Char Kaman
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Char Kaman (literally meaning "four gates") are four historical
arches An arch is a curved vertical structure span (engineering), spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th mill ...
in
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. Originally demarcating an open
square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...
, they face the four cardinal directions.


Background

In the late 16th century, Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah, the ruler of the Golconda Sultanate, founded the city of Hyderabad, which was to serve as the new capital of the kingdom. The city plan was designed by Mir Mu'min Astarabadi, an Iranian scholar and architect. The
Charminar The Charminar () is a monument located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Constructed in 1591, the landmark is a symbol of Hyderabad and officially incorporated in the emblem of Telangana. The Charminar's long history includes the existence of a m ...
formed the centerpiece of the new city. The four arches of the Char Kaman are located directly to the south of the Charminar. The arches demarcated a
piazza A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Rela ...
, called the ''Jilu Khana'', which was surrounded by the royal palaces and the Charminar. Every morning, the noblemen along with their retinue would pass through the square, where the retinue would be left behind, while the noblemen would proceed for an audience with the sultan. In the center of the square is the Gulzar Houz, an octagonal cistern, served to provide drinking water to the waiting attendants, as well as soldiers who would stand guard along the gates of the royal residence. The arches were completed in 1592. Some scholars, including M. A. Nayeem, draw parallels between the piazza formed by the arches and the
Naqsh-e Jahan Square The Naqsh-e Jahan Square (), also known as the Shah Square () prior to 1979, and sometimes known as the Imam Square, is a maidan, square situated at the center of Isfahan (city), Isfahan, Iran. Constructed between 1598 and 1629, it is now an impo ...
in
Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...
, since Mir Mu'min was Iranian himself. However, the construction of the square in Isfahan began in 1598, by which time the Char Kaman complex had been completed and was already in use. The complex may be of Timurid inspiration, conceptually resembling the
Registan The Registan () was the heart of the city of Samarkand of the Timurid Empire, now in Uzbekistan. The name ''Rēgistan'' () means "sandy place" or "desert" in Persian. The Registan was a public square, where people gathered to hear royal procla ...
in
Samarkand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...
. The practice of building elaborate portals facing the cardinal directions is reminiscent of a Hindu architectural tradition popular in the Deccan, with the most famous example being the Kakatiya Kala Thoranam. The grand gateway of the Atala Mosque is also considered to be the forerunner of elaborate Indo-Islamic gateways including the Char Kaman and the nearby Charminar. According to historian Ghulam Yazdani, another motivation behind their construction might have been the fact that the flagbearers of the royal processions, mounted upon elephants, might have had to dismount or lower their banners when passing through smaller gateways. The arches are large enough to allow an elephant, with a canopy upon its back, to pass through.


Description

Each of the arches is approximately 60 feet tall, 36 feet wide at the base, and six feet in thickness. They are separated from the center of the piazza by nearly 375 feet in each case. They are built in the Qutb Shahi style, with the characteristic pointed arch, interpreted by some scholars to represent the unity of God. The southern arch, directly facing the Charminar, is called the Charminar Kaman. The northern arch is called the ''Machli Kaman'' (literally "fish gateway") since a large fish made up of bamboo and paper would be suspended in the center of the arch on every lunar new year, as a symbol of prosperity. The eastern arch is called the ''Kali Kaman''. (literally "black gate") It was originally called the ''Naqqar Khana''. Drummers and musicians were accommodated in an elevated chamber atop this arch. The western gateway, originally called ''Kaman Sher-i-'Ali'', formed the eastern entrance to the royal palaces. In order to ward off any magic used against the royals, Mir Mu'min had erected a stone pillar by this gate, with Quranic verses and charms inscribed upon it. Due to this pillar, this gate was also known as the ''Kaman Sihr-i-Batil'', which has now been corrupted to ''Kaman Sher-i-Batil''. The complex of royal palaces, which extended up to the Musi river, was destroyed following the
Siege of Golconda The siege of Golconda (1687 CE) was an eight-month military siege of the Golconda Fort (in present-day Telangana, India). This siege was personally directed by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb against the Golconda Sultanate, ruled by king Abul Ha ...
. In 1858, the monument was rehabilitated by the fifth
Nizam of Hyderabad Nizam of Hyderabad was the title of the ruler of Hyderabad State ( part of the Indian state of Telangana, and the Kalyana-Karnataka region of Karnataka). ''Nizam'' is a shortened form of (; ), and was the title bestowed upon Asaf Jah I wh ...
, Afzal-ud-Daulah. Charkaman is notified as a heritage structure by INTACH


References

{{Qutb Shahi Monuments Heritage structures in Hyderabad, India Qutb Shahi architecture