Golconda times : mosques and mystics

Golconda times : mosques and mystics

    The Golconda times saw the building of many mosques, serais, commercial centres and palaces. Some can still be seen today in different states of preservation and glory at various locations in and around Hyderabad.

   There are many mosques in addition to the Mecca Masjid and the Jami Masjid near Charminar. Outside and within the fort complex are many mosques.The Jami Masjid or Masjid-e-safa is outside the fort which was built by Sultan Quli, when he was a governor under the Bahmani Sultanate in 1518. The mosque has a single dome and painted arches. The 15 bays of the mosque have stucco decorations at the apex.  The  spandrels of the arches of the mihrab too has stucco ornamentation.

 The Khairatabad mosque was built for Mulla Abdul Malik in 1612, the tutor of Khairatunnisa who was Sultan Muhammad Qutub Shah's daughter. It has a small prayer hall and its facade has three arches. There are two minarets on the sides.



Khairatabad mosque.

By Lala Deen Dayal (1844-1905) [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

   Toli Mosque  was built by Musa Khan, mahaldar of Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah in 1674. It is located at Karwan, 2 km from Golconda Fort. The mosque has a double prayer hall and two high minarets and a five arched facade. There are ornate decorations on the facade of the mosque.

Toli Masjid, Hyderabad.

By Aditya369 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

     The mosque below is attributed to poet-laureate Mullah Khiali located between Jallad Burj and Anankob burj. The facade has three arches with stucco motifs. the mihrab has an inscription calligraphed by Syed Sadruddin. The mosque was built during the reign of Sultan Ibrahim Qutub Shah.

Mullah Khiali mosque, Golconda Fort.

Source : dreamstime.com/stock-photo-ancient-mosque-golconda-fort-hyderabad-image23855290

    The Hayat Bakshi Begum mosque is at Ibrahimbagh in the Qutub Shahi tomb complex.It was built in 1667 along with her mausoleum. The mosque has a prayer hall with three aisles. The facade has ornate stucco decorations with five arches. The mosque has two tall minarets with a dome at the top set on circular lotus base.

Hayat Bakshi Begum's mosque, Ibrahimbagh,Hyderabad.

By SharadaAnnamaraju - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21505978

            Heera Masjid is located near the Moti darwaza, built in 1668 under Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah specially for the diamond merchants. There is a serai within the precincts of the mosque.

         Ashrafi Masjid  is located on the distance between the Fateh darwaza and Bala Hissar darwaza between the Shamsheer kotha and the Khazan shahi. The mosque has three arches in the facade and Quranic verses on the mihrab. This mosque is dated to 1589.

       Chini Masjid  is a small masjid near the Khazana Shahi, built around 1589, with a facade of three arches.

       Baridi Masjid  is a mosque close to the Banjara Darwaza built by a Baridi Sultan who took refuge at Golconda. The mosque is plain , the facade has three arches but no minarets. The roof has six shallow domes. the mihrab of the mosque is made of black stone.

       Miyan Mishq Masjid is located opposite the Puranapul. Built by Miyan Mishq in 1674, who  was a Qutub Shahi commander of the Krnataka troops, secretary, keeper of keys; the facade has three arches and two minarets at the sides.The mosque has large cistern. Some rooms are present at the back of the verandah on the south and the east. There is a hammam  behind the mosque. There is a mortuary chamber with a verandah around it. At different places are insriptions in different calligraphic styles on black basalt stone. He has built another mosque at Attapur associated with Miyan Mishk Mahal. The facade of the mosque has three arches with octagonal minarets at the sides. The mahal built by him is a small palace, two storied with arches and a balcony projecting in front.

        Shaikpet Masjid, built in 1633/4 by Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah is a mosque, a Jama Masjid having high minarets with a facade of three arches. It is a part of the the serai complex built for traders, which had 30 rooms and stables for horses and camels. Inscriptions of Quranic texts are present on the western wall, also some Persian verses all calligraphed by Hussaini Tabrizi. The mosque has a stone platform. The traders could pray at the mosque. There is a tomb of a Sufi saint in the premises.

    Kulsum Begum's Masjid  was built by Princess Kulsum Begum, daughter of Sultan Mohammad Qutub Shah.The area is called Kulsumpura. It is  is located on the way to Puranapul from Golconda. It is fairly large mosque with a facade of three arches and octagonal minarets at the sides. 

Shaikpet masjid and serai, Hyderabad.

Source of image : https://telanganatoday.com/shaikpet-sarai-ravaged-nature(public domain)

          The Qutub Shahi times were highly influenced by the presence of Sufi saints who preached from their khankhas and were approached by people for all sects for guidance and solace. After they passed away, their dargahs are visited by followers. Both Sunni and Shiah sufis were popular. Many sufis visited Golconda The Qutub Shahis were tolerant kings; majority of the Sufi saints were from the Sunni sect. Some of their tombs and dargahs are revered since the Golconda times. 

Visit of Sufi singer Shir Muhammad to Abul Hasan Tana Shah,painting,1720, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris.

