The Great Wall of...

Hyderabad, not China..!!!

Yeah..!!! What U heard is ryt..!!!

What does a ruler do to protect his people, and the capital of his kingdom? The obvious answer would be to shore up the defenses of the city.

The city witnessed a grand fortification that once threw a protective ring around Hyderabad.

Phases of Construction

During Qutb Shahi Rule

Sultan Abul Hasan Tana Shah, the last Qutb Shahi ruler, started construction of wall around the city of Hyderabad. As part of the construction, the stretch of wall was built from Purana Pul to the Delhi Darwaza. Later, Golconda was conquered by Aurangazeb, putting the reign of Qutb Shahi to an end.

During Mughal Rule

With the conquest of Golconda by Aurangzeb, the reign of the Qutb Shahi dynasty came to an end.

Later, in the early 18th century, when Farrukh Siyar was the Mughal emperor, his subedar Mubrez Khan started the construction of a wall around the city of Hyderabad, pulling down the old wall and constructing the new wall. A part of the wall was the already existing stretch built from Purana Pul to the Delhi Darwaza during the reign of Sultan Abul Hasan Tana Shah, the last Qutb Shahi ruler.

During Nizam Rule

The wall around the city was completed only during the reign of Mir Qamaruddin Khan Asaf Jah I, the first Nizam of Hyderabad, after the city of Hyderabad was ravaged by floods and a cholera epidemic. Asaf Jah I decided to shore up the city's defenses by building a fortification wall around the city.

As part of this fortification wall, gates and wicket gates were also constructed. Asaf Jah I had ordered his son Salabat Jah to construct the wall around the southern part of the city. (This part of the city is sometimes still called the walled city).

List of Gates & Wicket gates

In the beginning, this wall had 13 gates (called darwaza in Urdu).

They were:

(i)                  Delhi Darwaza

(ii)                Puranapul ka Darwaza, (also known as Bahadurpura Ka Darwaza according to a well-known historian Dr Ziauddin Shakeeb)

(iii)               Aliabad Ka Darwaza

(iv)             Dabeerpura Ka Darwaza

(v)               Lal Darwaza

(vi)             Fathe Darwaza

(vii)            Yakutpura Ka Darwaza

(viii)          Gowlipura Ka Darwaza

(ix)              Doodh Bowli Ka Darwaza

(x)                Chadarghat Ka Darwaza

(xi)              Champa Darwaza

(xii)             Mir Jumla Katta ka Darwaza

(xiii)           Nayapul ka Darwaza (Afzal Darwaza)

Subsequently one more gate, Muslim Jung Darwaza, was added during the time of Nizam VI.

(xiv)          Muslim Jung Darwaza

However, only two of these massive darwazas, Dabeerpura Ka Darwaza and Puranapul Ka Darwaza, still stand majestically, and also a part of the city wall where the Lal Darwaza used to be. The gates used to be opened at 4.30 am and shut at 8 pm. For the convenience of citizens, wicket gates were also built so that the people could go out or come in during the night or for funeral processions or aarti to pass through.

It is said that the wicket gates were meant for funeral processions as such processions were not allowed to pass through the gates. This was because the rulers used the main gates and it was considered inauspicious to pass through a gate through which a funeral procession had passed.

There were 13 wicket gates:

(i)                  RangaliShah ki Khidki

(ii)                Bood Ali Shah ki Khidki

(iii)               Kahar  ki Khidki

(iv)             Doodh Bowli ki Khidki

(v)               Borah ki Khidki

(vi)             Mir Jumla ki Khidki

(vii)            Dhobi ki Khidki

(viii)          Matha ki Khidki,

(ix)              Kalala ki Khidki

(x)                Charmahal ki Khidki

(xi)              Champa Darwaza ki Khidki

(xii)             Hassan Ali ki Khidki

(xiii)           Darul-shifa ki Khidki.

By 1914, these wicket gates ceased to exist.

Hyderabad city wall surrounding the old city on the banks of river Musi

Present status of Hyderabad City Wall

It once used to protect people but now cries for protection itself. The remains of a granite built fortification wall constructed around the city some centuries ago to ward of attacks from enemies is on the verge of being erased.

In fact only a small portion of the six-mile circumference wall survives now. One can locate its remains at City College, Aliabad Darwaza, Sultan Shahi, Fateh Darwaza. The biggest stretch exists between Lal Darwaza and Aliabad Darwaza, but in a poor state. It can crumble anytime, conservationists fear.

Not much has been done to protect the fortification wall despite the fact that it occupies an important place in the history of the city. In fact the older part of the city is still known as “walled city”, generally meaning a fortified area.

