India 2007 - Day Seven, Part Two
As I mentioned in my last post, near Golconda Fort are a group of tombs of six of the seven Qutb Shahi dynasty shah's and some of their family members. It's not easy for me to remember which tomb belongs to which shah so I'll take a stab at it. Future Googlers beware.
This one I'm clear on. It belongs to Abdullah Qutb Shah (Qutb is pronounced "kutub"), the sixth and last of the seven to be entombed on this site. He died in 1672 after holding power during a time of decline. Eight years later the kingdom was conquered by Aurangzeb, a rather unpleasant fellow who imprisoned Abdullah's successor Abul Hasan Qutb Shah until he died in 1687.
The next tomb is possibly the most beautiful. It belongs to a woman, Hayat Bakshi Begum, I believe, the daughter of the fourth shah, the wife of the fifth, and the mother of the sixth. She was obviously much loved to receive this monument.
Here is the marker for her tomb -- she is actually buried in the basement, below this spot. The man in the picture pulled back the drape to reveal the detail.
Outside her tomb is perhaps the world's smallest mosque, said by Arafat to have been built in only 24 hours. Why the rush? I don't know.
Now, the big guy, the most famous of the Qutb Shahi dynasty king's, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the founder of Hyderabad (and the father of Hayat Bakshi Begum). His tomb is the largest and and is built on a platform raised above the others.
We walked down to the basement to see his final resting place.
And here he is.
One thing I couldn't help noticing as I walked over the many acres covering the site are the elaborate gardens that have fallen into disrepair. I don't know whether it's lack of money or interest but it's obvious that the landscaping has suffered from neglect. Here is a pool long since emptied and now strewn with weeds and trash.
But imagine the possibilities!
The picture I forgot to take is of the unfinished tomb of the seventh and last shah who's final resting place, obviously, is not here. It's shows the dome half built with brickwork exposed. Pretty cool, especially after observing so many finished examples. Complaints will be heard tonight down in the hotel bar for as long as you're willing to buy.