On Charminar’s 444th birthday, here are few facts about monument that every Hyderabadi should know

Hyderabad: Legend has it, on 1.1.1000 of the Hijri calendar, the first Muharrum in the year 1000 is when Charminar was opened to the public. According to the same calendar, the historical monument that is synonymous with the city of Hyderabad turns 444 years old today. While there is ambiguity around the date the foundation […]

Hyderabad: Legend has it, on 1.1.1000 of the Hijri calendar, the first Muharrum in the year 1000 is when Charminar was opened to the public. According to the same calendar, the historical monument that is synonymous with the city of Hyderabad turns 444 years old today.

While there is ambiguity around the date the foundation stone was laid and when it was opened for commoners to visit, as of now, there are two dates that are taken into account – 31 July, according to the Hijri calendar, and 9 October in 1591 according to Georgian.

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On the 444th birthday of the Charminar, here are the facts about the monument that every Hyderabadi should know:

It was built by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, apparently to celebrate the end of a plague epidemic in Hyderabad.

It is called Charminar owing to its four towers. Char is four in Hindi and minar translated to towers. In the architecture of the monument, it is believed that four and its multiples play a significant role.

If ancient folklore is to be believed, there is a secret tunnel that connects Charminar to Golconda, built by the ruler in case of an emergency evacuation.

It was built to be the centre of the city, the two roads running east-west and north-south, intersected with each other here.

The clocks on the four sides of the monument were brought from London in 1889. These 150-year-old clocks made their way to the city during the rule of Mir Mahboob Ali Khan.

Charminar is the first multi-storeyed building built in the city of Hyderabad.

On one of the arches on the eastern side of the building, a cat’s head is inscribed, to signify that the cats ate rats which put an end to the plague.

With both Mecca Masjid and Bhagyalakshmi Temple co-existing in the same area, the place stands for communal harmony.