The illustrious ruler of the Qutb shahi Dynasty which ruled the Golconda Kingdom from 1518 to 1687, Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah was a multifaceted personality, a prince, poet, lover and builder.

He founded the capital city of Hyderabad and built its architectural centre-piece, the CharMinar. The intensity of his love for Bhagmati, a commoner was so strong that he first named the city as Bhagnagar after her. In his passion for building, he perhaps excelled the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan. He decreed that his capital city should be ‘a replica of heaven on earth’. Was it really a ‘divine city’? This interesting question is examined in this book. When he built a garden-city and over a dozen multi-storeyed palaces, he did not forget to provide a general hospital for the poor.