10.

Walls Tell
Stories
Reached Golconda
At last we reached Golconda.
We were glad that didi was with
us. Didi studies history and we
enjoy visiting different places
with her.
Shailja: My goodness! This fort
is so huge.
Shreedhar: And see at what a
height it is built!
Kalyani: Just look! Have you
ever seen such a huge gate?
Shailja: It must be very heavy.
I wonder how many people Kalyani : Look at these sharp iron
would be needed to open and spokes. I wonder why they were made?
Shailja: Look at these thick walls too.
close this gate.
Shreedhar: I have never seen such
thick walls.

Sukanto Debnath

Kalyani: At some places, a part of the

wall comes out in a round shape. I
wonder why?

Why is this small gate made in the big gate?

Didi:These are called bastions (burj).

See these are even higher than the wall.
The outer wall of this fort has 87
bastions. Thick walls, a huge gate and
so many bastions! So many ways to
ensure security!
87

Bastion
(Burj)

Hole

Think
 Why were bastions made in the

fort wall?
 Why were big holes made in

them?

Rajeev Singh

 What difference would be there

if you were to look from a straight

flat wall or a bastion at a height?
How would the soldiers find
peeping from the holes in the
bastions useful while attacking?

What did we find inside the fort?

Shailja: I wonder how old this fort would be? Do you think the
king built the fort so that he could live here?
Kalyani : It was written outside that Qutubshahi Sultans ruled
here one after another, from 1518-1687.
Didi : Much before that, in 1200, this fort was made of mud
and different rulers lived here.
Shailja: Oh look! This board has a map of the fort.
Shreedhar: This map shows so many gardens, fields and
factories. See, there are many palaces also inside the fort.
Shailja: That means that not only the Sultan, but many other
people like farmers and workers must also have been living here.
Kalyani: It must have been a complete town.

The Sultans Palace

Shreedhar: These steps seem to go on and on.
Teachers Note : Draw children's attention to how a high and rounded wall
can help to see things at a distance and in different directions.

88

Looking Around

Shailja: Even in those days they used

to have buildings with two floors!
Kalyani: Now, the building is in ruins.
But one can imagine that earlier there
were many big halls and rooms here.
Shreedhar: Look at this beautiful
carving on the walls. It is so fine!
Rajeev Singh

Kalyani : We also saw something like a fountain on one of the roofs.

Didi : Yes, there were many big tanks and fountains here. They used
to be full of water.
Wow, what engineering!

Rajeev Singh

Think, even today when engineers design houses,

sometimes there is dampness in the walls. And here, so
long ago, there were fountains on the terrace! The building
must have been made with such good understanding.
If we think how the people lived five hundred years
ago, so many questions come to our mind. For example,
how was water lifted to such heights? Can you guess
how?

Think and discuss

 How would the fountains have worked?
 What arrangements would have been made in the

building for air and light?

 Look carefully at the picture of the

 We still do not have any electricty at

many places in our country. Even

at places which do have electricity, imagine what would
happen if there was no electricity for one week. What are
the things that would be difficult to manage without it?
Walls Tell Stories

89

Rajeev Singh

beautiful carving on the wall. What

kind of tools would have been used
for such fine carving?

Where is east-west?
At the place you are, where does the sun rise? Where
does it set? Where you are standing, find out what
all is there to your east. What all is there to your
west? Also find out, what places are to your north
and south.

Tell and write

Look carefully at the map of Golconda. On the map,
arrows show all the four directions.
 If you are peeping inside from Bodli Darwaza, in which

direction from you is Katora Hauz?

 If someone is entering from Banjara Darwaza, in which

direction from her is Katora Hauz?

 In which direction will you walk from Bala Hisar to reach

Moti Mahal?
 How many gates can you see on the outer walls of the fort?
 Count how many palaces are there in the fort?
 What arrangements for water can you see inside the fort?

For example, wells, tanks, stepwells.

