Golkonda or Golconda, a ruined city is situated west of Hyderabad. The most important builder of Golconda was Ibrahim Quli Qutb Shah
Wali, the fourth Qutb king. Ibrahim was following in the spirit of his ancestors, the Qutub Shahi kings, a great family of builders who had ruled
the kingdom of Golconda from 1512. Their first capital, the fortress citadel of Golconda, was rebuilt for defense from invading Mughals from the
north. They laid out Golconda’s splendid monuments, now in ruins, and designed a perfect acoustical system by which a hand clap sounded at the
fort’s main gates, the grand portico, was heard at the top of the citadel, situated on a 300-foot (91m)-high granite hill.

This is one of the fascinating features of the fort. According to a legend, the fort derives its name from Golla Konda, which is a
Telugu word for Shepherd’s Hill. It is believed that a shepherd boy came across an idol on the hill.

This led to the construction of a mud fort by the then Kakatiya dynasty ruler of the kingdom around the site. The place is also known as Mankal
(The Mahakali temple located inside the fort, and the festival of Bonalu of twin cities begin here).