By Govardhan II (http://expositions.bnf.fr/inde/grand/exp_031.htm) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Hussain Shah Wali was appointed as sipahsalar (commander)  and made in charge of public works. He was from the family of Khwaja Banda Nawaz of Gulbarga. He belonged to the chishti order. The Hussain Sagar at Hyderabad is named after him. Hussain Shah Wali's tomb with its attached mosque was built by Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah. The tomb has a single dome and the entrance to the main tomb is through a wooden gateway. He was married to Khairatunnisa Begum, daughter of Sultan Ibrahim. He passed away in 1620.He is believed to have performed miracles. His dargah is in Toli Chowki.


Syed Hussaini Barhana Shah or Barhana Shah sahib, who came from North India during Sultan Abdullah's reign was a disciple of Sufi Sarmad of Delhi. He died in 1653. His disciple Malik Parast Khan who was a minister of Sultan Mohammad Quli and Sultan Mohammad Qutub Shah, a commander of the royal bodyguard of Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah, built a rectangular tomb with twelve arches over his grave. A mosque is attached to the tomb and a naqarkhana is present over the gate.

Mir Momin Astarabadi  was the chief architect of the city of Hyderabad. He had migrated from Persia and had become peshwa or prime minster at the Golconda kingdom. Sultan Mohammad Quli respected his peshwa who was a spiritual guide to him. He has built a necropolis Daira-e-Mir Momin  at Sultanshahi area in Hyderabad.He had acquired the land for burial purposes.He died in 1624/5.His tomb is rectangular structure. The second storey has an ashurkhana  where alams (standards) belonging to him are kept. The tomb has four minarets and a flat roof.

Shah Miranji Hussain Chishti was a sufi from Hyderabad who played a major role in enriching the sufi literature in Dakhni Urdu. He died in 1659. His tomb is near the Puranapul.

Shah Raju Qattal was the guide and mentor of Sultan Abul Hasan Tana Shah. He belonged to the Chishti order. Abul Hasan spent 14 years at his khankhah and served him. Shah Raju died in 1681. A three storied tomb was built over his grave. The tomb has an open verandah on all sides. Some of his personal belongings are kept in a hall at the tomb.

References :

• History of the Qutub Shahi dynasty/Sherwani,H.K,New Delhi : Munshiram Manoharlal,1974.
• M.A.Nayeem/The heritage of the Qutub Shahis of Golconda and Hyderabad,Hyderabad: Hyderabad Publishers,2006.

Posted by :

Soma Ghosh

Ⓒauthor

Sultan Abul Hasan ; last ruler of Golconda

Sultan Abul Hasan  : last ruler of Golconda

          Sultan Abul Hasan  was the last ruler of the Qutub Shahi dynasty, before the Mughal seige of Golconda in 1687. After the rule of Sultan Ibrahim Qutub Shah, his son Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah ruled from 1580-1611,who built the Charminar and established the new city of Hyderabad. He wrote poetry in Persian,Telugu and Urdu.He was followed by Sultan Muhammad Qutub Shah, his son-in-law and nephew who ruled between 1611-25. 





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   Mohammad Qutub Shah was the adopted son of Mohammad Quli and son of Mirza Muhammad Amin who died when Mohammad Quli was Sultan. He was married to Hayat Baksh Begum, daughter of Mohammad Quli. He had subdued Pratap Shah, the ruler of Bastar who acknowledged his supremacy. He was  a peace oriented king and tried to strengthen ties with Bijapur, and Ahmadnagar . During his reign Persian  language and culture flourished. Proto-urdu got a fillip. The Mecca Masjid was planned during his time. European factories already existed in the Golconda kingdom. The number of products being handled increased to include not just painted/printed cloth like qalamkari,cotton yarn, indigo etc. but also porcelain, silk, alum, brass etc. Mohammad Qutub Shah decided to take back the leases from the Dutch and established his own government's control on them. In fact that the European merchants competed among themselves to trade in the Coromandel coast and the Golconda kingdom.



Sultan Abdullah,painting,17th century.

By Unknown - [flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/thesandiegomuseumofartcollection/6125086876/in/photostream/], CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24570593

   Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah was Sultan Muhammad's son. He was born in 1614 and the next and the seventh ruler of Golconda. After he ascended the throne he was congratulated by Ibrahim Adil Shah of Bijapur and Murtaza Nizam Shah of Ahmadnagar by their envoys. Shah Abul Hasan and Mir Jafar; Prince Khurram (later Shah Jahan of the Mughal dynasty) sent Ikhlas Khan. Abul Hasan knew many languages and was  fond of poetry and music. Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah had to enter a treaty with the Mughal emperor in 1636. By this he became Mughal vassal partially. His coins were to be struck in the name of the Mughal emperor. However in 1655 Shahjahan ordered collection of arrears or pesh kash. The Mughal forces entered Hyderabad and Golconda in 1656. Hayat Baksh Begum spoke to Aurangzeb and asked for pardon for her son. Abdullah sent jewels,elephants,gold, horses etc. He captured Vellore in 1652. The Mughals forced him into accepting strict conditions and a matrimonial alliance by marrying his daughter,Padshah Bibi Sahiba to Aurangzeb's eldest son,Muhammad Sultan Mirza. During his reign European trade flourished in the kingdom.He ruled between 1626-72. 