On the map, 1 cm distance is equal to a distance of 110
metres on the ground. Now tell
 On the map the distance between Bala Hisar and

Fateh Darwaja is ____ cm. On the ground, the

distance between the two would be ____ metres.
 How far is Makai Darwaza from Fateh Darwaza?
Teachers Note: Children take a lot of time in identifying directions. They are
often confused about the north and south directions. Many a times we adults
also think that north is upwards. We also often show the north direction by
pointing to the top of the paper. It is not expected that children will be able to
understand directions by doing the activity once. It is important to link children's
own experiences with this.

90

Looking Around

Walls Tell Stories

91

Why these attacks?

While we were all talking, Shreedhar
called us to see a big gun (cannon). We
ran up the steps.
Rajeev Singh

Shailja: This must have been

the Sultan's big gun.
Didi : This was used by Aurangzeb. His full army came with
their guns and cannons to attack but they could not even
enter the fort. For eight months they camped outside the fort.
Shailja: Why would the army come here all the way from Delhi?
Didi: In those days, emperors and kings, played such tricks.
They tried to make smaller kingdoms a part of their own
kingdom. This was done sometimes by friendship, sometimes
by flattery, or even by marriage between families. And when
nothing else worked, they also attacked them!
Kalyani: Why is it that Aurangzebs army could not get into
the fort? He had so many soldiers and big guns.
Shailja: Didnt you see these strong thick walls? In the map
there is a long deep ditch (pit) along the wall. How could the
army enter?
Shreedhar: If the army tried to come from a different side,
then the soldiers in the bastions would have seen it from a
distance. No wonder it was difficult to attack the fort!
Kalyani: Imagine! The army is coming on horses and
elephants, with all their guns. Here, the Sultan's army stands
fully prepared.
Shailja: Oh no! How many people and soldiers on both the
sides must have been killed in all this fighting? Why do people
attack and have wars?

92

Looking Around

Shreedhar: Guns and cannons are things of the past now.

These days many countries have nuclear bombs. A single
bomb can cause so much destruction!

Discuss
 Have you recently read or heard about any country

attacking or going to war with another country?

 Find out what was the reason for this war.
 What kind of weapons were used in this war?
 What kind of destruction was caused because of this?

Find out
The big gun that Shreedhar saw was made of bronze.
 Have you seen anything made of bronze? What?

Tribal people have been using bronze to make many things

since thousands of years. One wonders how they took out
copper and tin from the deep mines, melted these metals,
and turned them into beautiful things!
 Find out from your elders about some of the things made

from bronze that were, or are still used in your house.

From its colour try to identify which one of them is made
from copper, which from brass, and which from bronze.
When there was no telephone
Didi asked us to wait at the king's palace. She herself went to Fateh Darwaza.
A while later we heard Didis voice, Alert! I am Sultan Abul Hassan. I am
very fond of music and Kuchipudi dance. We all laughed. We were surprised
how didis voice could be heard from so far. She later told us that if
you stand at Fateh Darwaza whatever you speak can be heard at the
kings palace.

Teachers Note: Pictures of bronze and brass vessels have also been given in
Chapter 6. Encourage children to identify different metals from their colours.

Walls Tell Stories

93

Arrangements for water

The picture shown here is made
after seeing a very old painting of
those times. Can you think why
bullocks have been used here? Use
your hand movement to show in
which direction the drum attached
to the rod moves when the bullocks
move. In which direction would the
toothed wheel move?

Drum
Pole
Toothed
Wheel

Look, this pole shown under the ground joins with another
wheel which has a number of pots on it.
Can you see the
clay pipes?

 Now imagine, how would this garland

of pots lift water from the well?

 Do you now get some idea about how

Rajeev Singh

the tanks could have been filled by

lifting water from the wells? Even
today we can see clay pipes in the
walls of the fort. These pipes would
have been used to carry water to
different places in the palace.
 Where else have you seen such wheels attached to each

other. For example, in the gear of a cycle or somewhere

else?
 Look around and find out how water is pumped up from

the ground to higher places?

