RAS question
The Charminar in Hyderabad was built by:
Correct answer: (A) Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (1591).
The Charminar in Hyderabad was built by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591.
Explanation
Charminar is tied directly to Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah and the founding memory of old Hyderabad. Hyderabad District, Government of Telangana states that Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah built the monument in 1591. He was the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty of the Golconda Sultanate, which is why the answer is not a Mughal or Nizam-era attribution. Hyderabad District, Government of Telangana also records the popular belief that Charminar was built after the plague had ended, as a tribute following the Sultan's prayer for his people. Architecturally, Charminar's name points to its four pillars or minars, each 48.7 metres high.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Aurangzeb belongs to the Mughal context and is not the builder of Charminar; Hyderabad District, Government of Telangana attributes the monument to Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591.
- (C) Akbar is a Mughal attribution trap; Charminar is a Qutb Shahi construction associated with Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah.
- (D) The Nizam of Hyderabad option shifts the monument to the wrong ruling context; Charminar belongs to the Qutb Shahi dynasty, and Hyderabad District, Government of Telangana names Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah as builder.
Concept
This tests medieval Deccan history through monument-patron matching. RAS repeats such questions because monuments help connect dynasties, capitals, chronology, and cultural patronage in one factual frame.