An ode to the 'city of music'

A contemporary of Mughal Emperor Akbar, Ibrahim Adil Shah II, the king of Vijayapura, was an able administrator, artist, poet and a patron of art and architecture. He was in constant pursuit of knowledge and referred to his capital city Vijayapura (city of victory) as Vidyapura (city of knowledge and learning). A visiting seer bestowed upon him the title ‘Jagadguru Badshah’ as he was not only well-versed with philosophy, but also tried to bring about cultural harmony between the Shias and the Sunnis, and the Hindus and the Muslims through music and mysticism. He was a musician himself apart from being a composer and a patron of art and literature. He wrote the book Kitab-e-Navras in Dakhani language. The book is a collection of 59 poems and 17 couplets.

While he was responsible for the construction of magnificent mosques, his own mausoleum, Ibrahim Rauza, is an architectural marvel. During his regime, Vijayapura attracted musicians and dancers. In 1599, he decided to construct a twin city to his capital which would be dedicated exclusively to music and dance. The town came to be known as Nauraspur. It was planned to be a walled city like Vijayapura, but no traces of the wall survive today. There are many ruined monuments and some are inaccessible as they are covered by thorny shrubs. The largest is the Sangeet Mahal, which looks similar to the Gagan Mahal in Vijayapura. It must have been the palace and administrative centre. All other monuments are ruined beyond recognition, and sadly, no attempt to restore them has been made.

There are many stories about how the city got its unique name. One tale is that when the city was being laid out, a man brought a vessel full of wine and presented it to the king, who was so pleased with its delicious taste and fragrance that he exclaimed, “Today, I have had a new enjoyment” using the word naurasida, meaning newly obtained. It could also have been derived from the famous festival of the Adil Shahis — nauroz. Since the city was dedicated to music, many believe that it was named after the nine emotions (navarasa). Some historians say that Nauraspur takes its name from the Nauras cult of which Ibrahim was a member. The Nauras cult was a synthesis of the teachings of the Dattatreya saint Narasimha Sarawati and the Chishti saint Gesu Daraz.

Walking amidst the ruins, one can only imagine the secular environment Nauraspur provided to musicians and music enthusiasts. Nauraspur was destroyed in 1624 by Malik Ambar when the Adil Shahis were in war with the Nizam Shahis of Ahmednagar. Ironically, the ‘city of music’ is now cloaked of silence.