BIJAPUR -
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 metres in diameter, this dome forms a highly sensitive
echo-chamber. The slightest whisper echoes seven 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 lbrahim Adil Shah II - lbrahim 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.
Like the one surrounding Afzal Khan's Cenotaph. It is said that Afzal Khan started the construction of his, own tomb, in his lifetime. But eventually could-not be buried here.
You could spend days exploring Bijapur. Wandering round the Ara-killa, the Anand Mahal, the Mehtar Mahal, the Bara Kaman, the Gagan Mahal, the Amin Durgah, the Asar Mahal, the Chota Asar, the Faroukh Mahal, the Jahaz Mahal, the, Jod Gumbaz...
Listening to the quaint Deccan dialect. Sampling the spicy currys with jowar rotis. And packing a host of delightful memories to carry back home.
HOW TO GET THERE :
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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).
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Air : The nearest airport is Belgaum (205kms).
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Rail : Bijapur is connected by rail to Bangalore, Bombay, (via Solapur), Hospet (via Gadag) and Vasco da Gama (via Hubli and Londa).
Last modified: 26/02/2004