Bijapur Information
About Bijapur
Bijapur is located in the northern part of the state of Karnataka, in
the southern region of India. It is 613 km from Bangalore city and 486
km southeast of Mumbai (Bombay) city. Legend has it that if you touch
the gun and make a wish, it will come true ! Bijapur is full of such
legends. Liked the one surrounding Afzal Khan's Centaph. It is said that
Afzal Khanstarted the construction of his own tomb in his lifetime. But
eventually could not be buried here. You could spend days exploring
Bijapur. Wandering around the Arakilla, the Anand Mahal, the Mehtar
Mahal, the Bara Kaman, the Gagan Mahal, the Amin Durgah, the Assar
Mahal, the Chota Asar, the Faroukh Mahal, the Jahz Mahal, the Jod Gumbaz…
Listening to the quaint Deccan dialect.Bijapur is known for its medieval
monuments, which are a unique form of Islamic architecture. The
magnificent Gol Gumbaz is the main attraction of this city. It is the
largest dome in India and the second largest in the world. Tourists are
attracted to this city by the various monuments built by the Adil Shahi
rulers, who ruled Bijapur between 15th and 17th century. The climate of
Bijapur is temperate with summers (April-June) being moderately hot and
winters are cool and pleasant (November-February). It experiences
southwestern monsoon rains in the months of June to August
Getting There:
By Air: The nearest airport is Belgaum (205 kms).
By Rail: Bijapur is connected by rail to Bangalore,
Bombay, (via sholapur) Hospet (via Gadag) and Vasco da Gama (via Hubli
Londa).
By Road: Bijapur is connected by road to most places
in south and west India. These are: · Aihole (129 kms) ·
Badami (132 kms) · Pattadakal (148 kms) · Hampi (220 kms) ·
Belgaum (205 kms) · Bangalore (550 kms) · Bombay (486 kms).
Tourists Attractions:
Gol Gumbaz :
It is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah (1626-56), hhis 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. This basis
structure is capped by an enormous dome said to the world’s second
largest after St. Peter’s, Vatican city. The diameter of the dome
is 38m. Around the base of the dome at the top of the hall is a three
meter wide gallery known as the “whispering gallery” since the
acoustics here are such that any sound made is repeated 10 times over.
Ibrahim Roza :
This beautiful structure was constructed at the height of Bijapur’s
prosperity by Ibrahim Adil Shah II (1580-1626) for his queen. The
emphasis here is on elegance and delicacy and 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.
Jumma Masjid
Jumma Masjid is the other attraction of this city. Jumma Masjid still
used for worship, has been called one of the first mosques in India. It
holds an exquisite copy of the Quran, written in gold. Also dating back
to the period of Adil Shah this is the largest 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.
Aihole
This Temple city is 110 kms away from Bijapur. It is famous as the
'Cradle of Indian Temple Architecture'. Aihole has over 125 temples all
intricately carved and rich in detail. The oldest temple here, is
perhaps the 5th century Lad Khan Temple. The Durga (Fort) Temple has a
semi-circular apse and a complete portico. The Hutchmalli Temple, the
Ravalphadi Cave Temple, The Konti Temple Complex, The Uma Maheshwari
Temple , The Jain Meguthi Temple and The Two-storeyed Buddhist Temple
are the other attractions at Aihole.
