Abul Hasan Qutb Shah

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Abul Hasan Tana Shah
The eighth sultan of Qutb Shahi dynasty
Golconda Sultan Abul Hasan Qutb Shah, the "King of Taste", portraited 1672-80
Reign	Fourteen years
Died	1699
Place of death	Daulatabad, Aurangabad
Buried	Khuldabad, Aurangabad
Predecessor	Abdullah Qutb Shah
Royal House	Qutub Shahis

1 Life
2 Title of 'Tana Shah'
3 Tana Shah's marriage and succession to the throne of Golconda
4 Rule
5 Seige of Golconda and the Fall of Tana Shah
6 Trivia
7 See also
8 Refernces
9 External Links

[edit] Life

(1672-1687) Died-1699 Abul Hasan Qutb Shah /(Abul Hasan Tana Shah) was the seventh and last ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynastyto rule the kingdom of Golconda in south India. He ruled from 1672 to 1687.

[edit] Title of 'Tana Shah'

His real name was Abul Hasan and nicknamed as 'Tana Shah' even before he was contender to the throne of Golconda by his teacher a Sufi saint called Syed Shah Raziuddin, popularly known as Shah Raju Qattal. Shah Raju was eighth in the line of famous Sufi Saint Khwaja Banda Nawaz Gesu Daraz of Gulbarga. Abul Hassan had a good voice and sang well. He also had a certain innocence about him. Shah Raju therefore gave him the nick name of `Tana Shah' which means a child saint^[1]. He was also known as Tani Shah, meaning "benevolent ruler".

[edit] Tana Shah's marriage and succession to the throne of Golconda

[edit] Rule

He is remembered as a popular statesman who did not discriminate against those of other ethnicities or religions. He hired Brahmins as his ministers and generals. For example Madanna, a Telugu Brahmin from Hanamkonda, was his Chief Minister. Tana Shah gained a place in the Telugu literature due to Kancharla Gopanna, nephew of Madanna. Kancharla Gopanna is famously known as "Ramadasu". Ramadasu lived in Nelakondapalli City in Palvancha county. Tani Shah hired him as "Thesildar" (head of the revenue department) of Palvancha county. Ramadasu diverted the public funds to construct a Rama temple in Bhadrachalam and for the jewelry for the idols of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana. Tana Shah found Ramadasu guilty of misappropriation of public funds and put him in jail. Later, according to legend, Tana Sha released Ramadasu from jail because Lord Rama appeared to him in person and paid back the money. For this goodwill gesture to Ramadasu, Tana Shah gained praise of the Telugu people.

Earlier Tana Shah's father-in-law Abdulla Qutub Shah was forced by Aurangzeb to acknowledged the suzerainty of Shah Jahan. About the year 1683, Abul Hasan appears to have become irregular in payments of taxes to the Mughals.

[edit] Seige of Golconda and the Fall of Tana Shah

Refusal to pay taxes and accede to Mughal supremacy lead Aurangzeb on a campaign to reassert the rule of Mughals on Golconda. He attacked Golconda. Tana Shah defended the fort for eight months, but Aurangazeb succeeded in capturing Golconda by bribery at the end in September 1687. Tana Shan was taken as a prisoner and was imprisoned in the Daulatabad fort (near Aurangabad) where he died in prison after 12 years of captivity. When the Sultan died, he was not burried alongside his ancestors and other Qutub Shahi kings but in a modest grave between Daultabad and Aurangabad.

With the defeat of Abul Hasan Qutub Shah the Qutb Shahi dynasty ended and a new Nizam dynasty began in Hyderabad under the control of the Mughal Dynasty.

After the fall of Golconda on September 22, 1687, it became a part of the six Mughal provinces in the Deccan. Mahabat Khan who was initially the Commander of the Qutb Shahi army and had switched loyalty to the Mughals was appointed the Governor of Golconda-which was to become Hyderabad state under the Nizams-by Aurangzeb.

[edit] Trivia

'Tana Shahi' a synonym for authoritarian rule or tyrany, which became acceptable and common as Urdu and Hindi idiom is derived from Tana Shah. It is reflective of the infamy and myths propagated by his deractors and supporters of Mughal rule against him.