Karnataka > Bijapur
 |
| Gol gumbaz of Bijapur |
Bijapur, the district headquarters, 579 km. away from Bangalore is one of the most important centres of Indo-Saracenic art, being the capital of the Adilshahis of Bijapur (1489-1686). The place is found mentioned as Vjayapura' in an inscription of 12th Century A.D. The Gol Gumbaz here has the biggest dome in India, 126 feet in diametre at its base and is the Mausoleum of Mohammed Adilshah (1626-56). It has an astonishing whispering gallery and it covers an area of 15,000 square feet. Ibrahim Rauza is a marvellous mausoleum of Ibrahim II (1580-1626) which stands on a platform supported by rows of arches, and at one end is the mosque and at the other the tomb. Henry Cousens called this, "the Tajmahal of the South". Anand Mahal, Gagan Mahal, Asar Mahal etc. are the other important monuments of this place. There are fine tanks like Tajbavadi and Chandbavadi.Asar Mahal has attractive paintings now fading away due to weathering.
The fort round the town has 96 bastions and six imposing doorways.Mulk-Maidan here is a huge gun weighing 55 tons. Near Gol Gumbaz is a Museum. The place has a Municipal Corporation. It has many grand artistic mosques like Kali Masjid, Mecca Masjid, Malika Jahan's Mosque and the Jami Masjid, the biggest one with a proportionate large dome. The Mahtar Mahal, the entrance of mosque has delicate stone brackets of intricate workmanship. To the west of the citadel is a Dattatreya temple, where a pair to sandals of Narashimha Saraswati are worshipped and the shrine was raised by Ibrahim II. There is a Parshwanatha basadi (1927) in the city and many modern temples of which twenty Shivalinga temple (1954) is notable. Bijapur had a population of over one million in its hay days and was a great commercial centre, called as "the Queen of Deccan". After its take over by Aurangzeb, the city lost its importance. It regained its importance after the British who made it their district headquarters during 1870s. Other attractions in Bijapur
Azar Mahal in Bijapur :
The Asar Mahal was built by Mohammed Adil Shah in about 1646, which was used to serve as a Hall of Justice. The building was also used to house hairs from the Prophet's beard. The rooms on the upper storey are decorated with frescoes and the front is graced with a square tank. Here women are not allowed inside. Every year there is urs (festival) held at this place. In front of the hall, one can see three tanks the bigger tank, which is at the centre is about 15 feet deep however the other two are comparatively smaller in size as well as depth. Behind Asar Mahal one can still see the remain of the citadel. Just a kilometer away behind Asar Mahal, one can still find the old mosque which is on top of the citadel wall. There is a big entrance with arc below this mosque. Many stones have inscriptions. The site is under maintenance of Archeological Survey of India
Jumma Masjid in Bijapur :
Built by Ali Adil Shah I (1558-80) is one of largest Mosque in the region. It has a large hall, elegant arches, and an excellent dome with thirty-three smaller domes surrounding it. It has an exquisite copy of the Quran, written in gold. Elaborate entrance gate was built by Emperor Aurangzeb.
Malik-e-Maidan in Bijapur :
the largest medieval cannon in the world. Being 4 m long, 1,5 m in diameter and weighing 55 tons, this gun was brought back from Ahmadnagar in the 17th century as a trophy of war by 400 oxen, 10 elephants and tens of men. It was placed on the Sherza Burj (Lion Gate) on a platform especially built for it. The cannon's nozzle is fashioned into the shape of a lion's head. It is said that after igniting the cannon, the gunner would remain underwater in a tank of water on the platform to avoid the deafening explosion. The cannon remains cool even in strong sunlight and if tapped, tinkles like a bell. In 1854 the cannon was auctioned for Rs. 150 but the sale was cancelled in the end.
Barakaman in Bijapur :
A mausoleum of Ali Roza built in 1672. It was previously named as Ali Roza, but Shah Nawab Khan changed its name to Bara Kaman as this was the 12th monument during his reign. It has now seven arches and the tomb containing the graves of Ali, his queens and eleven other ladies possibly belonging to the Zenana of the queens.
Chand Bawdi in Bijapur :
Ali Adil Shah (1558-1580) built this tank near eastern boundary of Bijapur. When there was large influx of people into Bijapur after the fall of the Vijayanagar empire, and new settlements came up within the walled city raising the need for better infrastructure and providing water supply. This has a storage capacity of 20 million litres. Later it became a model for many other tanks constructed in the city. A grandeur complex came up around it, which was mainly used to house the maintenance staff though members of the royal family occasionally used it for recreation. He named this after his wife "Chand Bibi".
Culture and People of Bijapur :
People from the central Asian regions settled in this part, when they landed as part of the caravan with the muslium rulers. The local population is mainly a mix of Dravidian and Aryan descendants. Majority of people are Hindu Lingayats. But still in the urban areas one can find considerable population of Brahmin. However very little population of Muslim and Chrisitan community can be found in the district. As per the 2001 census 3,34,254 people belong to the Scheduled Castes and 30,051 to the Scheduled Tribes. People belonging to the Lambani tribe have settled in the districts since long. The villages in which these groups live are referred as "Tandas". |
