History of Indian and Eastern Architecture v2.c30.57

v2.c30.57

Golkonda, the chosen seat of the Qutb Shâhî dynasty, A.D. 1512 to 1687, lies 6 miles north-west from Haidarâbâd. The first of the dynasty was Qulî Qutbu-l-Mulk, a Tûrkmân or Persian in the service of Mahmûd Shâh II. Bahmanî, who rose to be governor of the Telingâna districts, and who assumed independence in 1512. Ibrâhîm, the third king, Ferishta tells us, was a great builder, the country being then in a very flourishing condition; and his son, Muhammad Qulî, founded Bâgnagar now Haidarâbâd, the Nizâm's capital. The tombs of the kings of this dynasty, and of their nobles and families here, form as extensive and as picturesque a group as is to be found anywhere; they are just outside the walls, to the north-west of the city, and are not unworthy of a place in history if the materials were available for illustrating them properly. They stand on a slightly raised site, each in the centre of a large quadrangular terrace, and had each a small mosque or *musallâ* attached. The tomb of Muhammad Qulî Qutb, erected about 1625, one of the largest and finest, is an imposing structure, with a fine frieze over the main storey. It was once ornamented with coloured tiles and excited the admiration of Thevenot who visited and described it in 1667. Among others of pleasing proportions is that of Abdulla Qutb Shâh—the sixth king (1625-1672)—with rich parapets and cornices round the principal and upper storeys. Near by is the tomb of his mother, Haiyat Bakhsh Begam, who died in 1617: it is about 65 ft. square, and structurally is of the style of her son's. Several of these tombs were repaired by the late Sir Sâlâr Jang. There are also on the outskirts of the city other mausolea of the nobles of the court, in various architectural styles; of these Plate XXXI. illustrates two examples. But until the group has been drawn and intelligently described in some detail we can hardly estimate their merits, which we know generally to be considerable.