. Indika. The country and the people of India and Ceylon . ropped down with us. Wewere soon taking a little stroll on terra firm a, and then enteredthe welcome carriages. Golconda has an old, old history. Haidarabad, with all itsyears, great population, and bloody history, is young in compari-son with the dead city whose acropolis rises from the plain threemiles in the distance on our left. The blocks of black granitewhich lie scattered over the country here lose their individuality,and form an immense cone, on the apex of which stands thegrim fort of old and rich Golconda. The fort is still s
. Indika. The country and the people of India and Ceylon . ropped down with us. Wewere soon taking a little stroll on terra firm a, and then enteredthe welcome carriages. Golconda has an old, old history. Haidarabad, with all itsyears, great population, and bloody history, is young in compari-son with the dead city whose acropolis rises from the plain threemiles in the distance on our left. The blocks of black granitewhich lie scattered over the country here lose their individuality,and form an immense cone, on the apex of which stands thegrim fort of old and rich Golconda. The fort is still surroundedby its crenellated stone wall, three miles in circumference. Ithas eighty-seven high bastions at the angles, on which are stillthe ancient Shahi guns, some of them with their breeches blownout from service in half-forgotten wars. The bastions are builtof solid blocks of granite, either cemented together or boundwith iron clamps. Many of these blocks are of colossal size andweight. The average thickness of the bastions is from fifty tosixty TEE FORT AND TOMBS OF QOLCOKDA. i;,;, On the sides of tins towering acropolis, and enclosed by thegreat wall, Golconda was built, the Btreets running al all noble angles, and crossing each other al unexpected places, thewhole forming as complete a zigzag as one can find in the olderparts of Genoa. I suspect,however,thai all the buildings whichthis ancient wall enclosed were connected either with the armyor the court, and that the genera] population of Golconda Im the plain surrounding the rocky heights. It was the Indianway to call the place a fort w here the palace and .ill it- depend-encies were situated. The army was always the needful supportof royalty,and must he near al hand. Hence the homes for offi-cers and the quarters for soldiers had to be within reach. Theentire group of buildings, with the many additional structures forservants and all the belongings of palace and army, was calledthe Fort. It was the combined home
Size: 1230px × 2031px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorhurstjfjohnfletcher18, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890
