Qutb Shahi Tombs - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The famous tombs of the seven Qutub Shahi rulers in the Ibrahim Bagh are located close to the famous Golkonda

Golkonda

Golkonda or Golla konda a ruined city of south-central India and capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda , is situated 11 km west of Hyderabad.The most important builder of Golkonda was a Hindu Kakatiya King...

Fort.

The galleries of the smaller tombs are of a single storey while the larger ones are two storied. In the centre of each tomb is a sarcophagus which overlies the actual burial vault in a crypt below. The domes were originally overlaid with blue and green tiles, of which only a few pieces now remain.

Design

The tombs are domed structures built on a square base surrounded by pointed arches. The mausoleums of the Sultans of Golkonda, the founding rulers of Hyderabad are truly magnificent monuments that have stood the test of time and braved the elements.

Location

They lie about a kilometre north of the outer perimeter wall of Golkonda Fort's Banjara Darwaza amidst the Ibrahim Bagh.

The tombs

The tombs form a large cluster and stand on a raised platform. They display a distinctive style, a mixture of Persian, Pathan

Pashtun people

Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...

and Hindu forms

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

. The tombs are graceful structures with intricately carved stonework and are surrounded by landscaped gardens.

The tombs were once furnished with carpets, chandeliers and velvet canopies on silver poles. Qurans were kept on supports and readers recited verses from the holy book at regular intervals. Golden spires were fitted over the tombs of the Sultans to distinguish their tombs from those of other members of the royal family.

During the Qutub Shahi period, these tombs were held in great veneration. But after their reign, the tombs were neglected, till Sir Salar Jung III ordered their restoration in the early 19th century. A pretty garden was laid out, and a compound wall was built. Once again, the tomb-garden of the Qutub Shahi family became a place of serene beauty. All, except the last, of the Qutub Shahi Sultans lie buried here.

Sultan Quli Qutub ul Mulk

Sultan Quli Qutb Mulk

Sultan Quli Qutb Shah was the founder of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, which ruled the Sultanate of Golconda in southern India from 1518 to 1687. He died in 1543.-Early days:...

's tomb, the style of which set the example for the tombs of his descendants, is situated on an elevated terrace measuring 30 m each way. The tomb chamber proper is octagonal, with each side measuring around 10 m. The whole structure is crowned by a circular dome. There are three graves in this tomb chamber and 21 on the terrace outside, all uninscribed, except for the main tomb. The inscription on Sultan Quli's tomb is in three bands, in the Naskh and Tauq scripts. The inscription refers to Sultan Quli as Bade Malik (Great Master) - the endearing term by which all people of the Deccan used to refer to him. The tomb was built in 1543 A.D. by the Sultan, during his lifetime itself, as was the prevalent custom.

Near the tomb of Sultan Quli is that of his son, Jamsheed, the second in the line of Qutub Shahi Sultans. Built in 1550 A.D., this is the only Qutub Shahi tomb which has not been fashioned from shining black basalt. Its appearance too, is quite unlike the other tombs in the garden - it rises gracefully in two stories, unlike the squat tombs of the other kings. Jamsheed Quli Qutub Shah's is also only tomb of a Qutub Shahi ruler without any inscriptions; of course, Jamsheed's son, Subhan's tomb too does not have any inscriptions. But Subhan Quli Qutub Shah

Subhan Quli Qutb Shah

Subhan Quli Qutb Shah was 7 years old, when he became Sultan of Golconda, after the death of his father Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah, in 1550. Saif Khan, also known as Ainul Mulk, was sent from Ahmednagar for the performance of duties of regent during the boy's development...

ruled for too short a while to really matter. Subhan's tomb stands mid-way between the tombs of his father and grandfather. He was popularly called Chhote Malik (Small Master).

Sultan Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah's tomb, built in 1580, after his death, is slightly larger than Sultan Quli's tomb. Traces of the enamelled tiles, which once adorned this mausoleum, can still be seen on the southern wall. The tomb has two graves in the main chamber and 16 graves on the terrace, some of them probably those of his six sons and three daughters. There are inscriptions in the Thulth script on all faces of the sarcophagus. It is interesting to note that the three famous calligraphists - Isphalan, Ismail and Taqiuddin Muhammad Salih - who left a store of Naskh, Tulth and Nastaliq inscriptions on the many Qutub Shahi edifices in the city, were all contemporaries of Ibrahim Shah.

