Golconda, the backyard fort

Remembered going to Golconda as a teen and being quite disappointed with the 'vaataavaran' - juveniles using it to hide from adults and in addition to that noise, the laser and light show was just introduced, so you can imagine the vibe. In some ways, like most humans, I am a purist and presenting the richness of the past of who we are as entertainment is my 'old man swinging fists furiously at youth' moment. So, I stayed away from the fort for a long while.

Recently, cousins were visiting and they insisted we go. As a mature adult I hoped I would deal with it better but to be on the safe side, we decided on a day trip.

It was a weekday and we were the few interested souls who decided to trudge up the steps of the fort.

Golconda, was built around the Kollur mine, for a while was used as a vault, housed the Kohinoor and the Hope diamond.

The beauty of such long standing monuments is that it exchanges so many hands and serves every ruler with the same intensity and valour. Golconda was built by the Kakatiyas, Rudrama Devi took charge next, then came the Kamma Nayakas and at the tail end came the tumultuous times of the Qutub Shahi dynasty. And finally into the waiting arms of Aurangzeb it went. If only ancient voices were held by the walls, scary but what a tale they would tell, and one without bias.

Wonder if many a ruler stood where I did and said, 'wah'.

Was a quiet walk interspersed with me sharing my parenting philosophy to a riveted audience. I call it 'lazy' parenting - at an early age get them to start thinking for themselves - what works best for them and support that (safety and health being the only disclaimer to this philosophy), do not think for them or pretend you know what's better.

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We happened upon the Qutub Shahi tombs, they just looked so pretty as we drove by, so we stopped.

Surrounded by gardens and open space, sat 5 tombs of the important Shahi rulers, and their mothers, sisters and wives. A place as peaceful as I imagine death to be.

Wikipedia image - view from Golconda fort (5 tombs)

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The intricacy of the paintings and carvings makes you wonder if all it took was 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert or did you have to come blessed with a skill that only an unearthly being could give you.

We walked back to the car and I wiped out the entire teen experience of fort, hugged my cousin for insisting we go there and vowed to see every place I could without my outdated judgements of life.