“The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”
William James
The Qutb Shahi Tombs Complex Part-1, Hyderabad, India
If the architectural grace of Paigah Tombs were for sub-royalty, the Qutb Shahi sultans deserved extraordinary excellence. The necropolis spans a 130-year period from 1543 to 1672. It is one of the few documented Indo-Muslim dynastic complexes, with over 30 tombs and 20 mosques, 4 step wells and 6 Ghusl-Khanas (mortuary baths). Buried here are five of the dynasty’s seven sultans along with four other members of the royal family.
The tomb complex is in two distinct parts – one which has the tombs of the first five sultans and the other which has the royal mosque, a stepwell, bath, tombs of the 6th Sultan, Begums, royal physicians and the unfinished tomb built for the last royal of the dynasty.
Design of Ibrahim Bagh (garden) necropolis
From the founder, Quli Qutb Shah’s tomb to that of its last ruler Abdullah, the complex is unique in its showcase of the progress of Qutb Shahi architecture. Each of these tombs depicts a style prominent in the era of construction. Quli’s tomb (1543 AD), the first in the complex, carries forward the architectural legacy of the Bahmanis. The tomb of Muhammad Quli (1612 AD), the fifth ruler, is Iranian in design whereas that of the sixth king Sultan Abdullah (1672 AD) showcases the distinct Qutb Shahi elements.
A singular feature of all the mausolea is a square platform and grand arches. Each of these has gardens, small mosques, and unmarked graves surrounding them. Recent excavations brought out a beautiful enclosure wall, built in the 16th century, surrounding the tombs of the first and second rulers.
The founder and his usurper
Referred to as Bade Malik (Lord) on the inscription on the tomb, Quli Qutb Mulk, the founder of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, lies in one of the simplest tombs within the complex. Naskh and Tauq script calligraphy on the black stone grave is all it has. The platform outside the main tomb has 21 other unmarked graves. Next to it is the small tomb of Subhan Quli Qutub Shah, his grandson.
The distinct tomb of the second Sultan, Jamsheed Quli Qutb Shah, is to the west of his father. He murdered his father and blinded the natural heir, his elder brother, Qutbuddin, not unprecedented in Islamic history. This tomb is two-storeyed but devoid of any inscription. The other structures are of black basalt. This one is not.
The rightful heirs
The fourth ruler, Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah, had to escape to Vijayanagara to avoid persecution by his brother Jamsheed. His exile led him to adopt a Telugu name, Malki Bharama, and marriage to a Hindu poetess, Bhagirathi. He remained away for 7 years and returned after the death of Jamsheed and his son, Subhan.
He was the first Qutb Shahi ruler to use the suffix ‘Sultan’. The inner burial chamber has two graves and the outer platform, sixteen. Inscriptions are in Thuluth script, popular during the time.
His son and successor, Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, born of Queen Bhagirathi, ruled over the Deccan for 31 years and is the founder of the city of Hyderabad. In my previous posts, I have written much about the architectural wonders he created.
The monument he rests in is the grandest in Ibrahim Bagh. A flight of steps takes one to the cenotaph while the actual grave is in the basement. The cenotaph has an inscription of Persian and Naskh scripts.
To the west of this monument, within the enclosure wall, is the mausoleum of Kulsoom Begum, granddaughter of the fifth sultan. The facade has three arches, and two minarets decorated in stucco. The grave bears no inscription.
From here, I stepped outwards of the necropolis that houses the crypt of the other dynasts, other prominent courtiers of the time, the grand mosque, and the only intact step-well and bath.
