Golconda Fort Visit !!

Date: Wednesday, 15th August 2012  ( Independence Day)

Day two in Hyderabad started a bit late, on purpose. We were lazy to get out of bed and only decided to do so around lunch time. We took an rickshaw and headed towards Lakdi ka pul, as we were advised by our Hyderabadi friend that there are frequent buses from here to Golconda Fort.

We had lunch from one of the restaurants behind the main Lakdi ka pul bus stop, (edit: Ramesh tells me the name was New Paradise Hotel) and yes, we tried the biriyani from here as well. It was alright.

Post lunch, we took the bus that dropped us to Golconda Fort. The entry fee was Rs. 5 for Indians; foreigners have to pay Rs. 100 ($2.2/€1.6) I believe. No extra charge for cameras, but there is a Rs. 25 levy for video cameras/camcorders.

At the entrance we were approached by tour guides to whom we initially said no. But one young chap told us he’ll give us a brief introduction and overview of what all there is to see inside. Only after that need we take a decision whether to hire him as our guide or not.

 

This is the main entrance

 

 

Pilgrim's.. me and my friend Raja

             To the left and right as you walk in are artifacts like knives, armaments, and other relics

        From the spot where the girl is standing, if you clap, not only does it echo loudly in here, but 

        it can be heard all the way up at the highest point of the fort. It was designed to work for 

        the guards as a warning mechanism in the olden days. Amazing Engineering !!

 

All that we were going to be seeing inside

       The guide would stop at designated places and begin explaining the various design aspects
       and history behind this impressive fort

        Unfortunately, I don't remember anything what the guide told me about this tunnel
 

        Apparently this heavy metal weight was used to test the strength of soldiers during recruitment

        Whatever it was for, none of us could barely even manage to lift it even a milimetre off

         the ground. It was that heavy!

 

 

                                                         We were going inside here next

        Ramdas worked as a revenue collector for the ruler at the time. He was jailed here for 

        defiance and in the years he spent inside, he carved Hindu deities on the wall so he could pray.

        Hindus today visit to pay obeisance to Ramdas

                            Ramdas got a pretty spacious jail... but not much ventilation

                                                    This is from on top of Ramdas jail

 As we stared into the panoramic view from atop Ramdas Jail, we asked our guide if there was a better vantage point from where we could see Hyderabad city. He asked us to follow him off the beaten path through some shrubs and thorn bushes outside of the walls of the fort.

        Amidst a few cannons, we got a 'high level' tour of Hyderabad

                                                  (Panorama comprised of 10 shots)

                            The bottom half of Golconda fort (Panorama comprised of 9 shots)

                                                                         The palace ruins

                                                We continued up towards the citadel.

                                                        Sri Jagadamba Mahankali temple

                                                         Asked our guide to take a photo of us..

       Our guide demonstrated the amazing acoustic engineering of this fort. Not only could you 

        hear the claps from all the way down there but he also demonstrated how the 

        guards communicated from as high up as the citadel with the help of another guide down below.

       
                                                                           The citadel

                                               With this sign I knew what to expect...

  

                            ....people like MF hussain are seen almost everywhere......

Hi-Tec city in the distance (Panorama comprised of 6 shots)

       The 'writings on the wall' are here inside as well. How sad. A fort that survived for 
       centuries couldn't survive the 'modern' Indian populace.

                                                              The rocks resemble a bullock

                                            We made our way down to the palace ruins

                                                             Pretty massive stone walls

                       It's amazing to wonder what life would have been like back in those days

                                      The fountain looks like a new addition to the courtyard

                                         But something far more impressive was inside here

        Our guide told us of these "whispering walls" inside this corridor. You could speak in one 

        corner of the hall and one could hear it faintly from the adjacent corner. I didn't believe but 

        we tried it and it actually worked!

 

                                           Night light show...tells about all story of Golconda..

 

     

With this we were finished with the tour, and our guide led us out of the fort. !!