BIJAPUR(VIJAPUR), Karnataka

<-Asara Mahal <- World Largest Canon <- Canons in front of Golgumbaz <- Entrance door of Golgumbaz




<-Havamahal(Gagan-Mahal)




Bijapur : The name Bijapur is derived from a sanskrit term 'Vijaypura' meaning ' City of Victory. Think of Bijapur and the first thing that comes to mind is the Gol Gumbaz - the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah. Gol Gumbaz boasts of the second largest dome in the world. 44 meters in diameter, this dome forms a highly sensitive echo-chamber. The slightest whisper echoes 7 times over and the tick of a clock held at one end can be distinctly heard at the opposite end - 125 feet away ! But there's a lot more to Bijapur. On the western outskirts of the city lies the mausoleum of Ibrahim Adil Shah II - Ibrahim Roza, said to have inspired the Taj Mahal in Agra. Embracing 1,16,300 square feet is the Jumma Masjid - "one of the finest mosques in India". Here, in a beautiful mihrab -covered by a heavy curtain - are verses of the Quran, beautifully inscribed in letters of gold. Malik-e-Maidan - the largest medieval cannon in the world - is fourteen feet long, weighing about 55 tons. 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. Sampling the spicy curry with jowar rotis. And packing a host of delightful memories to carry back home.
Local Festivals: The Bijapur Music Festival - featuring the stalwarts of Indian music - is organized by the Government of Karnataka every year. Language Spoken: Kanada, Urdu, English, Hindi.
Local Food Specialities: Non - vegetarian preparations distinctly Mughalai or Hyderabadi. When to visit: Bijapur is extremely hot in the summer. September to February would be the best time to visit the Queen of Deccan.
How to go?
Air: The nearest airport is Belgaum (205 kms).
Rail: Bijapur is connected by rail to Bangalore, Bombay, (via sholapur) Hospet (via Gadag) and Vasco da Gama (via Hubli Londa).
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).

History
In 1518, the Bahmani Sultanate split into five splinter states known as the Deccan sultanates, one of which was Bijapur, ruled by the kings of the Adil Shahi dynasty (1490-1686). The city of Bijapur owes much of its greatness to Yusuf Adil Shah, the founder of the independent state of Bijapur. The rule of this dynasty ended in 1686, when Bijapur was conquered during the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. In 1724 the Nizam of Hyderabad established his independence in the Deccan, and included Bijapur within his dominions. In 1760, the Nizam suffered a defeat by the Marathas, and ceded the region of Bijapur to the Maratha Peshwa. After the 1818 defeat of the Peshwa by the British in the Third Anglo-Maratha War, Bijapur passed into the hands of the British East India Company, and was assigned to the princely state of Satara.
Description
The city consists of three distinct portions: the citadel, the fort and the remains of the city. The citadel, built by Yusuf Adil Shah, a mile in circuit, is of great strength, well built of the most massive materials, and encompassed by a ditch 100 yards wide, formerly supplied with water, but now nearly filled up with rubbish, so that its original depth cannot be discovered. Within the citadel are the remains of Hindu temples, which prove that Bijapur was an important town in pre-Islam times. The fort, which was completed by Au Adil Shah in 1566, is surrounded by a wall 6 m. in circumference. This wall is from 30 to 50 ft (15 m) high, and is strengthened with ninety-six massive bastions of various designs. In addition there are ten others at the various gateways. The width is about 25 ft (7.6 m); from bastion to bastion runs a battlemented curtained wall about 10 ft (3.0 m) high. The whole is surrounded by a deep moat 30 to 40 ft (12 m) broad. Inside these walls the Bijapur kings bade defiance to all comers. Outside the walls are the remains of a vast city, now for the most part in ruins, but the innumerable tombs, mosques, caravanserais and other edifices, which have resisted the havoc of time, afford abundant evidence of the ancient splendour of the place.
In front of the Gol Gumbaz is a Museum maintained by the Archeological Survey of India
Badami, Aihole, and Pattadakal, near Bijapur, are noted for their historical temples in the Chalukyan architectural style.
Gol Gumbaz: In 1848 the territory of Satara, along with Bijapur, was annexed to Britain's Bombay Presidency when the last ruler died without a male heir. The British carved a new district by the name Kaladagi. The district included present-day Bijapur and Bagalkot districts. Bijapur was made the administrative headquarters of the district in 1885, when the headquarters were moved from Bagalkot. After India's Independence in 1947, the district became part of Bombay state, and was reassigned to Mysore State, later Karnataka, in 1956. The former southern taluks of the district were separated in 1997 to form Bagalkot District.
Info:530 kms to the northwest of Bangalore connected by NH17 is the ancient town of Bijapur, the capital of the Adil Shahi dynasty. Bijapur is close to Belgaum - the gateway to Karnataka from Goa and Mumbai. Bijapur has many places of historical, cultural and architectural interest.
Places to visit
Gol Gumbaz The tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah, boasts of the second-largest tomb in the world. 44 m in diameter, the interior of the dome is mysteriously unsupported and has a whispering gallery under it, whose acoustics are superb.
1.Gol Gumbaz
Jumma MasjidIt is still used for worship, has been called one of the first mosques in India. It holds an exquisite copy of the Koran, written in gold lettering. Ibrahim Roza, the mausoleum of Ibrahim Adil Shah II, is said to have inspired the Taj Mahal in Agra.
2.Ibrahim Roza
The Malik-e-MaidanThe largest medieval cannon in the world is 14 ft long, weighing 55 tons. Legend has it that if you touch the gun and make a wish, it will come true! Also worth a visit are the Mehtar Mahal, the Jod Gumbaz, Afzal Khan's Cenotaph, Asar Mahal, Anand Mahal, Ark-Kila, etc.
3.Malik-e-Maidan The largest medieval cannon in the world is 14 ft long, weighing 55 tons. Legend has it that if you touch the gun and make a wish, it will come true! Also worth a visit are the Mehtar Mahal, the Jod Gumbaz, Afzal Khan's Cenotaph, Asar Mahal, Anand Mahal, Ark-Kila, etc. (The Monarch of the Plains) 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 with open jaws & between the carved fangs is depicted an elephant being crushed to death. 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.

