Charminar in Hyderabad District: How to Reach & Timings: Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah built Charminar in 1591. People say that he built this square building with four pillars and intricate carvings to honour his wife Bhagmati. But it’s still not clear what the real reason was for building Charminar.
People think that Charminar was built to celebrate the end of the plague, which had been very bad for the whole city during that time. People think that the Sultan prayed for an end to the plague that his people were going through. So, when the plague was over, he built the Charminar as a way to thank Allah. People also say that the four pillars were built to honour the first four caliphs of Islam.
Charminar in Hyderabad District
People also say that it was built to honour Shiya Tazias, who died at the Battle of Karbala and was the son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed. Some people also think that Charminar is where Sultan first met Bahgmati, the woman who would become his wife.
Jean de Thévenot, a French traveller who went around in the 1700s, said that it was built for a completely different reason. His story, which is the same as what is written in Persian texts, is that Charminar was built to mark the beginning of the second Islamic millennium.
The inscription on the foundation stone can be translated as “Fill this my city with people as You have filled the river with fish, O Lord.” This also shows that the monument was built to mark the beginning of the city. Mohammed Safiullah, a historian, says that Charminar was built to be the centre of Hyderabad.
The building started in 1589 and was finished in 1591. It cost Rs. 9 lakhs, which was about 2 lakhs huns or gold coins at the time. It is said to weigh around 14,000 tonnes and have a base that is at least 30 feet deep. In 1670, lightning hit a minaret, which caused it to fall. Then, it was fixed, and it cost about Rs.58000. Part of it was fixed up by Sikandar Jah for Rs. 2 lakhs in 1820.
Another story about the Charminar says that it is connected to the Golconda Fort by a secret tunnel that goes under the ground. It was built for the royal family so that they could get out of trouble in any way. But as of now, no tunnel has been found.
Timings and Fees to Visit Charminar :
* Rs. 5 for Indian Nationals and Rs. 100 for Foreigners.