Siege of Golconda

Siege of Golconda (1687)
	Part ofMughalconquests in theDeccan
	; Painting of theMughal emperorAurangzebat the Siege ofGolconda Fort,c. 1760
Date	January 1687 – 12 September 1687
Location	Golconda,India; (then ruled by theQutb Shahi dynasty)
Result	Mughalvictory
Territorial; changes	Mughal EmpireannexedGolconda Sultanateand it's Formation intoHyderabad Subah
Belligerents
Mughal Empire	Qutb Shahi dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Aurangzeb; Kilich Khan†; Feroze Jung I; Anup Singh; Mir Jumla II; Shaista Khan; Munnawar Khan; Lutfullah Khan	Abul Hasan Qutb Shah; Muqarrab Khan(defector)
Strength
90,000 - 120,000 men; 240cannons; 50,000cavalry	35,000 men; 110cannons; 10,000cavalry
Casualties and losses
1,000 killed or wounded	5,000 killed or wounded

Thesiege of Golcondawas a siege ofGolconda Fortbetween theQutb Shahi dynastyand theMughal Emperor Aurangzeb,occurring in January 1687, lasting 8 months. The fort was home of theKollur Mine.The Golconda Fort was considered to be an impregnable fort on theIndian subcontinent.^[3]At the end of the siege, Aurangzeb and the Mughals entered Golconda victorious.

Command

After conquering two Muslim kingdoms, theNizamshahisofAhmednagarand theAdilshahisofBijapur,the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb assembled an army and began the siege on Golconda Fort.^[4]Aurangzeb assignedMir Jumlawho had previously served Golconda until 1655 and later joined the Mughals.

Ghaziuddin Khan Siddiqi Firuz Jang,son of Khwaja Abid Siddiqi Kilich Khan and father of Nizam I of Hyderabad, Qamaruddin Khan Siddiqi, was assigned to bombard the walls of the fort using almost 100cannons.^[5]

The Mughal admiralMunnawar Khanwas assigned to deliver food and weapons to the besieging Mughal army. The general Dilir Khan was assigned to command theMatchlock Sepoysthat tried to penetrate the defenses of Golconda Fort. WhileShaista Khan,Murshid Quli Khanand Ibrahim Khan commanded the rest of the army and its reserves around Golconda Fort and throughout all the Qutb Shahi territory.^[6]Anup Singh,who led the final Mughal charge against Golconda.^[7]

Siege

Qutb Shahi ruler of Golconda,Abul Hasan Qutb Shahrefused to surrender to the Mughals. He and his servicemen fortified themselves at Golconda Fort, and fiercely protected the Kollur Mine, which was then the world's onlydiamond mine.His most experienced Golconda commander, Muqarrab Khan, defected to the Mughals.^[2]The Qutb Shahis had constructed massive fortifications throughout successive generations on a granite hill over 400 feet high with an enormous 8-mile wall enclosing the city. The main gates of Golconda was able to repulse anywar elephantattack, as they had iron spikes on the gates to deter the advancing Mughal elephants.

In January 1687, Aurangzeb led his Mughal army against theDeccanQutb Shahi ruler taking refuge in Golconda Fort. Aurangzeb had surrounded Golconda Fort and alongside about 100 cannons began siege operations. In order to breach thegranitewalls of Golconda Fort, Firuz Jang was appointed to utilize the massiveRahban,Fateh Rahberand the cannon known as theAzhdaha-Paikar(python body). It had the ability to shoot cannonballs weighing over 50 kg. In response to the Mughal bombardment, Abul Hasan Qutb Shah fired from his high-vicinitymortarcalled thePata Burj.According to Saqi Mustad Khan, bamboo rockets were also utilized day and night on Mughal encampments.^[8]

Meanwhile, due to heavy rains, theManjera Riveroverflowed its banks and the scarcity of food supplies became a severe complication, leading to the death of many animals and caused malnourished troops to get ill. Fearing a possible counterattack organized from the fort, Aurangzeb ordered the construction of a fortified position made of wood and mud, which would house and organize Mughal attacking parties.

The intense cannon fire from Golconda Fort against the approaching Mughals eventually caused the death of the experienced Mughal commanderKilich Khan Khwaja Abid Siddiqi.Aurangzeb was furthermore grieved by the death of his long-time commander Gaziuddin Khan Siddiqi Bahadur Firuz Jang, who died of natural causes.

At night, Aurangzeb's infantry assembled and erectedscaffoldingthat allowed them to scale the high walls of the fort. Aurangzeb also ordered his men to throwhuqqa(grenades)^[9]while scaling the fortified wall and were reinforced by matchlocks andcomposite bows.While most of these attacks remained largely unsuccessful, they managed to demoralize the defenders of Golconda Fort.^{[citation needed]}During the eight-month siege the Mughals faced small-scale famines, often for weeks at a time. Whenever the Mughal AdmiralMunnawar Khanarrived with supplies and weapons with his river fleet, Aurangzeb would intensify the siege.^[10]

While the Qutb Shahis maintained strong efforts defending their walls, the siege overwhelmed the officials in service of the Qutb Shahis. Sarandaz Khan revealed a back door that led into the fort and opened the gates that allows the Aurangzeb's army to enter.

