons;the name of its engineer is Muhammad Ali Arab. Persian verses inscribed on the gun give its history. The  face of the cannon too has inscriptions on it.



Fateh Rahbar,Golconda.

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




The Qila Kusha meaning ' fort opener' cannon was also made under the same engineer in 1666 and is seen on the Musa Burj at south east of Golconda Fort. This is a composite cannon and made of wrought iron barrel with an outer bronze cast.  The cannon has beautiful decoration on it and at the muzzle end and rear portion. It is kept on the top of the fort.


The Azdaha Paikar meaning dragon body manufactured in 1674 is also a composite cannon on the Musa Burj The cannon weighs 17 tons. An iron ring has been hooped on the barrel of the cannon. The surface of the cannon and the ring are decorated.

Azdaha-paikar, Golconda Fort.

Pic source : Postcard on Golconda

   





 The Atish Bar meaning raining fire; made in 1679 is on a bastion at the  foot of the Bala Hissar Hill towards the south west and Dushman Kob is on the Sampolia Burj of the Golconda Fort.



Light cannons,Golconda.

Pic : Isha Vatsa

Cannon, Golconda Fort.

Pic source : Dinesh Singh




Portrait of a soldier, Mughal,17th century, during Aurangzeb's military campaigns in the Deccan,

By Mughal - http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/1600_1699/aurangzeb/karansingh/karansingh.htmlChristie's, LotFinder: entry 4457064 (Courtier in a Landscape), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17614887

References :

1. Hyderabad : a city in history/Khan, Raza Ali,Hyderabad : Zenith Services,1990.
2. The saga of Indian cannons/Balasubramaniam, R.,New Delhi : Aryan Books International,2008.
3. www.insa.nic.in

Posted by:

Soma Ghosh

Ⓒauthor