Bijapur

Bijapur is also known as the Agra of the South. The city is full of ruined and still intact gems of 15th to 17th century. Bijapur was the capital (15th-17th century) of the Deccan kingdom of Bijapur,under the Adil Shahi sultans. This pleasant garden town today has the remains of some of the Deccan's Muslim architecture of the 15th to the 17th century.

Among the city's notable remains is the Gol Gumbaz,the tomb of Mahmud Shah and Ibrahim Roza. The grace of monuments,in this city is in complete contrast to the sculptural extravaganza of the Chalukyan and Hoysala temple further south.

Interesting Places in Bijapur :

Gol Gumbaz is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah (1626-56),his two wives,his mistress,one of his daughters and a grandson. Built in 1659,it's four walls enclose a majestic hall 1704 sq. m in area,buttressed by octagonal seven storey towers at each of the corners. The enormous dome of Gol Gumbaz is said to the world's second largest after St. Peter's,Vatican city.

Ibrahim Roza is a beautiful tomb with artistically laid out corridors and interconnecting buildings with richly decorated walls and perforated stone windows. It was constructed by Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1580-1626) for his queen. Its 24m high minarets are said to have inspired those of Taj Mahal. It is one of the few monuments in Bijapur with substantial stone filigree and other sculpturally decorative work. At the centre of the town are large arches signifying the forts and its beauty in moonlight. Even though many of the structures were damaged by Aurangazeb,Bijapur remains a must see town.

Jama-E-Masjid was constructed by Adil Shah (1557-80) and is a finely proportioned building with graceful arches,a fine dome and a large inner courtyard containing fountains and a reservoir.

Jama-E-Masjid holds an exquisite copy of the Quran,written in gold. Dating back to the period of Adil Shah this is the largest and one of the oldest Masjid in the region. 'Barah Cummon' (12 arches) is another wonderful piece of architecture created simply with twelve interleaving arches as a centre stage for art festivities.

Citadel Surrounded by fortified walls,the citadel once contained palaces,pleasure gardens and Durbar Hall of the Adil Shahi kings,most of them are now in ruins.

The Gagan Mahal,gives a good idea of the scale on which things were built here. This palace was built by Adil Shah (I ) to serve the dual purpose of royal residence and Durbar Hall. The Sat Manzil,Mohammed Adil Shah's seven storey ppalace and the Jala Manzil is the more delicate pieces of architecture in Bijapur.

Other buildings in the citadel are the Upli Buruj,a watchtower,24m high from where one can have a good view of the city,Anand Mahal and the Mecca Masjid and the Mehtar Mahal which is typical of the architecture of Bijapur and has been richly decorated with sculptural work.

• By Road : Bijapur is well-connected by road and rail to Bangalore,Belgaum and Goa.
• By Air : The nearest airport is Belgaum,205 kms away.