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Charminar
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Location
Location	Hyderabad, Telangana, India 17°21′42″N 78°28′29″E / 17.36163°N 78.47467°E / 17.36163; 78.47467Coordinates: 17°21′42″N 78°28′29″E / 17.36163°N 78.47467°E / 17.36163; 78.47467
State	Telangana
Architecture
Architect(s)	Mir Momin Astarawadi[1][2]
Architectural style	Indo-Islamic architecture
Founder	Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah
Specifications
Minaret(s)	4
Minaret height	48.7 metres (160 ft)
Materials	granite, limestone, mortar and pulverized marble

The Charminar ("Four Minarets"), constructed in 1591, is a monument and mosque located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The landmark has become a global icon of Hyderabad, listed among the most recognized structures of India. Charminar has been a historical place with Mosque on the top floor for over 400 years and also known for its surrounding markets. It is one of the tourist attractions in Hyderabad. It is where many famous festivals are celebrated, such as Eid-ul-adha and Eid-ul-fitr.^[3]

The Charminar is situated on the east bank of Musi river.^[4] To the west lies the Laad Bazaar, and to the southwest lies the richly ornamented granite Makkah Masjid.^[5] It is listed as an archaeological and architectural treasure on the official "List of Monuments" prepared by the Archaeological Survey of India.^[6] The English name is a translation and combination of the Urdu words Chār and Minar or meenar, translating to "Four Pillars"; the eponymous towers are ornate minarets attached and supported by four grand arches.^[5]

History

Charminar during repair works - August 2016

The fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, built the Charminar in 1591 after shifting his capital from Golkonda to the newly formed city of Hyderabad.

Charminar, Char Kaman and Gulzar Houz, photographed by Lala Deen Dayal in the 1880s

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the current caretaker of the structure, mentions in its records, "There are various theories regarding the purpose for which Charminar was constructed. However, it is widely accepted that Charminar was built at the center of the city, to commemorate the eradication of Cholera", a deadly disease which was wide spread at that time.^[7]Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah had prayed for the end of the plague that was ravaging his city and vowed to build a Mosque at the very place where he prayed.^[8] According to Jean de Thévenot, a French traveller of the 17th century whose narration was complemented with the available Persian texts, the Charminar was constructed in the year 1591 CE, to commemorate the beginning of the second Islamic millennium year (1000 AH). The event was celebrated far and wide in the Islamic world, thus Qutb Shah founded the city of Hyderabad to celebrate the event and commemorate it with the construction of this building.^{[9][10]:17–19}Due to its architecture it is also called as Arc de Triomphe of the east.^[11]

The Charminar was constructed at the intersection of the historical trade route that connects the markets of Golkonda with the port city of Machilipatnam.^[12]:195 The Old City of Hyderabad was designed with Charminar as its centerpiece.^[13] The city was spread around the Charminar in four different quadrants and chambers, segregated according to the established settlements. Towards the north of Charminar is the Char Kaman, or four gateways, constructed in the cardinal direction.^{[9][12][14][15]:170} Additional eminent architects from Persia were also invited to develop the city plan. The structure itself was intended to serve as a Mosque and Madarsa. It is of Indo-Islamic architecture style, incorporating Persian architectural elements.

Historian Masud Hussain Khan says that the construction of Charminar was completed in the year 1592, and that it is the city of Hyderabad which was actually founded in the year 1591.^[16]:4 According to the book "Days of the Beloved", Qutb shah constructed the Charminar in the year 1589, on the very spot where he first glimpsed his future queen Bhagmati, and after her conversion to Islam, Qutb Shah renamed the city as "Hyderabad". Though the story was rejected by the historians and scholars, it became popular folklore among the locals.^[17]:3,12

Qutb Shah was also among the early poets of Dakhani Urdu. While laying the foundation of Charminar, he performed the prayers in Dakhini couplets, which are recorded as follows:^[16]:4[18]

During the Mughal governorship between Qutb Shahi and Asaf Jahi rule, the southwestern minaret "fell to pieces" after being struck by lightning and was repaired at a cost of Rs. 60,000.^[19] In 1824, the monument was replastered at a cost of Rs. One lakh.^[19]

Structure

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  A minaret of the Charminar
  

  
  

  
  


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  Clock of the Charminar
  

  
  

  
  


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  Interior
  

  
  

  
  


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  Mosque on Second Floor
  

  
  

  
  


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  Charminar
  

  
  

  
  

The Charminar masjid is a square structure with each side 20 meters (approximately 66 feet) long, with four grand arches each facing a fundamental point that open into four streets. At each corner stands an exquisitely shaped minaret, 56 meters (approximately 184 feet) high, with a double balcony. Each minaret is crowned by a bulbous dome with dainty petal-like designs at the base. Unlike the minarets of Taj Mahal, Charminar's four fluted minarets are built into the main structure. There are 149 winding steps to reach the upper floor. The structure is also known for its profusion of stucco decorations and the arrangement of its balustrades and balconies.^[20]

The structure is made of granite, limestone, mortar and pulverized marble and it weighs approximately 14000 tones.^[21] Initially the monument with its four arches was so proportionately planned that when the fort was opened one could catch a glimpse of the bustling Hyderabad city, as these Charminar arches were facing the most active royal ancestral streets.

