The many wonders of Vijayapura

The glory of adil shahi

The city of Vijayapura, which is known for monuments of cultural and architectural significance, was an important city of the Deccan that rose to prominence during the reign of Adil Shahi rulers. For nearly 200 years, from the 15th century to 17th century, rulers of this dynasty contributed significantly to different fields like music, painting, literature, arts and architecture.

Their most remarkable contribution has been the construction of monumental structures in the form of forts, palaces, mausoleums and mosques. While Gol Gumbaz, Bara Kaman and Ibrahim Roza are the prominent structures among them, there are many significant but lesser-known structures that can be of interest to the visitors. Discovering the least visited sites of Vijayapura is best done on foot, and that is what I chose to do.

Steeped in history & heritage
The centre of the town is dominated by the ruins of the fort and palaces, many of which have turned into government offices today. The fort, which is in shambles now, was built by Yusuf Adil Shah. Being the son of a Sultan in Turkey, he escaped from being executed and reached Bidar to join the Sultanate. With his bravery and discipline, he earned the goodwill of the Bidar Sultanate and became the governor of Bijapur, thereby paving the way for the Adil Shahi dynasty. One of the earliest structures built by Yusuf Adil Shah, the fort encompassed the whole city in those days with fort walls extending to a few kilometers in length.

There were five prominent gates through which people could enter. Among the many structures here, Mehtar Mahal is a three-storeyed masterpiece of craftsmanship. The ornate designs on the outer walls, the niches supporting the windows and the two minarets are all decorated with finely-carved designs and figures of birds. The triple-arched entrance leads to a garden and a mosque, which is said to have been built by an
attendant, from the charities received. The fort was surrounded by a deep and wide moat with crocodiles, to prevent easy entry. However, the moat has now turned into a ditch and the dense overgrowth makes it difficult to access. The pillars and bastions look strong and formidable from far.

Walking around the fort, I came to a tall structure with intricately-designed windows. This is called Saat Manzil and is said to be built as the pleasure palace for the royalty. As the name suggests, it once had seven storeys of which only five remain now. Adjacent to the fort is a vast area with a well-maintained garden. At the southern end of it is another ruined structure called Gagan Mahal. Sometimes called the Sky Palace, it gets its name from the tall and wide open air arches.

The double-storeyed structure once served as the durbar hall. In the yesteryears, Gagan Mahal used to be the cynosure of all eyes where dignitaries and kings were received and entertained. Ali Adil Shah I, who allied with other Sultanates to overcome Vijayanagar empire at Talikota, built Gagan Mahal and a few other monuments using the fortunes brought from victory.

This was a place where royal pageantries were held and dignitaries received. The buildings have ruined now but the three arches in the front are intact. At present, the place is used as a venue for cultural programmes. The narrow lanes took me to an old mosque, the Jami Masjid. Though it is a half-done structure, the bays and arches are still fine with gilded Arab calligraphy in the niches. The dome is attractive and the courtyard is vast enough to accommodate more than 2,000 worshippers at a time.

Passing by the famed Gol Gumbaz I sauntered towards the west of the city to see a few more sights. Ibrahim Roza is a vast complex with an elegantly built mausoleum and a mosque. Ibrahim Adil Shah II, was the one who built these attractive monuments.

Though the mausoleum was intended for his wife, Taj Sultana, he died before her and was the first of his family to be buried there. Later, his wife, children and the architect of the structure were laid to rest there. The mosque facing the mausoleum is also equally appealing with symmetrical minarets and a fine dome with a petalled base. The monuments and minarets exhibiting Indo-saracenic architecture are impressive and it was even used as a model for Taj Mahal.

During the days of Adil Shahi rulers, the city was growing and witnessed a large influx of people. To ensure good water supply to the city, many bawdis or water tanks were built. Taj Bawdi is one such bawdi, built in honour of Taj Sultana. It is not just a water tank but an artistic marvel as can be seen from the well-designed walls and towers around it.
The entrance has an attractive archway with steps flanked by two tall octagonal towers with rest houses on top. Inside the bawdi, a row of arched rooms were built for the travellers to rest. But now, it is in a state of utter neglect and needs a facelift. Heading north, I came to a busy circle with a huge stone tower called Uppili Burz. Located in the middle of the town, the 80-foot tall watchtower was built by Hyder Khan during the regime of Ibrahim Adil Shah II. The stone tower has a flight of 70 steps to the top where two large cannons are placed. One can get a panoramic view of the surroundings from here.

The last of sights in Vijayapura was the huge cannon popularly called Malik-e-Maidan meaning the monarch of the field. The 55-tonne cannon with a 1.5 metre diameter looks colossal indeed. After defeating the ruler of Ahmednagar in a war, this trophy was brought to Vijayapura by the then ruler Muhammad Adil Shah.  The cannon was brought with the help of 10 elephants, 400 oxen and hundreds of soldiers. Decorated with lion motifs and artistic inscriptions, it is a masterpiece. Made of iron, copper and tin, the cannon sounds like a bell when tinkled.

As the long day came to an end, so did my venture of exploring the lesser-known but interesting monuments of yore.