Abul Hasan Qutb Shah, also known as Abul Hasan Tana Shah was the eighth and last ruler of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, sovereign of the Kingdom of Golconda in South India. He ruled from 1672 to 1686. The last Sultan of this Shia Islamic dynasty, Tana Shah is remembered as an inclusive ruler. Instead of appointing only Muslims as ministers, he appointed Brahmin Hindus such as Madanna and Akkanna brothers as ministers in charge of tax collection and exchequer. Towards the end of his reign, one of his Muslim generals defected to the Mughal Empire, who then complained to Aurangzeb about the rising power of the Hindus as ministers in his Golconda Sultanate. Aurangzeb sent a regiment led by his son, who beheaded Tana Shah's Hindu ministers and plundered the Sultanate. In 1687, Aurangzeb ordered an arrest of Tana Shah, who was then imprisoned at the Daulatabad Fort. He died in prison in 1699. Biography In his early life, he was unassociated with the royal court. He married one of the three daughters of Sultan Abdullah Qutub Shah, the second last Sultan of Golconda Sultanate. Abdullah Qutub Shah did not have a male heir. When he died, the succession choice was between the three sons-in-law. One was in prison, and the choice was between Sayyad Ahmad and Abul Hasan Qutb Shah. In a struggle for power between the two, the Muslim generals sided with Abul Hasan Qutb Shah. Muslim historians describe him as a distant descendant from the male side of Qutb Shahi family, but one who was lazy, prone to drinking and who for a period followed a Sufi preacher Sayyad Kathal. He has been traced as the grandson of one of Sultan Muhammad Quli's nephews. He came to be known as "Tānā Shah", lit. "King of Taste", because of his "love of the Arts and pleasure". Administration The early Qutb Shahi sultans prohibited Hindus from observing their religious festivals, states Annemarie Schimmel – a scholar of Islamic studies. During the reign of Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah (1580–1611), who was a more tolerant ruler, the Hindus were allowed to observe their religious festivals like Diwali and Holi in open. This policy was extended by Abul Hasan Qutb Shah, who appointed Brahmin Hindus such as Madanna and Akkanna brothers as ministers in charge of tax collection and exchequer. The two brothers introduced many reforms and became very powerful. However, this