Hyderabad is a royal city that houses stories of royalty. And when there are royals and royalty there has to be forts and palaces as well. One such important fort in the city of Hyderabad is the Golconda Fort. The Golconda Fort Hyderabad is one of the most strategically made forts in the country. Not just in Hyderabad but it is one of the most opulent forts that you can explore in India. With fine architecture and advanced engineering the fort is undoubtedly a site that is worth exploring. However a lot of it is also in ruins at the moment, but that surely hasn’t undermined the significance of this fort.
Golconda Fort Hyderabad
The Golconda Fort Hyderabad is one of the most popular tourist spots in Hyderabad. And you certainly need to go and visit this fort as well. With the history attached to it, stories of power games, changing hands of rulers there is a lot to know about this fort. In this article I will mention everything that you however need to know before you plan to visit there. It will be a helpful read for you if you are interested to visit the Golconda Fort anytime soon. Read this article to know everything about the fort like who built Golconda Fort, timings of the fort, how to reach and much more.
Location: Ibrahim Bagh, Hyderabad, Telangana
Location on Map
Timings: Golconda Fort timings are from 9 am to 5 pm on all days. The Light and Sound Show timings are at 6:30 pm and 7:45 pm from November to February. And from March to October the timings are 7 pm and 8:15 pm on all days. The ticket counter for the Light and Sound Show opens at 5:30 pm
Entry fee: The entry fee of Golconda Fort is Rs. 25 per person for Indians and Rs. 300 for foreigners. And there is an additional charge for cameras as well which is Rs. 25 for still cameras.
The ticket price for the Light and Sound show at the fort is Rs. 140 for adults in Executive Class and Rs. 110 for a child in Executive Class per person. There are normal tickets as well. This is Rs. 80 for adults in Normal Class and Rs. 60 per person for a child in a Normal Class.
How to reach
By air
While travelling by air the nearest airport to reach the Golconda Fort is the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. From the airport the fort is located at a distance of 30.4 km and you can reach there in about 36 minutes. You can easily take a car or else you can take a cab as well to reach there easily.
By train
If you are travelling by train then the nearest railway stations are Begumpet Station and the Hyderabad Deccan. From the Hyderabad Deccan Railway Station the Golconda Fort is 10.8 km away. You can easily reach there in about 26 minutes. However from the Begumpet Station the distance of the Golconda Fort Hyderabad is 12.2 km and it would take around 28 minutes. From the railway stations you can opt for local transport like auto rickshaw to reach the fort easily. Or else you can also take a cab to reach the fort from both the railway stations easily.
By road
You can also travel by road to reach the Golconda Fort Hyderabad as well. If you are travelling by road then you can opt for buses to reach the fort from different locations. You can also opt for local transports like auto rickshaws as well to reach the fort. And if you wish you can also take your own car or take a cab as well to reach the Golconda Fort.
By metro
You can also travel here by metro as well and the nearest metro stations are Peddamma Temple Metro Station and the Jubilee Hills Check Post Metro Station on the blue line. From the Peddamma Station the Golconda Fort Hyderabad is located at a distance of 7 km. You can easily reach there in about 19 minutes. And from the Jubilee Hills Check Post Metro Station the fort is 7.3 km away and you can easily reach there in about 20 minutes. You can take a bus or else an auto to reach the Golconda fort easily from the metro stations.
About Golconda Fort
The Golconda Fort Hyderabad is one of the most popular tourist locations in the city. Moreover this fort is one of the major examples of brilliant architectural excellence and fine engineering. The fort derived its name from two words Golla and Konda and it means Shepherd’s Hill. The structure of this fort is truly impressive and therefore it attracts so many visitors here. The highly advanced planning and construction techniques are surprising for the time when it was built. Along with that the surrounding of the Golconda Fort also further elevates the beauty of this location.
This fort is an ideal location to watch the pristine sunsets at the end of the day. It is undoubtedly one of the major attractions for anyone visiting Hyderabad. Along with that there is a special Light and Sound Show here as well that again attracts a chunk of visitors. A trip to Hyderabad would not be complete if you miss out on visiting this fort. So whenever you are visiting Hyderabad make sure you plan a trip to this location in Hyderabad.
