A bunch of heritage enthusiasts gathered near Charminar on Monday evening, lit candles and posed for photographs to mark Hyderabad’s founder Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah’s 450{+t}{+h}birth anniversary. “April 4 marks the birth anniversary of Muhammad Quli according to the Hijri calendar where he was born in the month of Ramzan 973 AH,” said INTACH Co-Convenor for Telangana, Anuradha Reddy.
Earlier in the day, a group of civic activists under Telangana Democratic & Secular Alliance marked the birthday of the founder of Hyderabad by laying a chader on the grave of Muhammad Quli inside the Qutb Shahi Tombs complex.
Muhammad Quli was the son of Ibrahim Qutb Shah and Bhagirathi. In 1591, he laid the foundation for Charminar and a palace complex of which nothing remains except the four arches which are collectively known as Char Kaman. The low-key celebration for Hyderabad’s founder and the man who created the landmark Charminar was an anti-climax, as the milling traffic around the monument didn’t stop even for a moment. As the call to evening prayer echoed from multiple masjids around the monument, bystanders stopped to see the hubbub with the volunteers and heritage activists holding candles and standing in front of the monument before moving on. According to lore, when the new city of Hyderabad was being built, Muhammad Quli is reported to have recited a poem about populating the city like fish in water. That prayer seems to have been answered, but the man who created the city has obviously been forgotten by most citizens on either side of the Musi.
