Karwan’s indelible legacy
A masterpiece from the late Qutb Shahi dynasty stands majestically around 2 kilometers from Golconda. In terms of design and architectural, the Toli masjid on Karwan Road is a step below the Mecca masjid, a symbol of the city’s friendliness and openness. Musa Khan, Abdullah Qutb Shah’s chamberlain or key keeper, constructed it in 1671. He received a commission equal to one-fortieth of a rupee, or one Toli or Damri. The mosque is also known as Damri masjid as a result.
The main structure is split into two halls, the inner hall having just three arched entrances and the outer hall having five. The building’s rectangular foundation unites into a dome in its center thanks to the arches’ lovely pattern of convergence. The structure has two minarets on each side that are around twenty meters high. Each of the pillars’ octagonal shafts, which are modeled on lotuses, opens into a little balustrade. The pillars’ pot-shaped bases are suggestive of Buddhist and Hindu architecture. The parapets are made up of a sequence of tiny arches, each with a distinct pattern, that are sealed with elaborate jalis (screens).
It is this mosque on Karwan Road that is encountered on the almost straight road that leads from Golconda to Charminar. Caravans that were formerly stationed along the route while travelers, traders, and merchants went through the city were referred to as “karwans.” Arriving in the city after nightfall, the travelers needed somewhere to wait, relax, and refuel. In addition to being a place of prayer, the mosque included spacious caravan serais that offered solace to weary travelers.
Three sides, including the place where Musa Khan is buried, intrude on what one might have envisioned to be an elaborate complex with manicured gardens, a fountain, a stepwell, and surrounding serais. Until fifty years ago, the stepwell, which is around thirty feet deep, had pure water that allowed the residents to escape the intense summer heat. The mosque’s border wall, which is all that remains of the original, also aims to be preserved.
