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.

Am I not allowed to..... ?

It was a nice and bright first Wednesday of 2013 and I was all set to start my day on a high and positive note when my maid arrived. I was kind of unhappy with her for having skipped the last two days work. She came in and greeted my with the New Year wishes and then she did the most unexpected thing, she collapsed on the floor with tears in her eyes.

I was taken aback. I have never seen her crib for a single day and here she looked shattered and in tears today. She is a single mother of two girls and stays with her mother after the death of her husband. Her daughters are quite well brought up and well behaved. 

When inquired what happened I realized it was yet another story of women losing confidence in this society. Her first daughter is in her 10^th and my maid is very determined to give her good education even if it means losing a day’s meal. The incident that has shaken her ground concerns her daughter. A guy visited her house on the first day of the New Year to give her the news that he is in love with her daughter and wants to marry her and if rejected he has threatened to kidnap her.  What would happen to a mother if she is threatened that her daughter who is the sole reason for her living will be kidnapped if not handed over to a goon she hasn’t seen all her life. 

She now not knows what to do. The little girl is petrified beyond imagination. She doesn’t want to stay in her house, doesn’t want to study and wants to run away from the daunting situation. The mother is lost as well, she wants to educate her daughter, give her a life that she hasn’t got but now all dreams aspirations seems to be gone.

I am not worried, unhappy or sad but I am Frustrated. We call ourselves citizens of free and independent country, but where is independence and freedom for the women. I don’t want to drag the Delhi bus nightmare again but I have only one question to ask: Is our independence and freedom rationed just because we tick mark the female check box in an application form, just because our creator made us look the way we look.

In a country which is called mother land, every third male wants to strip the women of his country her dignity. What is wrong in this country that is depriving the women the respect, freedom, and a livable environment? Is it the law and order system, the education, the temptations or is this because of the lost self respect of men who are ready to stoop down to any level just to slake their immediate need.

The lady who is in this plight is worried to go to police as well, she is scared as to how they may treat her considering her situation and I understand her completely. How many of us are not apprehensive about going to a police station alone where there are more men whom we don’t know whether to trust or not. We are not even sure whether they would solve the problem or add to it. For that matter even I am not comfortable walking into a government run establishments. I don’t feel safe and secure not because I have read stories but been subjected to the “advantages” the men take there for simple lack of common sense and may be even space. I am not asking for chivalry here but some space and respect for a person who needs it. 

Many of the responsible men who run our country, industries have their counter arguments to the recent happenings saying it’s the women who provoke this. One esteemed lady who runs a state questioned the character of another lady, a mother who was subjected to assault in her state. Does this mean we us women don’t have the free will to do things that anyone else can do? 

Am I not allowed to walk into a police station to give complaint just because I may provoke the gentlemen there by just sitting across a desk? Am I not allowed to go to work because I am worried that someone may mistake my cheerfulness as a signal for them to approach me? Am I not allowed to have my share of fun by watching a movie at whatever time I am free? Am I not allowed to go to school and study because my male teacher might find me attractive and misuse his position? Am I not allowed to party because someone in the party will find me inviting? Am I not allowed to….. well there are a lot of things not just me but a lot of my sisters, mothers, daughters are not allowed to do because a man has a free will to assault her, strip her, eve tease her or even murder her dignity.

What is the mother’s mistake in dreaming big for her daughter? Should the girl leave her aspiration to study and become empowered woman just because an uneducated, unemployed goon likes her?

I may not be able to answer the little girl’s problem completely but my only request to all the female section of the society is to empower yourself so that we are brave enough to defend ourselves in case of emergencies. I request the parents with daughters and sisters to please send your little girls to learn self defense. It may help them some day, please instill confidence in them so that they are not helpless. 

If we could take a leaf from the solution UN found to reduce the number of abuse the UN peace keeping male soldiers did. UN introduced women to the blue helmet peace keepers’ role in Liberia.

In 2004, UN Peacekeepers in three African countries were accused of sexual misconduct. They gave local teenage girls food and money in exchange for sex. In 2005, 47 peacekeepers were accused of such misconduct in Liberia alone, a West African country of about 4 million, adjoining Ivory Coast.

Known as the "Blue Helmets", these women guarded the President office by day and patrolled crime-ridden areas by night. Their presence marked significant change. 

Trained in sophisticated weaponry and combat tactics amongst other skills, the Blue Helmets' foot patrolling by night reduced armed robbery by as much as 65 per cent.

Local women felt safer; children felt safer; and men who were not involved in crime, felt safer. For once, peacekeepers were not considered invaders, which is otherwise a typical response from local communities towards an armed foreign force.

Most importantly, local women felt encouraged to report sexual assault. They knew they would neither be dismissed nor further victimized were they to report rape or other violent crime to the women peacekeepers.

[courtesy: Vandana Kohli’s blog http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/vandanakohli/3381/64188/a-deterrent-to-rape-an-indian-example-abroad.html]

I am aware that many women may be able relate with this blog of mine but I have few cents for men and their families as well. Please teach and learn to respect women around you and not treat them as mere idols of pleasure. It may not be too long before we lose respect for men.