The Mughal army, led byGhazi ud-Din Khan Feroze Jung I,the son of the fallen Kilich Khan Khwaja Abid Siddiqi, was among the first to enter the gates. He immediately charged towards the citadel of Abul Hasan Qutb Shah, eventually taking him prisoner by surprise. Firuz Jang and his forces occupied Kollur Mine and the Mughal reserves disarmed the defenders of the fort and paved their way for the entry of victorious Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Golconda Fort was later repaired and armed with superior cannons. Shaista Khan is known to have spared the Qutb Shahi servicemen. The ruler of Golconda, Abul Hasan Qutb Shah, however, was imprisoned inDaulatabad Fortby the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

After the captureAnup Singh,who led the final Mughal charge against Golconda, was granted the titleMaharajaby Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.^[7]^[11]Aurangzeb also granted him the royal honour ofMahi Maratib,and raised hismansabdarrank, first to 3500, and then to 5000.^[12]

Aftermath

The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and his army managed to penetrate the walls by capturing a gate. This resulted in the Qutb Shahis of Golconda and the ruler Abul Hasan Qutb Shah surrendering peacefully and handing over theNur-Ul-Ain Diamond,Great Stone Diamond,Kara Diamond,Darya-e-Nur,theHope Diamond,theWittelsbach Diamondand theRegent Diamond.^{[citation needed]}The Golconda Sultanate was incorporated as asubah,or province of the Mughal Empire, calledHyderabad Subah.^[13]

References

^1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 3.Vol. 3. Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911 – viaWikisource.
^^a ^bRichards, John F. (1995).The Mughal Empire.Cambridge University Press.ISBN 9780521566032.Retrieved11 December2014.
^Sajjad Shahid (Nov 22, 2011)."Mystic forces of Golconda Fort | Hyderabad News - Times of India".The Times of India.Retrieved2022-06-20.
^"Delving into the rich and often bloody history of Golconda Fort".The Hindu.5 November 2016.
^Roy, Kaushik (30 March 2011).War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740-1849.Taylor & Francis.ISBN 9781136790874.Retrieved11 December2014.
^"Vasanth Visual".Vasanthvisuals.com.Retrieved8 October2011.
^^a ^bAntonio Martinelli; George Michell, eds. (2004).Palaces of Rajasthan.India Books House. p. 218.ISBN 9788175083875.
^Roy, Kaushik (30 March 2011).War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740-1849.Taylor & Francis.ISBN 9781136790874.Retrieved11 December2014.
^Roy, Kaushik (30 March 2011).War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740-1849.Taylor & Francis.ISBN 9781136790874.Retrieved11 December2014.
^Lal, Muni (1988).Aurangzeb.Vikas Publishing House.ISBN 9780706940176.Retrieved11 December2014.
^David Geoffrey Alexander (2015).Islamic Arms and Armor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 46.ISBN 9781588395702.
^Rima Hooja (2006).A History of Rajasthan.Rupa. pp. 606–607.ISBN 9788129108906.
^Richards, J. F. (1975)."The Hyderabad Karnatik, 1687-1707".Modern Asian Studies.9(2): 241–260.doi:10.1017/S0026749X00004996.ISSN 0026-749X.JSTOR 311962.

[1] 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 3.Vol. 3. Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911 – viaWikisource.

[google-2] Richards, John F. (1995).The Mughal Empire.Cambridge University Press.ISBN 9780521566032.Retrieved11 December2014.

[3] Sajjad Shahid (Nov 22, 2011)."Mystic forces of Golconda Fort | Hyderabad News - Times of India".The Times of India.Retrieved2022-06-20.

[4] "Delving into the rich and often bloody history of Golconda Fort".The Hindu.5 November 2016.

[5] Roy, Kaushik (30 March 2011).War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740-1849.Taylor & Francis.ISBN 9781136790874.Retrieved11 December2014.

[6] "Vasanth Visual".Vasanthvisuals.com.Retrieved8 October2011.

[:0-7] Antonio Martinelli; George Michell, eds. (2004).Palaces of Rajasthan.India Books House. p. 218.ISBN 9788175083875.

[8] Roy, Kaushik (30 March 2011).War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740-1849.Taylor & Francis.ISBN 9781136790874.Retrieved11 December2014.

[9] Roy, Kaushik (30 March 2011).War, Culture and Society in Early Modern South Asia, 1740-1849.Taylor & Francis.ISBN 9781136790874.Retrieved11 December2014.

[10] Lal, Muni (1988).Aurangzeb.Vikas Publishing House.ISBN 9780706940176.Retrieved11 December2014.

[DGA-11] David Geoffrey Alexander (2015).Islamic Arms and Armor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 46.ISBN 9781588395702.

[RH-12] Rima Hooja (2006).A History of Rajasthan.Rupa. pp. 606–607.ISBN 9788129108906.

[13] Richards, J. F. (1975)."The Hyderabad Karnatik, 1687-1707".Modern Asian Studies.9(2): 241–260.doi:10.1017/S0026749X00004996.ISSN 0026-749X.JSTOR 311962.

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