Golkonda

Golconda, also known as Golkonda or Golla konda ("shepherd's hill"), a fort of Southern India and capital of the medieval sultanate of the Qutb Shahi dynasty (c.1518–1687), is situated 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) west of Hyderabad. It is also a tehsil of Hyderabad district, Telangana, India. The region is known for the mines that have produced some of the world's most famous gems, including the Koh-i-Noor, the Hope Diamond and the Nassak Diamond.

History

Golconda Fort was first built by the Kakatiya dynasty as part of their western defenses along the lines of the Kondapalli Fort. The city and fortress are built on a granite hill that is 120 meters (480 ft) high and is surrounded by massive battlements. The fort was rebuilt and strengthened by Pratapa Rudra of the Kakatiyas. The fort was further strengthened by the Musunuri Nayaks, who defeated the Tughlaqi army occupying Warangal. The fort was ceded by the Musunuri chief, Kapaya Nayak, to the Bahmani Sultanate as part of the treaty in 1364. The fort became the capital of a major province in the sultanate and, after its collapse, the capital of the Qutb Shahi dynasty. The fort finally fell into ruins after a siege and its fall to the Mughal Empire under Aurangzeb in 1687.

Golconda (disambiguation)

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Golconda (painting)

Golconda (French: Golconde) is an oil painting on canvas by Belgian surrealist René Magritte, painted in 1953. It is usually housed at the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas.

The piece depicts a scene of nearly identical men dressed in dark overcoats and bowler hats, who seem to be drops of heavy rain (or to be floating like helium balloons, though there is no actual indication of motion), against a backdrop of buildings and blue sky. The men are spaced in rhombic grids facing the viewpoint and receding back in grid layers.

Magritte lived in a similar suburban environment, and dressed in a similar fashion. The bowler hat was a common feature of much of his work, and appears in paintings such as The Son of Man.

Charly Herscovici, who was bequeathed copyright on the artist's works, commented on Golconda:

One interpretation is that Magritte is demonstrating the line between individuality and group association, and how it is blurred. All of these men are dressed the same, have the same bodily features and are all floating/falling. This leaves us to look at the men as a group. Whereas if we look at each person, we can predict that they may be completely different from another figure.