When a sultan died, his body was taken out by a special gate so as not to alarm the subjects. The sultans body then rested in a special tomb. Seven sultans, seven tombs. Each a tall and beautiful minar, standing to one side of Golconda, and visible from the palace. When the sun caught them, they shone in a radiance quite uniquely their own.
When Aurangzeb was only a prince, he had made an attack on the fort. But at that time, the teen-aged sultans mother had initiated negotiations and struck a deal with him some land to own and a princess for bride.
Once he became the emperor, he remembered his old dream and attacked again. He laid seige to the fort for eight months, but Golconda did not give in. Eventually, he bribed someone on the inside. As the saying goes, you only need one bad apple to spoil the whole barrel. That one traitor let Aurangzebs army in quite late in the night, when the sultan was unprepared.
A fierce fight ensued but the sultan lost. Hundreds of his men lay dead and dying. Early in the morning, Aurangzebs representative came to meet the sultan and officially ask him to step down. He found the sultan at his breakfast table. Said the messenger, Sultan, is this the time for breakfast? Replied the sultan, Why, I always have breakfast at this time.
The messenger expressed his sorrow for the sultans loss. But the sultan simply said that what Allah gives, He also takes. He spent the rest of his life in prison praying to his God.
This was one of the stories enacted for us during the show. For effect, different sections of the surrounding boulders and buildings lit up colorfully. Like this one, the stories were enacted by several known actors. The main narration was by Amitabh Bachchan, whose voice lent its depth to the tales. Of course, everything was recorded, so we didnt get to see anybody. Nevertheless, it was interesting.
Just as I started fidgeting and becoming aware of mosquitoes, the show ended gracefully. We filed out with contentment in our hearts. The short but hard climb and the heat notwithstanding, we had lived, at least in our imaginations, a part of our lives just as the people in Golconda did several centuries ago.
Aurangzeb, after his dastardly victory, desecrated Golconda and its fine architecture by destroying parts of it, like the sultans bedroom and the main performing stage. Despite that, the ruins hold their dignity intact even today.
[Concluded.]
Disclaimer: Guides, like Rehman, usually embellish their stories with certain falsehoods of their own. For my part, I have also done the same at places. Most of what I have written is true, but wherever I was not sure, I have used my imagination.
For example, it is said that Prince Aurangzeb laid seige to the fort of Golconda for a few months, but Shah Jahan (his father) had ordered him to withdraw based on Prince Dara Shikohs (his brother) advice. My story of the negotiations is not confirmed.
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