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Bijapur (Kannada) is a district
headquarters of the Bijapur District in the state of Karnataka. Bijapur
city is well known for the great architectures of histrorical importance
built during the Adil Shahi dynasty. Bijapur City is the head quarters
of the district and is located 530 km northwest of Bangalore.
The city established in the 10th-11th centuries by the Chalukyas of
Kalyani was referred as Vijayapura (City of victory). The city came
under the influence of the Khilji Sultanate in Delhi by the late 13th
century. In 1347, the area was conquered by the Bahmani Sultanate of
Gulbarga. By this time the city was being referred as Vijapur or Bijapur
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.
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.
Bijapur is rich in
historical attractions, mainly related to Islamic
architecture.
- Gol Gumbaz: This is
the most famous monument in Bijapur. It is the tomb
of Mohammed Adil Shah (ruled 1627-1657). It is the
second largest dome ever built, next in size only to
St Peter's Basilica in Rome. A particular attraction
in this monument is the central chamber, where every
sound is echoed seven times. Another attraction at
the Gol Gumbaz is the Whispering Gallery,
where even minute sounds can be heard clearly 37
metres away. Gol Gumbaz complex includes a mosque, a
Naqqar Khana (a hall for the trumpeters) (Now it is
used as museum) and the ruins of guest houses.
- Ibrahim Rauza: This
is the tomb of
Ibrahim Adil Shah II (ruled 1580-1627), the
fifth king of the dynasty and, like the Mughal
emperor
Akbar, known for religious tolerance. Built on a
single rock bed, it is noted for the symmetry of its
features. It is said that the design for the
Ibrahim Rauza served as an inspiration for that
of the famous
Taj Mahal.
The Gun:
Malik-E-Maidan, which means the master of
the war front
- Malik-e-Maidan
(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.
- Upri Buruj,
Built around 1584 by Hyder Khan, is an 80 ft 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), 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.Infront 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 maintaince of Archeological Survey
of India
- 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.
- 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.
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