Hai.. Today i would like to discuss about Qutub Shahi Dynasty...
Qutub Shahi Dynasty
In 1463, disturbances broke out in the Telangana area of the Bahmani kingdom of the Deccan. Sultan Quli Qutbul-Mulk, a Turk who was a high ranking military officer under Muhammad Shah Bahmani, was sent to quell the trouble. He was successful and was rewarded by being made the subedar of Telangana in 1495, with Golconda as his headquarters. Subsequently, with the disintegration of the Bahmani kingdom in the early 16th century, Sultan Quli assumed virtual independence. Thus he founded the Qutb Shahi dynasty that lasted from 1518 right upto 1687, when Aurangzeb’s armies swept the Deccan. This dynasty spanned 171 years in the history of South India. The eight kings of this royal line have left a firm impression of their strong personalities upon the land and its people. The Qutb Shahi rulers were great builders and patrons of learning. They not only patronized the Persian culture but also the regional culture of the Deccan, symbolised by the Telugu language and the newly developed Deccani idiom
QUTB SHAHI TOMBS
The tombs erected in memory of the departed kings of Golconda are truly magnificent monuments that have stood the test of time and the vagaries of nature. They stand a kilometre north of Golconda fort’s Banjara Darwaza. These imposing marvels of architectural excellence stand as solemn reminders of the grandeur and glory of Golconda and the great kings wito are buried here. The tombs form a large, close group standing on a raised plateau. Nowhere in the world are there so many tombs in one place as here. These tombs and other monuments of the Qutb Shahi kings mark a unique architectural style which is a mixture of Persian, Pathan and Hindu forms. The tombs are marked by perfect harmony from plinth to top. Each stands on a wide quadrangular terrace approached on all sides by flights of steps. The arcades on all the sides and the pointed arches add to their beauty and grace. The main body of the edifice is also quadrangular, rising 9 to 15 metres above the terrace and surrounded by balustrades with beautiful minarets at the corners. The principal material used was grey granite, embellished with stucco decoration in places. Originally each tomb had a mosque as an adjunct. When Aurangzeb captured Golconda his officers were quartered in these tombs. There are 30 in the complex, besides some outside the compound wall. Noteworthy among these are the tombs of the seven kings and the one of Hayath Bakshi Begum. Restoration work on these tombs was started by Salar Jung I and a wall was also built surrounding the tombs. Tavernier who visited Golconda more than three hundred years ago, writes in his book, “At three coss off from the town there is a very fine mosque where there are the tombs of the Kings of Golconda and every day at 4 P.M. bread and pulao are given to all poor who present themselves. When you wish to see something really beautiful, you should go to see these tombs on the day of a festival, for then, from morning to evening, they are covered with rich carpets..
QUTB SHAHI NOBLES
In 1463, disturbances broke out in the Telangana area of the Bahmani kingdom of the Deccan. Sultan Quli Qutbul-Mulk, a Turk who was a high ranking military officer under Muhammad Shah Bahmani, was sent to quell the trouble. He was successful and was rewarded by being made the subedar of Telangana in 1495, with Golconda as his headquarters. Subsequently, with the disintegration of the Bahmani kingdom in the early 16th century, Sultan Quli assumed virtual independence. Thus he founded the Qutb Shahi dynasty that lasted from 1518 right upto 1687, when Aurangzeb’s armies swept the Deccan. This dynasty spanned 171 years in the history of South India. The eight kings of this royal line have left a firm impression of their strong personalities upon the land and its people. The Qutb Shahi rulers were great builders and patrons of learning. They not only patronized the Persian culture but also the regional culture of the Deccan, symbolised by the Telugu language and the newly developed Deccani idiom
Thank You
Nasreen