Shrikant took us out last Sunday to visit the Golkonda Fort located about 11 km west of the city of Hyderabad. It was a blistering hot day, about 92 degrees (and this is winter!), so we drenched ourselves in sunscreen, packed water, and drove west to the fort.
Our drive to the fort took us through more parts of town that we haven’t seen yet. We drove through our first shantytown on the way. It is just heart-wrenching to see how these people live. As we drove by one doorway, a young boy, not more than 7 years old, was standing there wearing a full three-piece suit. We were shocked! Where did he ever get that suit, we thought! One thing we did notice is that most of the people had clean clothes and the women had beautiful sari’s on. How they achieve this is a mystery, there is no sign of fresh running water, toilets, let alone plumbing. They barely have a roof over their heads. It is truly amazing how they survive. Thank goodness we weren’t walking through this place, as I would have had a REALLY hard time not trying to help these people in some way (given my assumptions that they feel that they need help!!). I didn’t think it was appropriate to take pictures, but I did get one photo on the road as we approached the area.
As our drive took us further west, we entered the primarily Muslim neighborhood where the fort sits. Here are a few photos of the neighborhood.
Muslim women wear the most elegant black outer clothing called Abaya with the head covering called Hejab (sometimes know together as Burqa). It seems they are almost floating when they walk by you. Notice that there is a family of five on the motorcycle in the photo! And, mom is riding sidesaddle!!!
Note on the Abaya, Hijab & Burqa: These are worn by muslim women for the purpose of cloaking the entire body when going outside the sanctuary of the household. They are worn over the usual daily clothing. The Hijab covers the entire head and the veil covers the entire face except for the eyes. Sometimes this is referred to as a Burqa when the eyes are completely covered by a mesh fabric so that nothing on the face is revealed.
We arrived at the fort and looked for a place to park the car. This absolutely adorable little boy in the most fabulous leopard-print shirt, who couldn’t have been more than 8 years old, came to the car and showed us where to park. He then proceeded to give us a ticket for the parking and asked us for 10 rupees. Shrikant gave him the 10 rupees (he said he had seen this boy before and he was legit) and then the boy asked me, in perfect English, if I wanted to have my picture taken with him. It was hilarious! He was quite the ‘mover and shaker’ and little businessman. Rowan said she bets he’s a fully-fledged entrepreneur by the time he’s 20 years old.
We got to the gate of the fort and again there were two separate lines, one for women, and one for men. Shrikant purchased our special-priced tickets (foreigners cost 150 rupees, $3 US, instead of 10, 20 cents US) and we entered.
A very short history of the fort:
In the 16th century, Golkonda was the capital and fortress city of the Qutb Shahi kingdom, near Hyderabad. The city was home to one of the most powerful Muslim sultanates in the region and was the center of a flourishing diamond trade. The fort is built on a granite hill 120 meters high…. we felt every step in the heat!
Here are some photos from our walk around the fort:
couldn't resist taking a photo of these school boys
temple at the top of the fort
good thing you can't tell we are sweating like PIGS!
For some reason Jenni has become a boy magnet. She seems to attract all sorts of boys who want to have their pictures taken with her. This group of 15 year olds were so excited to have their photo snapped with the old lady. Don't you think she looks like Catherine Hepburn in that hat?
