Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah: Difference between revisions

Portrait of Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah

Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (1580-1612) was the fifth sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of Golconda (1512-1687). He was the founder of the city of Hyderabad, India and the builder of its architectural centre piece, the Charminar. Born to Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah, Muhammad was very able administrator and his reign became one of the best periods of the Qutb Shahis.

In his passion for buildings, Muhammad Quli can be compared to the Mughal emperor Shahjahan. When he decided to build a city on the southern bank of Musi river, he sent for architects from Iran and they planned the city. It has a grid plan of two broad intersecting streets with the Charminar as a kind of triumphal arch at the center. In 1652 the French traveler Jean-Baptiste Tavernier compared Hyderabad to Orleans, "well built and opened out," and in 1672, Abbe Carr was much impressed by the city as the center of all trade in the East.

The City of Hyderabad, or Bhagyanagar, was named after a local Telugu dancer named Bhagmati who lived in a cottage in the village of Chichlam, where the great edifice of Charminar stands. Legend has it that the young Sultan Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah loved her, and rode out from the Golconda Fort to meet his beloved, braving the flood waters of the River Musi. He then re-christened her "Hyder Mahal," and thus the name Hyderabad came into being. This may be only a legend, but Muhammed is recorded as having married a Telugu woman named Bhagmati.

He constructed Charminar in 1591 to commemorate the end of plague epidemic. Legends tell that he prayed for the end of plague in his city and took vow to build a mosque on the very place where he prayed. God answered his prayers and the epidemic came to an end, soon after. Keeping his vow, he ordered for the construction of the mosque which became popular as Charminar because of its four huge and towering minarets.

Mohammed Quli was a scholar in Arabic and Persian. He wrote poetry in Persian. His poetry was compiled and entitled "Quliyat Quli" in the Urdu literature. It is said that the Urdu language acquired the status of literature due to his contributions. Like his father, he supported Sanskrit and Telugu literature. It is not a surprise that Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah was able to speak Telugu and write poetry in Telugu, being the son of Bhageeradhi and husband of Bhagyamati, both Telugu women. Unfortunately, none of his Telugu writings are known to still exist.

References and external links

• Prince, Poet, Lover, Builder: Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah,The Founder of Hyderabad; Author: Narender Luther
• Telugu Literature and Culture of Qutub Shahi Dynasty
• Medieval History
• Golkonda
• Vedambooks
• Andhra Vision
• Explore Hyderabad