Golconda Fort History
The history of the Golconda Fort Hyderabad goes back to 12th century. The Kakatiya kings founded this opulent fort but later the Qutub Shahi rulers added more structures here as well. Behind the name of the fort a legend is associated which is quite interesting. According to the legend, once a shepherd boy was walking along the hill and he came across an idol of a God. The rulers of the Kakatiya Dynasty soon got this information. And so the king decided that he would build a fort on top of this hill. And from there this location came to be popular as Golconda or the Shepherd’s Hill.
Later after about 200 years the fort came into the hands of the Bahmani rulers. But the Qutub Shahi rulers soon took over the fort and they expanded it. Later in 1687 the fort came under the rule of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Currently the Golconda Fort comprises palaces, pavilion, mosques but most of it is in ruins. At one point of time Golconda was a famous site that attracted diamond merchants from all over the world. The famous and rare diamonds like Kohinoor, Hope Diamonds, Regent Diamond, Nur-Ul-Ain Diamond, Darya-e-Nur etc were stored here.
Architecture of Golconda Fort
One of the major attractions of the Golconda Fort Hyderabad is its architectural brilliance. The architecture here was way ahead of its times and even today visitors find it exciting to explore. The perimeter of the fort is about 11 km along with 15 to 18 feet high walls. The gates here are massive and have iron spikes on them. This was however done so that elephants cannot get in after damaging the doors during outside attacks. Built on granite rock the height of the fort is about 12 meters and the architecture will mesmerize you too.
Another major attraction here is the acoustic effect inside the fort. If you clap your hands at the entrance of the fort it can be heard from the topmost point of the fort which is about a km away. This system was basically done to enhance communication during those days. Especially during attacks this was extremely helpful to alert the royals.
Furthermore the water supply here is again one of the most attractive features of this fort. The techniques are advanced and technical backed with scientific knowledge. The Ramdas Prison here is also yet another popular spot Inside Golconda Fort. According to popular legends Ramdas was a revenue collector in the court of Abdul Hasan Shah. Basically Ramdas was imprisoned and during his imprisonment he carved various carvings of Hindu deities all over the walls. You can spot carvings of Lord Hanuman here. And a few lamps or diyas are also kept in front of these carvings here.
What’s more?
The main entrance of the Golconda Fort Hyderabad is the Fateh Darwaza which translates to Victory Gate in English. It was named after Aurangzeb’s army entered the fort through this gate. The gate at present also attracts a huge number of visitors for its acoustics feature. Another major attraction of this fort is the 80 feet tree here. According to beliefs this tree here is more than 800 years old.
Other than that the fort premise also houses many drawbridges and mounted cannons, eight gateways, stables, halls, mosques etc. There is some speculation here as well that the fort has a secret passage here. According to beliefs there is a passage here that starts from Durbar Hall and ends at the foot of the hill. People believe that this passage was an escape passage in case of any attacks. But till date no one could find such a passage at the fort.
Light and Sound Show at Golconda Fort
The Light and Sound Show at the Golconda Fort is another major attraction here. There are two shows here every day and the languages are English, Telugu and Hindi. There is an English show here everyday, while the Telugu shows are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Furthermore on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and Sunday there are Hindi shows. And the major attraction about the Hindi show is the legendary actor of Bollywood Amitabh Bachchan has conducted the voiceover of the Hindi show.
Wrapping Up!
So that was all about the Golconda Fort Hyderabad and now you just need to plan a trip there soon. Your trip to Hyderabad would practically be incomplete if you do not visit the Golconda Fort. From the ambiance to the architecture, the history attached to the surrounding everything about this fort is worth exploring. The planning, construction and the execution of this fort were way ahead of its time. And you would understand that after you pay a visit there. So when are you planning a trip to Golconda Fort Hyderabad? And let me know if this article on Golconda Fort is helpful for you in planning a trip there.