 How is water pumped up using electricity? How is water

lifted without electricity?

94

Looking Around

What a sad sight!

Rajeev Singh

Talking, whistling and listening to our own echo we were walking

through this mehrab (arch).

Shreedhar: Oh! The breeze feels so cool in this tunnel.

Shailja: It was written that soldiers stayed here.
Shreedhar: See this board, but look what the wall is like!
Shailja: Oh! Think how this wall has seen thousands of
years go by. It has seen kings and queens, horses and
elephants, war and peace... But we have spoilt it in just a
few years!
Kalyani: I dont understand, what kind of fun do people get
in writing their names all over the place like this?

Close your eyes and go back in time!

Imagine that you are in those days when there was a busy
town inside Golconda. Think about the questions given
below and discuss in class. You could even put up a play.
 What is the Sultan doing in the palace? What kind of

clothes is he wearing? What dishes are being offered to

him? But why does he seem so worried? And in what
language is he talking?
Teacher's Note: Through this activity encourage children to imagine how life
would have been at that time the food habits, clothes, etc. They can express
these in a variety of ways, like by acting, drawing, making a story, etc.

Walls Tell Stories

95

 Imagine the rooms in the palace the beautiful carpets

and curtains, the fountains on the terrace and the sweet

smell of roses and chameliwhere is this coming from?
 What are the different kinds of factories you can see? How

many people are working there? What are they doing? What
are they wearing? How long do you think they work?
 Look there! See how finely those craftsmen are carving the

stones using a chisel and hammer? Can you see the stone
dust in the air. Do you think this stone dust would harm
them in some way?

Going to the museum

Rajiv Singh

After seeing Golconda, the

children also went to a
museum in Hyderabad. Many
old items are kept there. Many
things were found when the
place around Golconda was
dug like pots, jewellery,
swords, etc.
Shailja: Oh! Why are these broken pieces of pots kept in the
almirah? See that small plate made of bronze. That blue piece
seems to be made of ceramic (clay).
Didi : It is through all these things that we come to know how
people of those times lived, what they used and what things
they made. If all these would not have been kept here, how
would you know so much about those times?
Teachers Note: Encourage children to talk to their elders and neighbours
about old times. This would help develop their understanding of history.

96

Looking Around

Write
 What kinds of pots have you seen around you?
 Try to find out from your grandparents about the other

kinds of pots and pans they used in their time?

 Have you ever been to some museum or heard about it?

What all things are there in a museum?

Survey and write

 Is there any old building or monument near your house

which people come to see? If yes, name it.

 Have you ever gone to see an old monument? Which was

that? Did you feel it told you a story? What could you
know about those times from it?
 How old was it? How did you know?
 What was it made of?
 What colour was it?
 Were there any special kind of designs on the old building?

Draw them in your notebook.

 Who used to live there in the olden days?

 What kinds of activities took place there?
 Do some people still live there?

Teachers Note: Talk to children about various sources of history, such as

maps, pictures, excavated things, books, records and ledgers.

Walls Tell Stories

97

Make your own museum

Rajni teaches in a Government school in Mallapuram district in Kerala.
Together with the children of her class, she has collected many old
things from all the houses. Like old walking sticks, locks, umbrellas,
wooden slippers (khadaun),
pots, etc. They also saw what
these things look like today.
Rajni and the children put up
an exhibition, which people
from the neighbourhood came
to see. You could also do this.

Look at the painting and tell

This painting is 500 years old. It
shows Agra fort being constructed.

What kinds of work are people

doing? How many men and
women are working? See, how
they are taking the huge pillar
up along the slope? Is it easier
to lift a heavy thing straight up
or along a slope? Were you able
to see the man carrying water
in a mashak (leather bag)?

What we have learnt

 Sangeeta thinks it is useless to keep old things in a
museum. How would you convince her that it is
important to have a museum?
 Why do you think the chapter is named, Walls Tell
Stories ?
98

Looking Around