Context:
Hexagon has created a digital twin of the Qutb Shahi Tomb complex using drone scanners.
Qutb Shahi Monuments:
- Architectural styles – Amalgamation of Persian, Muslim, and Hindu architectural styles.
- Materials used – Grey granite with stucco ornamentation.
- Important Monuments – Golconda Fort, Qutb Shahi Tombs, and Charminar
Qutb Shahi Tombs:
- Qutb Shahi Tombs are a mausoleum complex
- Includes – A royal necropolis (cemetery), mortuary baths, and mosques in addition to the tombs of the Royal family and the servants who faithfully served them
- Each tomb is of quadrangular shape
- Each tomb is covered by beautiful minarets.
- The most impressive tomb among the group is of Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah which is 42 meters tall and is protected by a large dome.
Charminar:
- Built in – 1591, after Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, 5th ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, moved his headquarters from Golkonda to Hyderabad.
- Built to – Commemorate the beginning of the 2nd Islamic millennium year (as per the accounts of Jean de Thévenot, a French traveller)
- Materials used – Lime mortar and Granite
- Architecture – Structure has Persian architectural traits and an Indo-Islamic aesthetic.
- Referred to as – Arc de Triomphe of the East.
- Significance – Part of the officially recognised State Emblem of Telangana
Qutb Shahi Dynasty (1518-1687 AD):
- Qutb Shahi Dynasty – Persianate Shia Islamic dynasty
- Ruled over – Golconda region in modern Telangana.
- Foundation – After the collapse of Bahmani kingdom
- Founded by – Sultan-Quli Qutb-ul-Mulk, more commonly known as “Quli Qutb Shah”.
- Demise – Mughal emperor Aurangzeb merged Golconda into the Mughal empire
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
Which one of the following was a very important seaport in the Kakatiya kingdom?
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2017 Prelims]
(a) Kakinada
(b) Motupalli
(c) Machilipatnam
(d) Nelluru
Answer: (b)
