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CHARMINAR-HYDERABAD-INDIA.

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*HISTORY AND PICS OF CHARMINAR-HYDERABAD.*

 

History Of Char Minar

Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb

Shah,

the 5th ruler of the Qutb Shahi

dynastybuilt

Charminar in 1591

[2] shortly after he had

shifted his capital from

Golkondato what is now

known as Hyderabad.

[3] He built this famous

structure to commemorate the elimination of a plague epidemic from this

city. He is said to have prayed for the end of a plague that was ravaging

his city and vowed to build a

masjid(Islamic mosque) at

the very place where he was praying. In 1591 while

laying the foundation of Charminar, Quli Qutb shah prayed: "Oh

Allah,

bestow unto this city peace and prosperity. Let millions of men of all

castes, creeds and religions make it their abode, like fish in the water."

Charminar was given to a contractor by the name of Sanamvenkata Balaya to

construct it and today one can see the city as evidence of the prayer being

answered. The Mosque became

popularly known as Charminar because of its four (Persian/Hindi char =

four) minarets (Minar (Arabic

manara) = spire/tower).[4]

The structure is made of granite, lime, mortar and, some say, pulverised

marble, was at one time the heart of the city. 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 palace at Golkonda

to Charminar, possibly intended as an escape route for the Qutub Shahi

rulers in case of a siege, though the exact location of the tunnel is

unknown.[5] Construction

Of Char Minar

 

 

Night view of Char Minar

Charminar has the signature style of Islamic

architecture

.[6] This great tribute to

aesthetics looks sturdy and solid from a distance but as one moves closer,

it emerges as an elegant and romantic edifice proclaiming its architectural

eminence in all its detail and dignity. Charminar looks equally spectacular

at night when it is illuminated. Apart from being the core of the city’s

cultural milieu, it has become a brand name.

Charminar is a beautiful and impressive square monument. Each side measures

20 m, and each of the corners has a tall, pointed minaret. These four

gracefully carved minarets soar to a height of 48.7 m above the ground,

commanding the landscape for miles around. Each minaret has four stories,

marked by a delicately carved ring around the minaret. Unlike the Taj

Mahal,

Charminar's four fluted minarets of Charminar are built into the main

structure. Inside the minarets 149 winding steps guide the visitor to the

top floor, the highest point one can reach, which provides a panoramic view

of the city.[7]

The actual mosque occupies the top floor of the four-storey structure.

Madame Blavatsky reports that each of the floors was meant for a separate

branch of learning - before the structure was transformed by the Imperial

British administration into a warehouse for opium and

liqueurs.[8]

 

A replica of the Charminar built in the

Bahadurabadlocality of

Karachi , Pakistan in 2007

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.

It is said that, during the Mughal Governorship between Qutb Shahi and Asaf

Jahi rule, the south western minaret "fell to pieces" after being struck by

lightning, but "was forthwith repaired" at a cost of Rs

60,000.[2]In

1824, the monument was replastered at a cost of Rs 100,000.

The monument overlooks another beautiful and grand mosque called Makkah

Masjid .[9]The

area surrounding Charminar is also known by same name. A thriving

market still lies around the Charminar, attracting people and merchandise

of every description. In its heyday, the Charminar market had some 14,000

shops; today the famous markets known as Laad Baazar and Pather Gatti, near

the Charminar, are a favourite of both tourists and locals alike for

jewellery, especially known for exquisite bangles and pearls respectively.

In 2007, Hyderabadi

Muslimsliving

in

Pakistan constructed a

small-scaled quasi replica of the Charminar at the main crossing of the

Bahadurabad neighborhood

in Karachi .[10]The

"replica"'s poor quality of construction, decoration, lack of

proportions, however, are all at a stark contrast to the grandeur, beauty

and proportionality of the ancient original in Hyderabad. It stands as a

telltale of the general decline in Islamic art, architecture and fortunes

in the past few centuries.

An artistic monument of Charminar made of 50 Kilograms of Chocolate and 3

days of labor, was on display at The

Westin,

Hyderabad, India.

Lindtchocolatier

Adelbert Boucher created the scaled model of Charminar which

was on display on September 25 and 26, 2010.

[11]

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Uploaded on January 23, 2013
Taken on January 23, 2013