The voyage of Ananás from Brazil’s Plantations to Deccan’s Architecture
The Portuguese invasion introduced potatoes, pao, vindaloo, and a prickly fruit that was said to be the epitome of luxury — the pineapple— to India.
The Portuguese took control of the reigns of Goa in 1510, and slowly spread their imprint across the Deccan Plateau. Native to the Portuguese colony of Brazil, the pineapple took the world by storm in the 16th Century, including the Deccan Sultanates.
Cherished by the royals, the sweet and sour pineapple was a sign of hospitality and prestige. Its admiration spread and the pineapple began to be revered in England and India. In England, hostesses often used pineapples as centerpieces for their dinner parties, and there was a surge of businesses that rented the fruit for one night of dining grandeur.
When the pineapple reached India, it made its way to the plates of the royals and the sketchbooks of the architects. The pineapple motif was swiftly adopted to adorn tombs and monuments. When the Portuguese first defeated Yusuf Adil Shah of the Bijapur Sultanate to gain control of Goa, religious conversions and social mingling led to a quick exchange of cultures and food habits. The pineapple was introduced to cultivation owing to the favorable climate, and its symbolic prestige led to quick fame.
The Gol Gumbaz in the Bijapur Sultanate was built as a mausoleum for Muhammad Adil Shah and was compared to the Taj Mahal for its splendour. It still stands as the world’s largest unsupported dome and no doubt has traces of pineapple in its stunning design. The dynasty continued thereon to survive for another two centuries, and such architectural motifs have made its way to smaller spaces and structures.
The fruit’s admiration spread wide and far, making its presence felt across the Deccan plateau. To the east of Bijapur, lied the Golconda Sultanate that witnessed the rise of the Qutb Shahi period. Located in Hyderabad, the Qutb Shahi Complex houses the resting places of members of the Royal Family and important figures of the court. Amongst several tombs, such as Abdullah Qutb Shah’s, pineapples can be seen embellishing the doorway and balustrades. The Paigah Tombs also located in Hyderabad belong to a family of Nizam loyalists, and their designs display pineapple stucco work ornamenting the tombs.
The pineapple is interpreted by many as a sign of cosmopolitanism within the Sultanates. It’s not just a symbol of wealth and extravagance but also of seepage and amalgamation of different cultures. The language spoken in Deccan by many to date is Dakhni, which combines elements of Persian and Arabic with Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, and Telugu. The pineapple, much like the language, was a motif that intertwines faiths and people. Among the backdrop of war and resistance, it held mantle and acquired growing acceptance. Today, India produces more than 8% of the world’s pineapples, and while the sweet and sour fruit illustrates our past, it also carves open a path for the exchange of cultures and food habits.
References & Further Reads:
A podcast by Anirudh Kanisetti and Aditya Ramanathan speaks about how the Portuguese did more than simply conquer.
https://ivmpodcasts.com/yuddha-episode-list/2020/9/2/ep-08-cites-of-victory-how-the-portuguese-conquered-the-indian-ocean
