FORTS OF INDIA(Golconda)
THE massive and extensive fortress of golconda lies just to the west of Hyderabad. Originally known as Mangal- waram or Mankal, the fort was built about eight hundred years ago by the kings of Warangal. In 1364 Kanhaiya Naik Raja was compelled by circumstances to surrender it to Sultan Muhammad Shah Bahmani and for the next 150 years golconda formed part of the Bahmani kingdom, with its capital at Gulbarga.
Then in 1518, on the death of Sultan Muhammad Shah Bahmani, the governor of Telingana Sultan Quli proclaimed himself independent of the Bahmanis and selected golconda for his capital. The Qutbshahi dynasty founded by him prospered.