Fall of the Pineapple: From Deccan symbol of prestige to deathly fruit By News Desk| Updated: 22nd February 2021 3:24 pm IST The pineaple motifs on the tomb of Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah in the Qutb Shahi tombs complex. Abdullah was the sixth ruler of the Golconda dynasty. (Photo: Yunus Y. Lasania) By Pallavi Laxmikanth Hyderabad: Pineapples are originally native to the lowlands of South America and were claimed to be ‘discovered’ by Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean in 1493. They were brought to India by the Portuguese when Goa was colonised in 1510, and it eventually reached other places here. For the Deccan Sultans, like the Qutb Shahis of the Golconda dynasty (1518-1687), the pineapple was an important symbol of wealth, hospitality and abundance. One can find pineapple motifs on the Charminar, and its design elements on almost every Qutb Shahi or Golconda era tomb.