A fresh coat of paint to the Jama Masjid in Golconda has revealed an old inscription on the entrance arch that dates the monument to 1518. The deciphered inscription officially marks 500 years of Golconda kingdom. Workers have given a fresh coat of white paint to the Safa Masjid or the Jama Masjid near Habshi Kaman outside the Bala Hissar Darwaza. In the process, the old inscription on the main doorway has been given a coat of golden colour setting it off against the white background. Before the golden colour, the inscription was painted over with a dark green colour making it unreadable. The inscription reveals that the mosque was built in 924 Hijri or 1518 AD, according to an Arab scholar who deciphered the inscription.
“Bina o Hazal masjidil Jame Fi Zamanis Sultanil Azam Al-Mutawakkil alallah Al-Ghani Abil Maghazi Mahmood Shah ibn Muhammad Shah Al-Bahamani
Khulladallaho Mulkuhu wa Sultanahu Baneehe Al-Mubtahil Ilallah, Malikil Mulk Sultan Quli At mukhalib bi Qutubul Mulk Fi Sinati Arba wa ishreena wa Tiso Miati”.
“The inscription reveals that the masjid was built during the time of Bahamani Sultan Mahmood Shah by Sultan Quli Qutubul Mulk, who was the owner of the country,” says Syed Aleem Ashraf, who teaches Arabic in Maulana Azad National Urdu University.
“The word ‘Malikil mulk’ cannot be used for a governor, viceroy or tarafdar (fort keeper) but for a ruler. There are times when there is a buffer zone in history where complete independence by a ruler is not expressed but this states it in unequivocal terms,” informs Mr. Ashraf who transcribed the inscription.
It was Golconda kingdom founded by Sultan Quli Qutbul Mulk at the foothills of the mountain that expanded over course of time into Hyderabad and Cyberabad. Hyderabad was founded 73 years after Golconda by Sultan Quli’s grandson Muhammad Quli across the River Musi in 1591. It was the masjid and the township built by Sultan Quli over the next few decades that transformed the shepherd’s hill into a diamond trading hub whose fame echoes even now in auction houses across the globe. Now, a derelict, rundown and over-crowded suburb of Hyderabad, only the inner fortification gives a hint of former glory of the kingdom.
“We know the masjid near Habshi Kaman is 500 years old. But there is a lot of confusion about which monuments and archaeological remains are under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the Golconda area. I have written to the district administration to find out the status of other historical places in Golconda. The 1941 ASI map shows a large area and a number of monuments under the departmental control,” informs Milan Kumar Chauley, Superintending Archaeologist of ASI.
“There are unsightly shops, restaurants and tea stalls around the masjid and the kamans. I am surprised how they were allowed to come up. Once the confusion about ASI monuments is cleared, we hope to clean up the area with State Government’s help,” says Mr Chauley.
In 1991 when Hyderabad completed 400 years, the State government celebrated it in a big way but there seems to be no celebrations in the offing for 500 years of Golconda. “I feel sorry that there is no celebration. It is because we have no culture connect now. More than any celebration, I would prefer if there is some maintenance of the fort and its surrounding areas. When it was announced in 2014 after the formation of Telangana that the Chief Minister will unfurl the Tricolour in Golconda on Independence Day my hopes were raised. But now, I don’t expect anything much to happen,” says Oudesh Rani Bawa who has chronicled the city.
