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The Archaeological Survey of India said the structure unearthed behind Golconda Fort in Hyderabad is a small rectangular granite chamber, not the secret tunnel that early reports described.
Preliminary inspection put the chamber at roughly 1.2 m by 1.8 m with a depth of 2.2 m, built of granite with rough stone masonry forming an internal wall-like face.
A few red-coloured potsherds recovered at the spot appear to belong to the medieval period; the chamber's original purpose cannot be fixed without detailed investigation.
The structure surfaced during work taken up by the Army's Artillery Centre, Golconda, located behind the fort, after which an ASI team was deputed to verify the tunnel claim.
Golconda Fort is part of the Qutb Shahi Monuments of Hyderabad, on UNESCO's Tentative List since 2014 along with the Qutb Shahi Tombs and Charminar.
A mud fortification is raised on Golla Konda under the Kakatiya dynasty.
Quli Qutb Shah declares independence from the Bahmani Sultanate; Golconda becomes the Qutb Shahi capital and is rebuilt in granite.
The Qutb Shahis shift their capital to the newly founded city of Hyderabad, marked by the Charminar.
Aurangzeb's first attempt on the fort fails.
After a nine-month siege the Mughals breach Golconda; the kingdom is absorbed into the Mughal Empire.
The Qutb Shahi Monuments of Hyderabad - Golconda Fort, Qutb Shahi Tombs and Charminar - are placed on UNESCO's Tentative List.
A structure surfaces during Army Artillery Centre work behind the fort and is reported as a tunnel.
ASI states it is a rectangular granite chamber, with medieval-looking potsherds nearby and no confirmed function.
Central agency for archaeological research and for the protection of monuments and sites of national importance; carries out exploration, excavation, conservation and the kind of site verification done at Golconda. Founded in 1861.
Parent ministry of the ASI; also administers the National Museum, the National Archives and India's nominations to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
GS Paper 1 > Indian Culture: Art Forms, Architecture from Ancient to Modern Times; Medieval Indian History - the Deccan Sultanates
General Awareness > Indian History and Art & Culture
General Awareness > Monuments and Heritage of India
A broken fragment of pottery. Because pottery styles change over time, potsherds are among the most reliable everyday markers archaeologists use to date a layer or a structure.
A projecting part of a fortification wall from which defenders can cover the wall's face with fire. Golconda has 87 of them, each 50-60 feet high.
The inventory of properties a country intends to nominate for UNESCO World Heritage inscription. Listing here is a prerequisite for nomination but does not itself confer World Heritage status.
The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, under which the ASI declares and protects monuments of national importance and regulates construction around them.