There is also a legend of an underground tunnel connecting the Golconda fort to Charminar, possibly intended as an escape route for the Qutb Shahi rulers in case of a siege, though the location of the tunnel is unknown.^[22]

A mosque is located at the western end of the open roof; remaining part of the roof served as a court during the Qutb Shahi times. The actual mosque occupies the top floor of the four-storey structure. A vault which appears from inside like a dome supports two galleries within the Charminar, one over another, and above those a terrace that serves as a roof, bordered with a stone balcony. The main gallery has 45 covered prayer spaces with a large open space in front to accommodate more people for Friday prayers.

The clock on the four cardinal directions was added in 1889. There is a vazu (water cistern) in the middle, with a small fountain for ablution before offering prayer in the Charminar mosque.^[23]

Surrounding Area

Panorama of Charminar complex, showing the Charminar, Mecca Masjid and Nizamia Hospital

The area surrounding Charminar is also known by the same name. It falls under the Charminar constituency.

Makkah Masjid

The monument overlooks another grand mosque called the Makkah Masjid. Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the 5th ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, commissioned bricks to be made from the soil brought from Mecca, the holiest site of Islam, and used them in the construction of the central arch of the mosque, hence its name.

Bazaars

Char Kaman seen from the top of the Charminar.

A market exists around Charminar. Lad Bazaar is known for its jewelry, especially bangles, and the Pathar Gatti, which is known for its pearls. In its heyday, the Charminar market had some 14,000 shops. The Bazaars surrounding Charminar were described in the poem "In the Bazaars of Hyderabad" by Sarojini Naidu.

Char Kaman and Gulzar Houz

Four arches to the North of Charminar are known as Char Kaman. These were built along with the Charminar in the 16th century. These are the Kali Kaman, Machli Kaman, Seher-e-Batil ki Kaman and Charminar Kaman. At the center of these arches is a fountain called the Gulzar Houz. The Char Kaman are in dire need of restoration, and protection from encroachments.^[24][25]

Influences

A replica of the Charminar built in the Bahadurabad locality of Karachi, Pakistan in 2007

Five Hyderabadi Rupee note issued during Asaf Jah VII's reign

In 2007, Hyderabadi Muslims living in Pakistan constructed a small-scaled quasi replica of the Charminar at the main crossing of the Bahadurabad neighborhood in Karachi.^[26]

Lindt chocolatier Adelbert Boucher created a scaled model of the Charminar out of 50 kilograms of chocolate. The model, which required three days' labour, was on display at The Westin, Hyderabad, India on 25 and 26 September 2010.^[27]

The Charminar Express is an express train named after the Charminar, which runs between Hyderabad and Chennai.

The Charminar also appears on coins and banknotes of the defunct Hyderabadi Rupee, the currency of the erstwhile Hyderabad State.

As an icon of the city of Hyderabad as well as the Telangana State, the structure also appears on the Emblem of Telangana, along with the Kakatiya Kala Thoranam.^[28][29]

Pedestrianization Project

The "Charminar Pedestrianization Project" was instituted by the then combined Government of Andhra Pradesh
in partnership with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.^[30] The project was initiated in 2006 with an investment of Rs 35 crore. Out of Rs.35 crore, the share of Central government funds stood at Rs 12.28 crore while the State government gave Rs 5.26 crore.^[31][32] However, the project did not see the light of day due to various factors such as Telangana movement, illegal encroachments by hawkers, vehicular traffic, and illegal street vendors.^[33] Later during January 2017, the new Government of Telangana introduced a 14-member French Delegation to takeover the project to assess the feasibility in developing the monument as an eco-friendly tourism and heritage destination.^[34][35]
The team has inspected surrounding areas such as the Gulzar house, Macca Masjid, Lad Bazar, and Sardar Mahal. Subsequently, the project took over on a brisk pace and is expected to be completed by May 2018.^{[31][32][34][35]}

UNESCO World Heritage Site-Tentative List

Charminar, along with the Qutb Shahi Monuments of Hyderabad: the Golconda Fort, and the Qutb Shahi Tombs, were included in the "tentative list" of UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Monument was submitted by the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO on September 10, 2010.^[36][37]

Temple Structure

A Hindu temple named Bhagyalakshmi Temple is located at the base of Charminar. A Hindu trust manages the temple dedicated to the Goddess Lakshmi. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which manages the Charminar has declared the temple structure as an unauthorised construction.^[38] Hyderabad High Court has stopped any further expansion of the temple.^[39] While the origin of the temple is currently disputed, the current structure that houses the idol was erected in the 1960s. In 2012, The Hindu newspaper published an old photograph showing that the temple structure never existed.^[40][41] The Hindu also released a note asserting the authenticity of the photographs, and clearly stated that there was no temple structure in photos taken in 1957 and 1962. Additionally, it showed photos that provide evidence that the temple is a recent structure - a temple structure can be seen in photos taken in 1990 and 1994. Also, a temple is seen in a photograph taken in 1986 which is kept in the Aga Khan Visual Archive, MIT Libraries’ collections, United States, but not in the earlier ones.^[40]

See also

• Qutb Shahi dynasty


• History of Hyderabad


• Tourist attractions in Hyderabad


• Hyderabad city


• Telangana State

References

This is mughil's f Viking kingdom of heaven

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charminar.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Hyderabad.

• Photos of Charminar on HyderabadPlanet.com


• Mushroom Minarette: An article published by Out Look India.


• complete history


• A panoramic image of Charminar along with Old City of Hyderabad, The image is published in Earth Platinum Atlacharmin