Sultan Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah's mausoleum

Mausoleum

A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...

is, by far, the grandest of the Qutub Shahi tombs. Built in 1602 A.D., the tomb is situated on a terrace of 65m square and 4m high. A flight of steps leads to the mausoleum proper, which is 22 m square on the outside and 11 m square on the inside. There are entrances on the southern and eastern sides. The tomb itself is situated in a vault below the terrace. Inscriptions in Persian

Persian language

Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

and the Naskh scripts decorate the tomb.

Another grand mausoleum is that of the sixth Sultan, Muhammed Qutub Shah. The facade of this tomb was once decorated with enamelled tiles, only traces of which are now evident. There are six graves altogether in this tomb and inscriptions in Tulth and Naskh. The mausoleum was built in 1626. Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah's tomb is the last of the royal tombs, as Abul Hasan Qutub Shah (Tana Shah), the last Qutub Shahi Sultan, was a prisoner in the fortress of Daulatabad, near Aurangabad, when he died. While the tombs of those who ruled dominate the area, interspersed are many other monuments too, most of them tombs of other members of the Royal family.

The tomb of Fatima Sultan, with its bulbous dome, is near the entrance to the tomb-garden. Fatima was the sister of Muhammed Qutub Shah. Her tomb houses several graves, two of them with inscriptions. Immediately to the south of Muhammed Quli's tomb are three uninscribed tombs. There are the mausoleums of Kulthoom, Muhammed Qutub Shahi’s granddaughter born of the son of the Sultan's favourite wife Khurshid Bibi, her (Kulthoom's) husband and daughter. Kulthoom's Tomb is on the west of this cluster.

The twin-tombs of the two favourite hakims (physicians) of Sultan Abdullah-Nizamuddin Ahmed Gilani and Abdul Jabbar Gilani - were built in 1651. They are among the few Qutub Shahi tombs that are not of royalty. Another pair of tombs are those of Premamati and Taramati who were one of the favourite courtesans of Sultan Abdullah Shah were laid to rest beside the tomb of their patron. One other tomb which is not that of a Qutub Shahi family member is the tomb of Neknam Khan. Neknam Khan, who served in Abdullah's army, was the commander-in-chief of the Carnatic. His tomb is situated on a platform outside the mausoleum of Ibrahim Qutub Shah. It was built in 1672, two years after the death of Nekam Khan.

The mausoleum which Abdul Hasan, the last Qutub Shahi Sultan, began building for himself, actually houses the grave of Mir Ahmed, the son of Sultan Abdullah's son-in-law and the sister of Abbas II Safair, the Shah of Persia. The tomb of Fadma Khanum, one of Sultan Abdullah's daughters, stands near the mausoleum of her husband, Mir Ahmed. Hers is the only Qutub Shahi tomb not surmounted by a dome.

To the west of the tombs lies the dargah of Hussain Shah Wali, the revered Sufi Saint. He is most affectionately remembered by people as the builder of Hussain Sagar in 1562. Among other monuments in the garden, that are not tombs, the most important are the Mortuary Bath and the Masjid of Hayat Bakshi Begum.

The Mortuary Bath, which stands opposite the tomb of Muhammad Quli, was built by Sultan Quli to facilitate the ritual washing of the bodies of the dead kings and others of the Royal Family before they were carried to their final resting place. The practice followed was to bring the body out of the fort, through the Banjara Gate, to this bath, before carrying it away for burial with the ritualistic pomp that was required to mark the occasion. A large number of people, fond subjects, friends and relatives attended. The bath itself is one of the finest existing specimens of ancient Persian or Turkish baths.

The Qutub Shahis built a number of masjids all over Golkonda and Hyderabad, and almost every tomb has a masjid adjacent. The biggest and the grandest such masjid is by the mausoleum of Hayat Bakshi Begum. Popularly known as the great masjid of the Golkonda tombs, it was built in 1666 A.D. Fifteen cupolas decorate the roof and the prayer-hall is flanked by two lofty minarets. The impression, as a whole, is one of majesty and splendour. The inscriptions in the masjid are master-pieces of calligraphic art.

Hayat Bakshi Begum was the daughter of Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah, the fifth Sultan, the wife of Sultan Muhammed Qutub Shah, the sixth Sultan and the mother of Abdullah Qutub Shah, the seventh Sultan. She was affectionately known as 'Ma Saheba' (Revered Mother). The tomb-garden of the Sultans of Golkonda was known as Lagar-e-Faiz Athar (a place for bountiful entertainment) in the days of the Qutub Shahi rulers, for some item or song or dance or even an occasional play was staged here every evening, free of cost, to entertain the poor.

External links

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Design

Location

The tombs

See also

External links