GolGumbaz

One of the monument sites in Karnataka, that was on a to-do list but I wasn’t fascinated about is what this blog is about.

Bijapur historically stands for the ruling of Adil shahis and this is chiefly symbolized by that one structure which defines Bijapur all by itself. Its enormous dome which is the biggest in Asia is visible from quite a distance and tells a traveler that that they have arrived in the city of Adil Shahis and the city which is the abode of Gol Gumbaz.

As we enter the gates, the only thing that catches all the attention is the Gumbaz which looks splendid when complimented by the lush green lawns. Marking the path to the monument are blushing Gulmohar trees and lovely yellow flowers.

Golgumbaz veiled by Nazar and Nagar Khana

To keep the curiosity on for the visitors, entrance to the monument is veiled by two structures; commoners refer to them as “Nazar Khana” and “Nagar Khana”. The interpretation of commoners is that Nazar Khana was constructed to keep away from people’s envy on directly looking at the spectacular structure, while Nagar Khana was used as a band stand to greet the Adil Shahis.

One has to cross the buildings, leave the footwear and enter the main hall. The acoustic of the place is such that early visitors in the morning can even hear their own footsteps. The main hall is huge with a center podium which houses cenotaphs of King Mohammed Adil Shahi and his family, the main cenotaph is marked by an elaborate wooden baldachin. The real tombs are located below in the basement and are accessed by a staircase under the western entrance.

center podium with cenotaphs

The history from the commoners elucidate is that the big tomb in the center of the hall belongs to the king himself, the other two smaller ones farther away were his grandkids, the one at the end was his queen, however the one adjacent to his was of his muse and mistress from Srilanka. We will come to more about this view of the story later, for now let’s explore the architectural splendor of Gol Gumbaz.

A flight of stairs takes us up to seven floors which opens to an alley that skirt the dome. This alley is called whispering gallery. The whispering gallery is architecturally designed such that every diagonal corner acts as whispering windows. So when a person speaks from one of the corners, the only person who is diagonally opposite will be able to hear the conversation.

Dome with diagonal acoustic system

Though the whispering gallery appear to be great in terms of architecture, the bigger attention monger is however the dome itself. This is the second largest dome in the world and comes after the dome of St Peters Basilica in the Vatican City. The dome is not supported by columns but by 8 intersecting arches created by two rotated squares create interlocking pendentives. The dome acts an integral part in maintaining the astounding acoustics of the place.  From each of the windows on the seventh floor, one can see the walls bordering the city of Bijapur which now though is in crumbled state still describes the expanse of the Shahi kings.

 

Now coming back to the curious case of the King Adil Shahi and his mistress. This is a story we heard from the locals and has no records in the history. The story goes like this.

GolGumbaz was initially constructed as a place where the King had his amusements through dance and music. There are small sections inside the walls which is said to house the musicians around the hall, the main stage which now houses the tombs was used as a stage for performances. The king had his place directly opposite to the entrance. The Gol Gumbaz was said to resonate with melodious music of court musicians, but what enhanced the magical experience was the performance of a Srilankan dancer who was also the kings muse. 

 

The king fancied her more than his own wife and would have secret conversations with her using the whispering alley. On one fateful day, the king in a jest questioned the love of this beloved, and whispered whether she would willingly give away her life for him. The dancer without even thinking twice is said to have jumped from the whispering alley through seven floors and hit the ground on the same stage which she ruled with her dance. Seeing her love towards him the King instructed that a tomb be created for her even though she was a hindu and be placed next to him, a place which his wife does not hold even in death.

Having witnessed the effect of sound and music inside, I can only imagine how amazing must have been those days when the performances were held.

A note to singers, if you really want to check how you sound without music and feel good about your singing visit this fabulous place early in the mornings, you will fall in love with your own voice just like I did.

The monument is open from 6Am in the mornings and is ideally the best time to visit the place to avoid all those people who would love to do a scream test rather than whisper sweet nothings.

The entrance fee to the monument is Rs 5 and there is an extra charge of Rs 25 for your cameras. You can reach the place through your own transport which can be parked inside the monuments ample parking space. For people not having their own transport you can take a shared rickshaw which charges around Rs 10 per person. There isn’t anything around for food, you can either carry your own packed food or have breakfast at Madhuvan down the same road. Make sure to have had enough food or carry water and juices in case you find difficulty in climbing the seven floors. There are benches on each floor where you can relax and enjoy the cool breeze.