We
all know Charminar. We all love Charminar. Its a landmark and
prestige for Hyderabadis like the Eiffel tower for Paris. Its a
status symbol.
Built
on the east bank of Musi river in 1591, Charminar in english means
four Towers; the eponymous towers are ornate minarets attached and
supported by four grand arches.
The
Charminar is a square structure with each side 20 meters
(approximately 66 feet) long, with four grand arches each facing a
fundamental point that open into four streets. At each corner stands
an exquisitely shaped minaret, 56 meters (approximately 184 feet)
high with a double balcony. Each minaret is crowned by a bulbous dome
with dainty petal like designs at the base. Unlike the Taj
Mahal,
Charminar's four fluted minarets are built into the main structure.
There are 149 winding steps to reach the upper floor. The structure
also known as profuseness of stucco decorations and arrangement of
balustrades and balconies.
The
structure is made of granite, limestone, mortar and pulverised
marble. Initially the monument with its four arches was so
proportionately planned that when the fort was opened one could catch
a glimpse of the bustling Hyderabad city as these Charminar arches
were facing the most active royal ancestral streets.
There
is also a legend of an underground tunnel connecting the Golkonda
fort to Charminar, possibly intended as an escape route for the Qutb
Shahi rulers in case of a siege, though the location of the tunnel is
unknown.
A
mosque is located at the western end of the open roof and the
remaining part of the roof served as a court during the Qutb Shahi
times. The actual mosque occupies the top floor of the four-storey
structure. A vault that appears from inside like a dome, supports two
galleries within the Charminar, one over another, and above those a
terrace that serves as a roof, bordered with a stone balcony. The
main gallery has 45 covered prayer spaces with a large open space in
front to accommodate more people for Friday prayers.
The
clock on the four cardinal directions was added in 1889 and there is
a Vazu(water cistern)in the middle with a small fountain for Ablution
before offering prayer in the Charminar Mosque.
Here
are some pix that I took when I climbed it for the first time.
Inshallah I will take better pix when I go there next.