4.Upri Buruj: Built around 1584 by Hyder Khan, is an 80 ft (24 m) high tower standing to the north of Dakhani Idgah in Bijapur. This is a spherical structure with stone steps winding round the outside. Top of the tower offers a commanding view of the city. This is also known as ;Hyder Burj", "Upli Burj". On top of Upli Burj there are two guns of huge size. The parafeet this tower which was used for monitoring purposes has been fenced now. One needs to climb the circular stairs to reach the top. However except for this tower there is very little evidence of the citadel wall in this area due to rampant construction.
Chand Bawdi, Ali Adil Shah (1557-1580) 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".

The incomplete masolueum of Adil Shah, Barakaman(Ali Roza-II), India, which means twelve arches in Urdu
Asar Mahal, 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 (4.6 m) 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.

5.Asar Mahal
Gagan Mahal, Which means Sky Palace, is built with a 21- meter façade and four wooden massive pillars, has a majestic central arch. Sikandar Adil Shah, in silver chains, surrendered to Aurangzeb in 1681 here.

6.Gagan Mahal
Barakaman (Ali Roza-II) 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.
Among the other historical attractions at Bijapur, some notable ones are the Anand Mahal, Jod Gumbaz, Jumma Mosque, Sat Manzil, and Jal Manzil. Also among old houses at Bijapur, the most famous is Elavia House ( Nauzer Elavia) which is more than 100 years old.

7.Barakaman (Ali Roza-II) : 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.
Among the other historical attractions at Bijapur, some notable ones are the Anand Mahal, Jod Gumbaz, Jumma Mosque, Sat Manzil, and Jal Manzil. Also among old houses at Bijapur, the most famous is Elavia House ( Nauzer Elavia) which is more than 100 years old.

Transport By
Rail:
Bijapur is connected by a railway (Gadag-Hotgi railway line) to Hotgi junction near Solapur and Kurduvadi on Central Railway towards the north and to Bagalkot on South West Railway towards the south. The railway track from Bagalkot to Hotgi junction on the Hubli-Hospet railway