This little book is an imperfect sketch of a very interesting subject. It merely brings together in a compendious way the essential portions of the information which is scattered about in a number of books and papers, and does not aim at serving purposes of reference. My object has been to do in writing what one might do in conversation--much more briefly, of course-—-if any one casually put the question“ who were the kings of Golkonda, and what did Golconda stand for in the past?


According to some oriental historians, Sultan* Quli Qutb Shah, sometimes named Berra. Malik, the founder of the Golconda dynasty, carried his pedigree back to Oghaz Khan, lineally descended from Japheth, the son of Noah. Gertain it is that he sprang from an ancient family of Qava Quviulu Turks of the sect of Ali and hailed from Saidabad near Hamadan in Persia. It is said that he was a grandson of Mirza Jehan Shah of Persia, but this is not authenticated.