Golconda Fort facts and mysteries

Golconda Fort, encompassing a ruined city within itself, is situated in Andhra Pradesh, to the west of the capital city of Hyderabad. Initially the capital and citadel of the Qutb Shahi Kingdom, the fort counts amongst the most popular historical monuments of India, today. Apart from being home to one of the most powerful Muslim sultanates in the region, Golconda Fort also served as the center of a flourishing diamond trade
. If you want to know more about Golconda Fort, make use of the fun and interesting facts provided in the lines below.

Interesting And Fun Facts About Golconda Fort 

• Golconda Fort dates back to 1143, when it was built by a ruler of Hindu Kakatiya dynasty, which ruled the area at that time.
• As per a legend, the fort was built by the ruler of Kakatiya dynasty after a shepherd boy came across the idol of a God on the site.
• The name 'Golconda' is believed to have been derived from a Telugu word 'Golla Konda', which means 'Shepherd's Hill'.
• The granite hill on which the fort has been built is 120 meters (400 ft) high and stands surrounded by massive crenelated ramparts.
• Initially a mud fort, Golconda Fort rose to prominence only around 1507, as the seat of Qutb Shahi dynasty, after the collapse of Bahmani Sultanat.
• Under Qutb Shahi dynasty, the mud fort was expanded. The expansion took over a period of 62 years, under the first three Qutb Shahi kings. It was turned into a granite fort, extending around 5 km in circumference.
• Golconda Fort remained the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty until 1590, when the capital was shifted to Hyderabad.
• The fort fell into ruins after a siege, and its resultant fall, to Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
• Darya-e Nur, Nur-Ul-Ain Diamond, Kohinoor, Hope Diamond and Regent Diamond are believed to have been excavated in the mines of Golconda.
• Golconda Fort comprises of four distinct forts, with a 10 km long outer wall that has 87 semi circular bastions, eight gateways and four drawbridges.
• Some of the semi circular bastions of the fort are still mounted with cannons,
• There are a number of royal apartments and halls, temples, mosques, magazines and stables inside Golconda Fort.
• There is a Fateh Darwaza" (Victory gate) inside the fort, studded with giant iron spikes. It was so called after Aurangzeb’s victory.
• Bala Hissar Gate, located on the eastern side, serves as the main entrance to Golconda Fort.
• The fort also has a mosque - Toli Masjid, situated at Karvan, around 2 km away. It was built by Mir Musa Khan Mahaldar, in 1671.
• At a distance of approximately 1 km from Golconda Fort's outer wall are the tombs of the Qutb Shahi sultans.
• The mining town of Golconda, in Arizona and now a ghost town, was named after Golconda Fort, since it had mines like the ones found near the latter.
• The architecture of the fort comes across as confluence of Hindu and Muslim architectural styles.
• It is believed that there is a secret underground tunnel in Golconda Fort, which leads from the 'Durbar Hall' to one of the palaces at the foot of the hill.
• One of the main highlights of the fort is a sound and light show, which depicts its glorious past

Golconda treasures perpetuate the legend

The Archduke Joseph diamond is expected to fetch a price in excess of $20m

This has been quite a year for the Golconda diamond. You wait for centuries and then two of these rare Indian gems come along at the same time.
First was the Beau Sancy, with its 400-year European royal heritage, sold at Sotheby’s Geneva in May for nearly $9.7m, five times its low estimate. Now, the Archduke Joseph diamond, 76 carats, will be the highlight of Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in Geneva next Tuesday.

Both stones came from Indian mines in the Golconda region of the Deccan Plateau, where diamonds were first discovered 2,500 to 3,000 years ago. Until a decade or so ago, Golconda was known only to jewellery historians, gemologists and a few collectors.
The name has now become a byword for the finest, rarest and purest of antique diamonds, the dream possession of every serious gem collector. It is indicative of today’s escalating connoisseurship and of the seemingly never-ending quest for ultimate one-of-a-kind gemstones or jewels.
The Golconda diamond has it all: history, heritage and provenance, lust and intrigue. The myths and legends surrounding these ancient alluvial mines in the so-called Valley of the Diamonds, described by Marco Polo, include the one that has them guarded by poisonous snakes.
There are tales of great Mughal stones of mesmerising size, beauty and value, many brought back from India by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, the merchant-adventurer, for the diamond-obsessed Louis XIV. The beauty and crystal clarity of these stones was considered divine.
Many of the world’s most famous diamonds came from Golconda, including the Koh-I-Noor, now in the British Crown Jewels, the supposedly cursed, blue Hope diamond, given to the Smithsonian Institution by Harry Winston, and the huge pink Darya-i-Nur in the Iranian Treasury.
From 1518 to 1687, the city of Golconda – centred on the fortress that served as a trading centre – was the capital of a powerful kingdom, which became part of the Mughal empire after it was conquered by the emperor Aurangzeb.
The region remained the world’s only source of diamonds, apart from a small supply in Borneo, until deposits were discovered in Brazil in 1725, at just about the time that the Golconda mines became depleted.
Lee Siegelson, a New York dealer in period jewels and owner of the Light of Golconda 33 carat ring, believes that these rarities are as sought-after today as they were in Mughal times.
“Over the centuries, they moved from Indian princely treasuries, first into the hands of European royalty and now into collections of successful businessmen and women across the globe.”
He says that a Golconda diamond, cut with artistry and sensitivity to maximise its inner light, generates, “an indescribable, visceral response”.
In fact, the true rarity of genuine Golconda diamonds is clouded by misconceptions over the Type IIA classification. Type IIA, to which the Golconda belongs, is chemically the purest of all diamonds, with little or no nitrogen content. Although still rare – fewer than 2 per cent of all gem quality diamonds – these stones are still found in mines around the world.
They are often mistakenly labelled Golconda stones but only tracing the history of the diamond, or identifying an early cut, can authenticate the origin.
Alisa Moussaieff, a leading diamond dealer, says: “People are confused. Type IIA by no means indicates a Golconda diamond. There are so few true Golconda stones, with wonderful life, wonderful water, they are desirable and valuable.”
This is the reason the Archduke Joseph is stirring up a storm. It is a magnificent Golconda specimen of 76.02 carats, D colour and internally flawless, having been slightly recut in recent times without compromising its aristocratic antique cushion cut.
Rahul Kadakia, of Christie’s New York, says clients view such gemstones as works of art. “The Archduke is the Mona Lisa of white Golconda diamonds. It is the largest and best in its class.”
The stone is expected to fetch in excess of $20m.
Unusually, for a stone of this importance, the early history of the diamond is a mystery. It takes its name from its last known owner, Archduke Joseph (1872-1962), a Hungarian Habsburg prince.
The Habsburgs, especially Empress Elisabeth “Sissi”, grandmother of the archduke’s wife, were famous diamond fanciers and connoisseurs.
Many valuable stones were sold to fund the lives of the exiled imperial family after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918. It is possible, too, that this was one of the great diamonds brought back to Europe from India by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier.
Gabi Tolkowsky, a renowned diamond cutter, believes the Archduke must have been cut from a great rough of 200 carats. The appeal of a stone of this calibre, however, reaches way beyond its physical perfection, even beyond its history or mystery.
Like other famous Golconda diamonds, it is supremely individual, rich in character and charisma. This is the extra dimension, unquantifiable, indefinable, uniquely powerful, that draws today’s elite gem and jewel connoisseurs