Charminar Street Scene In Hyderabad, 1910 Postcard
A 1910 postcard of Charminar street scene in Hyderabad. In the heart of the old city, Charminar, or four minarets, is Hyderabad’s signature landmark. It was built in 1591 by King Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah of the Qutb Shah dynasty. According to legend, marks the spot where he first saw his lover, the beautiful Hindu dancer Bhagmati.
Another story says he built it as thanksgiving at the end of a deadly plague epidemic. Today, the Charminar street scene is the hub of a busy commercial area, where grand mosques and palaces of the erstwhile rulers are surrounded by lively bazaars. Hyderabad was India’s biggest and richest princely state.
Its rulers known as the Nizams, belonged to the Asaf Jahi dynasty, founded in 1724 by Nizam-ul-Mulk who first came to Hyderabad as the Mughal governor of the Deccan. And then established his independence as Mughal power in Delhi waned. The seventh and last Nizam, Osman Ali Khan, was the richest man in India perhaps the world. Click on the image for better view.
Did you know – Charminar’s top flour is the city’s oldest mosque, and its minarets soar to a height of 54m (177 ft).
From the collection – Vintage Oleograph Raja Ravi Varma “Laxmi”., Government House/Raj Bhavan Kolkata, 1900 Photo.
