Siege of Golconda

The siege of Golconda occurred in January 1687, when the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb led his forces to besiege the Qutb Shahi dynasty at Golconda Fort, home of the Kollur Mine. The siege of Golconda lasted 8 months, and on various occasions it pushed the massive Mughal army to its limits. The Golconda Fort was considered to be an impregnable fort on the Indian subcontinent. At the end of the Siege, Aurangzeb and the Mughals entered Golconda in a decisive victory.

Command

After the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and the Mughal army had conquered two Muslim kingdoms: Nizamshahis of Ahmednagar and the Adilshahis of Bijapur; the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb assembled a Mughal army and began his siege on Golconda Fort. Aurangzeb had assigned Mir Jumla who served to Golconda till 1655 and later to Mughal Sultanate.

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 100 cannons.

The Mughal admiral Munnawar Khan was assigned to deliver food and weapons to the besieging Mughal army. The general Dilir Khan was assigned to command the Matchlock Sepoys that tried to penetrate the defenses of Golconda Fort. While Shaista Khan, Murshid Quli Khan and Ibrahim Khan commanded the rest of the army and it's reserves around Golconda Fort and throughout all the Qutbshahi territory.

Siege

As the Qutbshahi ruler of Golconda, Abul Hasan Qutb Shah refused 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 only diamond mine at that time. His most experienced Golconda commander Muqarrab Khan defected to the Mughals. The Qutbshahis 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 had the ability to repulse any War elephant attack, as they had iron spikes on the gates to damage the advancing Mughal elephants.

In January 1687, the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb led his grand Mughal army against the Deccan Qutbshahi ruler taking refuge in Golconda Fort. Aurangzeb had surrounded Golconda Fort and alongside about 100 cannons began siege operations. In order to breach the granite walls of Golconda Fort, Firuz Jang was appointed to utilize the massive ''Rahban'', ''Fateh Rahber'' and the most impressive cannon during the siege known as the ''Azhdaha-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 powerful high-vicinity mortar called the ''Pata Burj'', and according to Saqi Mustad Khan bamboo rockets were also utilized day and night against Mughal encampments.

Meanwhile, due to heavy rains the Manjera River over-flooded and the scarcity of food supplies became a dire complication, this led 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 commander Kilich Khan Khwaja Abid Siddiqi and furthermore Aurangzeb was grieved by the death of his long-time commander Gaziuddin Khan Siddiqi Bahadur Firuz Jang, who died of natural causes.

Although the Qutbshahi's maintained impregnable efforts defending their walls, at night the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and his infantry of assembled and erected complex scaffolding that allowed them to scale the high walls. Aurangzeb also ordered his men to throw ''huqqa'' (grenades) while scaling the fortified wall and were reinforced by Matchlocks and Composite bows. While most of these attacks remained largely unsuccessful, they managed to demoralize the defenders of Golconda Fort. During the eight-month siege the Mughals faced many hardships like small-scale famines for weeks at a time, but whenever the Mughal Admiral Munnawar Khan arrived with supplies and weapons with his river fleet, Aurangzeb would intensify the siege.

Although the Qutbshahi's maintained formidable efforts defending their walls, the siege had become unbearable for the officials in service of the Qutbshahi's and finally Sarandaz Khan revealed a back door that led directly to the Golconda Fort, immediately after the Mughals stormed the fort, Sarandaz Khan opened the gates that allows the Aurangzeb's army to enter.

The Mughal army led by Ghazi 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 Qutbshahi servicemen, the ruler of Golconda, Abul Hasan Qutb Shah, however, was imprisoned in Daulatabad Fort by the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

Aftermath

The Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb and his army managed to penetrate the walls by capturing a gate prompting the Qutbshahi's of Golconda and the ruler Abul Hasan Qutb Shah to surrender peacefully and hand over the Nur-Ul-Ain Diamond, Great Stone Diamond, Kara Diamond, Darya-e-Nur, the Hope Diamond, the Wittelsbach Diamond and the Regent Diamond.

References

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Golconda
Golconda
History of Telangana
1687 in India