Quli Qutub Shahi Tombs

If you want to see the most authentic and majestic display of the Qutub Shahi dynasty’s architectural traditions then the city you should be heading to is Hyderabad, India!

 

Hyderabad was ruled by seven Kutub Shahi rulers from Golconda for nearly 170 years. Naturally we can find lot of their foot prints in the city of Hyderabad. One of the magnificent structures is Tombs of Qutub Shahi dynasty on the outskirts of the city. So many beautiful tombs in one place! Probably one cannot see a cluster of beautiful tombs like this anywhere in India. Orcha of Madhya Pradesh might be an exception where one can see a collection of Cenotaphs on the banks of the river Betwa. 

Right opposite to the tomb of Haiat Bakshy Begum there is a very small masjid. Aurangazeb, the mogul emperor is believed to have offered prayers at this small mosque during his siege of Golconda in 1867. Historians are of the opinion that this mosque might have been selected by Aurangazeb due to his reverence for the great Lady Hayat Bakshi Begum, who led a peace mission during Aurangazeb’s first siege of Golconda in 1655 when he was only a prince. 

 

All over Hyderabad these rulers have built many masjids. The most beautiful and the grandest of such masjids is besides the mausoleum of Haiat Bakshy Begum Wife of Sultan Mohamed Qutub  Shah the fifth ruler of Golconda. This is popularly known as the Great Masjid. This was built in the year 1666 AD. 

 

The tombs differ in size but all are comparable to each other in architectural grandeur and beauty. Ironically, one of the most modest of these tombs belongs to the Qutub Shahi dynasty founder, Sultan Quli Qutub-ul-Mulk. He built his tomb himself and it is just marked by simplicity and design symmetry, standing on a platform 30 meters on each side.

 

The most impressive is the tomb of Hyderabad’s founder, Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah. It is 42.5 meters tall and topped by a large dome. The tomb was constructed on a two-tiered terrace designed to look like a captivating gallery, complete with false openings and two central pillars. Minarets and rich ornamental parapets complete the Islamic architecture. The Cenotaph of Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah is on the first floor while his body is actually buried in the ground floor!

 

The seventh tomb lies unfinished as the 7th Nawab Abdul Hassan was taken captive by Aurangazeb even before he could finish the construction!

 

Before the burial the dead are given a final bath in this place. Provision for both hot and cold water is available here.

In my opinion, this should be one of the most beautiful burial grounds found in India!