It is situated 11 kilometres from Hyderabad, the capital of the state of Telangana. With walls ranging from 17 to 34 feet broken by 87 semi-circular bastions, some reaching 60 feet in height, and built on a granite hill that is 400 feet high, it remains one of India’s most magnificent fortress complexes.
Golkonda Fort was first built by the Kakatiya dynasty as part of their western defences. The fortress were built on a granite hill that is 120 meters (390 ft) high, surrounded by massive battlements. The fort was rebuilt and strengthened by Rani Rudrama Devi and her successor Prataparudra. Later, the fort came under the control of the Musunuri Nayaks, who defeated the Tughlaqi army occupying Warangal.[4] It was ceded by the Musunuri Kapaya Naidu to the Bahmani Sultanate as part of a treaty in 1364.
Under the Bahmani Sultanate, Golkonda slowly rose to prominence. Bahmani rule gradually weakened during this period, and Sultan Quli formally became independent in 1538, establishing the Qutb Shahi dynasty based in Golkonda. Over a period of 62 years, the mud fort was expanded by the first three Qutb Shahi sultans into the present structure, a massive fortification of granite extending around 5 km in circumference. It remained the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty until 1590 when the capital was shifted to Hyderabad. The Qutb Shahis expanded the fort, whose 7 km (4.3 mi) outer wall enclosed the city.
The fort finally fell into ruin in 1687, after an eight year long siege leading to its fall at the hands of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
