Gol Gumbaz

Golgumbaz is the second largest in the world, 124 feet in diameter. The dome stands unsupported by pillars. The fantastic acoustical system in the dome carries the faintest whisper around the dome and returns it to the listener nine times. Its most arresting features are the seven-storied octagonal spires at the four corners and the heavy bracketed cornice below the parapet. The Gol Gumbaz is an enormous cube of stone and masonry, capped by a gigantic dome.

A remarkable feature of this monument is the whispering gallery that runs round the interior of the dome on a level with its springing, and hangs out from the walls into the building. A single loud clap is echoed about 7 times. In the centre of the hall, on a raised platform 77 sq.ft and 24 ft. high are the tombs of the grandson of Sultan Muhammad, Muhammad's younger wife Arus-bibi, the Sultan himself, his favourite Rambha, his daughter and a senior wife of his, in order from east to west. This monumental mausoleum is a production of phenomenal grandeur.

Unlike most of the other buildings in Bijapur it seems fairly evident that to give aesthetic pleasure was not its intention. It was erected with the object of creating awe and amazement in the mind of the spectator by means of its immense scale and majestic bulk. And these ideals have been abundantly fulfilled. By inserting windows in the open arches of the upper floor, the Nagarkhana in front of Gol Gumbad is converted to house a museum.

In front of this building are arranged many of the old cannon collected from the city's fortifications. The collections exhibited in nine improvised chambers in the upper storey, include inscribed slabs, sculptures, paintings, manuscripts, sanads, Persian and Arabic caligraphy, textiles, china and earthenwares, wooden carvings, coins, arms and weapons and some pieces of shining coloured tile mosaics with chromatic, geometric and floral designs.

Muhammad Adil Shah in 1656, the seventh ruler of the Adil Shah dynasty, built the Gol Gumbaz. Even the tick of a watch or the rustle of paper can be heard across a distance of 37 m in the whispering gallery. The gallery around the dome provides a fabulous view of the town. The architecture of this building is unique with the four minarets being the four staircases leading to the top dome. The beauty and excellence of this dome must be experienced at least once in a lifetime. Nearby the Nagar Khana, which resembles the Gol Gumbaz, is a museum. It houses some of the most exquisite Chinese porcelain, armoury, parchments, carpets, and paintings.

Constructed almost entirely out of a local dark brown stone the circular walled city of Bijapur rose with a citadel towards the center. Five gates, in the six-mile circular wall, allowed entrance within and a hundred bastions fortified it. A deep moat, filled with water brought from underground sources, skirted the walls. A range of buildings spanning varied architectural elements defined the landscape, the most famous being the Gol Gumbaz.