Golconda

Golconda, an extensive fortress of the Nizam, situated on a granite ridge, 7 miles W. of Hyderabad. In its immediate neighbourhood are the ruins of an ancient city, once the metropolis of the powerful kingdom of Golconda, which reached its height at the close of the 16th century, and endured till 1687. The place itself is still strong; but it is commanded within breaching-range by the yet solid mausoleums of its former sovereigns, about 600 yards distant. The fort is held by a small garrison from Hyderabad, and serves as the Nizam's treasury, and also as a state prison. Golconda is proverbially famous for its diamonds; but, in truth, they were merely cut and polished here. See DIAMOND.