Golconda Fort - Overview
Golconda fort is situated at a place called Golconda which is 11km away from Hyderabad. The rulers of Qutb Shahi dynasty made the city their capital. Their ruling period was from 1518 to 1687. Golconda has many mines where many diamonds like Kohinoor, Nassak Diamond, Hope Diamond and many other diamonds were produced.
Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana state in India and is spread in an area of 650km2Hyderabad was ruled by Qutb Shahi dynasty for around a century and later came under the rule of Mughals from 1724. Asif Jah I was the Mughal viceroy who started a dynasty named Nizams of Hyderabad who ruled for around 150 years.
Hyderabad is also famous for its delicious dishes especially Hyderabadi Biryani and Hyderabadi Haleem. Hyderabad is also known as city of pearls as it is a trading center of pearls and diamonds.
Visiting Hours
Golconda fort can be visited from 9:00am to 5:30pm. The fort is opened on all days except Fridays. Light shows are also conducted in the fort in English, Hindi and Telugu. Two shows are conducted daily at different times. The English shows are conducted on all days at 6:30pm from November to February and at 7:00pm from March to October.
The Telugu shows are conducted every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 7:45pm from November to February and 8:15pm from March to October. The Hindi shows are conducted every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday on the same timings as the Telugu shows.
Tickets
The visitors have to pay an entry fees in order to visit the fort. For Indian, tourists, the price of the ticket is Rs. 5 whereas for foreigners, the price is Rs. 100. If the tourists want to take still camera then they have to pay Rs. 25. If the tourists want to watch light shows then they have to buy the tickets on the basis of classes in which they want to sit.
If the tourists want to watch the show in executive class, they have to pay Rs. 140 for adults and Rs. 110 for children. For normal class, the price of ticket for adults is Rs. 80 and for children it is Rs. 60. The ticket counter for sound and light show opens at 5:30pm.
Best time to visit
The period from October to February is the best time to visit Hyderabad as the weather is very pleasant. In rest of the months, the climate is either hot or is rainy. During summer months, the temperature rises up to 45 degree Celsius. During rainy days, the climate becomes very humid though mornings and evenings are pleasant.
Where to Stay?
There are more than 1000 hotels in Hyderabad which include, economy hotels, budget hotels and star hotels. The tourists can stay in the hotel of their choice and enjoy the facilities provided to them by the staff