Death knell in 1908

Originally, the construction of the wall began during the Qutb Shahi period but it was completed during the reign of Asaf Jah I. The wall had 13 gates and windows and the last to be built was the Afzal Darwaza. These gates used to be locked after dusk and opened at dawn. The keys were kept in the custody of a senior administrator, it is said.

In fact the death knell for the wall was sounded during the 1908 floods. A big portion of the wall between Puranapul and Darulshifa suffered considerable damage.

After the end of Nizam Rule, under Indian Union, before merging with A.P

Then in the mid-nineteen century the City Improvement Board saw it as a hindrance for the movement of people and asked them to get involved in dismantling it and for this purpose advertisements were placed in newspapers, recall some old-timers.

“People readily enrolled with the administration and took up the demolition,” informs M. A. Qaiyum, former Deputy Director, Archaeology and Museums.

Sherwani’s intervention

However, Haroon Khan Sherwani, noted historian, represented the matter to Delhi and ensured that the bulldozing of the gates and fortification wall was stopped. But by then irreparable damage had been done.

Now only Dabeerpura and Puranapul Darwaza are left for one to be transported back into history.

A part of the wall that surrounded the Hyderabad lies in a state of neglect at Nashemannagar in old city. It is referred to as Fasil.

 A left over portion of Hyderabad city wall

A Brief on few Gates

DELHI DARWAZA

Sultan Abul Hasan Tana Shah, the last Qutb Shahi ruler, constructed Delhi Darwaza as part of the Hyderabad city wall. It was demolished in 1954.

View from the north of the Delhi Darwaza gateway, Hyderabad, 1890s

DABEERPURA DARWAZA

Dabeerpura Darwaza, one of the thirteen original gateways built during the Nizam's rule which served as an entrance to the Purani Haveli. It is the entrance to the Nizam Hyderabad (now called old city).

View from west of Dabirpura Darwaza gateway, built between 1724-40 by Nizam al- Mulk Asaf Jah, 1986

View from east of Dabirpura Darwaza gateway

View of stairs of Dabirpura Darwaza gateway                

Dabeerpura Ka Darwaza is one of the 13 gates to the city.

AFZAL DARWAZA

The construction of the Hyderabad city wall began during the Qutb Shahi period but it was completed during the reign of Asaf Jah I. The wall had 13 gates and windows and the last to be built was the Afzal Darwaza.

View from north showing the crenelated wall and arched gateway of Afzal Darwaza

Afzal Darwaza redesigned

City Improvement Board photograph showing view from south with the Afzal  Darwaza on far left and Delhi Darwaza on far right with the surrounding city wall

LAL DARWAZA

Lal darwaza (English: Red Gate) is one of the old suburbs in Hyderabad, India. It is part of the old city of Hyderabad. This was built in 1907. Prime Minister of Nizam government Maharaja Kishan Prasad started the Bonalu festival from this temple. Even the Nawab of Nizam of those days Mir Mahboob Ali Khan used to offer his prayers at this temple.

This temple was reconsecrated in 1964 by the Jagadguru of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham

Since there is a large red door at the entrance to this suburb, it was named as Lal darwaza during the time of the Nizams. It is only a kilometer away from Charminar. The Mahakali temple is a very sacred place the Goddess is very powerful and giver of health and wealth. Laldarwaza is a place where the group of Hindus are main comparing to other communities, it is very near to Charminar (1.5 km), Koti (4 km), Afzalgunj (3 km), CBS (Central Bus STATION-IMLIBAN)(3 km), Chandrayangutta (1.5 km), Uppuguda (0.5 km) With the surroundings Aliyabad, Chatrinaka, Gowlipura, Rajannabai, Shalibanda, and Mode.

There is a famous Mahankali temple here, which is popular during the festival of Bonalu.

ALIABAD DARWAZA REGION

Crying for attention: The cannon lies in a state of neglect in a corner of the Aliabad playground.

A cannon, which is a piece of archaeological importance lies in a state of neglect in a corner of the Aliabad playground for the past many years. It helps the present generation to get abreast with the past but the bad state in which it remains agitates the local people.

A coat of rust has formed over it depicting the negligent attitude of the concerned authorities in upkeep of articles of historical importance.

It was partially buried in the mud till recently but thanks to the initiative of a few local people it now stands over the ground with the support of a few boulders.

The cannon was said to be placed upon a platform next to the Aliabad Darwaza but after the Darwaza (Gate) was removed considering it as a hindrance to traffic movement, it somehow found its way to this playground.

PURANAPUL DARWAZA

Puranapul Darwaza was built on Puranapul during 1550-1580. Purana Pul is the oldest bridge to be constructed on Musi River which still exists in good condition. The bridgewas constructed in 16th century during the Qutub Shah’s dynasty. It was built to connect Hyderabad and Golconda and since more than 400 years it still used by many travellers.

Puranapul darwaza