    He was followed by Abul Hasan, who was the son-in-law of Abdullah Qutub Shah, being married to his eldest daughter. Sultan Abdullah had three daughters and had no male heir.  One was married to Aurangzeb's son, Mohammad Sultan. However Mohd Sultan sided Prince Shuja during accession to the Mughal throne and as arrested and died later in prison in 1677. So he could not be made Sultan. Syed Muzaffar, a nobleman and general went to Shah Raju's khankhah and took Abul Hasan to the palace and proclaimed him Sultan in April 1672. He was married to the Sultan's third daughter. Syed Muzaffar was made Mir Jumla. He was later replaced by his secretary, Madanna. Madanna got appointed his brother Akkanna who became minister-in-charge of the armed forces. When Abul Hasan took over as Sultan the kingdom extended from outer region of Gulbarga and Bidar in the west to Vishakhapatnam in the north east to San Thome south of Madaras(now Chennai). Along with Madanna he tried to fortify his territory on the east coast. He had visited Vijayawada to see the Kondapalli fort.    Sultan Abul Hasan, who used to sing well, was called Tana Shah, a nickname given to him by his teacher Sufi saint, Hazrat Shah Raju Qattal, who was eighth in lineage to Banda Nawaz Gesudaraaz of Gulbarga. He had predicted that Abul Hasan would rule for 14 years. Sultan Abul Hasan ruled from 1672-1686.

     His reign was one of popularity. He was well liked by all. In his court were people from all ethnicities and religions. Most well known are the Hindu brothers Akkanna and Madanna from Hanamakonda. Akkanna was later made resident at Bijapur and governor of Karnataka. It was during his reign that Kancharla Gopanna also known as Bhakta Ramadasu was jailed for diverting funds to build a temple at Bhadrachalam. However it is believed that Lord Rama came to the Sultan in his dream along with gold coins with his image on them (Ramamudra). He released Gopanna and every year during Rama-Navami , he sent pearls to the temple.

 Madanna invited Shivaji to Hyderabad and a treaty was signed for help in case of a Mughal attack. Shivaji agreed to hand over parts of Karnatak which did not belong to his father. All this had angered Aurangzeb and he did not like the going-ons at Golconda. Aurangzeb also got hold of a communication in which Sultan Abul Hasan promised help to Sikandar Ali Shah of Bijapur against the Mughals.  Around 1683 , Sultan Abul Hasan became erratic in paying taxes to the Mughals who had set the norms during the rule of Abdullah Qutub Shah.He also did not want to continue as a vassal state under them.  In the meantime, Prince Azam was in the process of subduing Bijapur in 1685. Abul Hasan tried to help by sending a large army, which was blocked off by the Mughals. Aurangzeb also sent Prince Muazzam along with Qilich Khan and Ghaziuddin Khan Feroze Jung, his commanders to cross the Godavari and attack Golconda. The Golconda forces defended well in the battles at Milkhed but later the Mughals gained. They approached Hyderabad in October 1686. Abul Hasan moved to Golconda Fort and received an ultimatum to pay an annual peshkash of 2 lakh huns and remove the brothers Madanna and Akkanna from service. Abul Hasan was still wavering when Jamsheed, the royal steward ambushed the brothers and murdered them. The Mughal troops withdrew for a short while as Sultan Abul Hasan had sent 59 trays of jewels as peshkash.  However once the Mughals had finished their war with Bijapur they laid siege to Golconda Fort from January 1687. During the time, the fort's defence was under General Abdur Razzaq Lari also called Mustafa Khan. An Afghani soldier Abdullah Panni opened a khirki of the gate, the Fateh Darwaza to the Mughals on 21st September 1687. The Mughal soldiers entered the fort. Thus Abul Hasan who had defended the fort for eight months, surrendered in  October 1687, was imprisoned and taken to Daulatabad Fort, near Aurangabad. After twelve years he died and is buried at Khuldabad, near the Daulatabad fort. 

     After this the regions under the Golconda king came under the Mughals who appointed viceroys the Nizams, who later proclaimed independence.

Album leaf,portrait, Abul Hasan Qutub Shah,1680,Golconda.

By Golconda Style - http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/search_object_details.aspx?objectid=265592&partid=1&searchText=mughal&fromADBC=ad&toADBC=ad&numpages=10&images=on&orig=%2fresearch%2fsearch_the_collection_database.aspx&currentPage=76, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17782809




Mir Jumla.painting,17th century.

By Shiv Das (painted by) - http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O187805/painting-mir-jumla/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17712774

The marriage of Abul Hasan , Jalwa ceremony,1679.

By English: thesandiegomuseumofartcollection (Flickr) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

References :

• History of the Qutub Shahi dynasty/Sherwani,H.K,New Delhi : Munshiram Manoharlal,1974.
• M.A.Nayeem/The heritage of the Qutub Shahis of Golconda and Hyderabad,Hyderabad: Hyderabad Publishers,2006.
• wikipedia.org
• preservearticles.com

Posted by :

Soma Ghosh

Ⓒauthor