“We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.”
Chuck Palahniuk
The Qutb Shahi Tombs Complex Part – 2, Hyderabad, India
The mausoleum complex of the Qutb Shahi Kings held within itself all the facilities required for a royal burial. Opposite the tomb of Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah towards the south is a place for bathing the deceased, and a mosque to pray for the deceased before burial. The source of water for the bath, the well, is to the east. Muslim traditions dictate the bathing the dead thrice and by persons of the same sex, and at least forty mourners during the prayers, to accord the departed soul a place in heaven.
Facilities for the bath
Two layers beneath the ground with arched galleries, the 100-feet deep Badi Baoli (Large well) is the only one restored. The other three have disintegrated with time. This well would supply the Ghusl Khana (mortuary bath) with water for the ritual. There is also a water drawing platform and a slope for bullocks to help draw water. Steps all around the well lead to the bathing area some 30 feet below.
Influenced by Persian and Turkish baths, the ghusl-khana is expansive with one large shrouding platform decorated with black basalt, and many cisterns. These cisterns supplied the baths with hot and cold water both. Outside the bath is a fountain too. Next to the bath is a small but ornate mosque with intricate stucco work on the walls and minarets.
The Sultan and his Begum
And then another burial monument looms into view, that of Sultan Mohammed Qutb Shah, nephew, and son-in-law of the fifth Qutb Shahi ruler. He married Hayat Baksh Begum, offspring of Muhammed Quli and Bhagmati aka Hyder Mahal.
The structure is double-storeyed with multiple arches on the arcade gallery surrounding the main burial chamber. Enamelled tiles embellished the surfaces, most of them lost now. There are six graves in the chamber with Thuluth and Naskh scripts inscribed on them.
The tomb of Hayat Baksh Begum is close to her husband’s and similar in style. Attached to it is the Great Mosque of the Golconda tombs from 1666 AD. Two embellished minarets flank the prayer hall, majesty written all over them. Begum, also called Ma Saheba (Revered mother) was a politically powerful woman. She took charge of the kingdom after her husband’s death until her son, the next ruler, Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah attained age.
Last of the Qutb Shahis
The last of the Qutb Shahi sultans to be buried in the Mausoleum complex, Abdullah’s reign from 1626 to 1672 couldn’t be a happy one as Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor put restrictions on the Golconda rulers. Thus, he died a troubled death.
At the time of my visit, renovations were going on at the tombs of Begum and Sultan Abdullah, and the Great Mosque. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture is taking pains to bring back the grandeur to the mausoleum complex.
Throwing valuable insights into the construction of the Qutb Shahi mausolea is the unfinished tomb of the last sultan, Abul Hasan Tana Shah. Captured in Daulatabad, near Aurangabad, and buried there, his mausoleum houses the grave of Mirza Nizamuddin Ahmed, the eldest son-in-law of Abdullah Qutb Shah, who died in 1674. This is the only one with no dome.
A forgotten hero, deceived and made blind by his own brother, the fourth son of Quli Qutb Shah, Qutbuddin Ahmed lies buried in a modest burial chamber compared to that of his brothers. Commander’s tomb, as they call it, is next to that of the Hakims (physicians).
The favourites of the royalty
Remarkable are the burial chambers of those, who were of service and were a party to the royal members’ affections. Of key importance to Sultan Abdullah Shah, were the royal physicians, Nizamuddin Ahmed Gilani, and Abdul Jabbar Gilani. Their twin tombs, embellished with stucco work, sit on a shared platform. A bulbous dome with three arched openings on each side makes the entire structure.
Another remarkable twin from 1651 is that of the courtesans, Taramati and Premamati. Their identities are debatable because their cenotaphs in the royal necropolis suggest that they were respectable members of the royal court. The twin sepulchres are next to Muhammad Qutb Shah’s mausoleum. Premamati’s burial chamber on the right is slightly bigger and octagonal whereas Taramati’s, is a square plan.
A half a day trip to this quiet sanctuary was worthwhile. Reflecting on the time gone by, I realise, my next post will cover the last major attraction in Hyderabad.
