Karnataka & Bengaluru - South India and Kerala - page 453

1659, and houses the tombs of emperor Mohammed Adil Shah (r 1627-56), his two
wives, his mistress (Rambha), one of his daughters and a grandson.
Octagonal seven-storey towers stand at each corner of the monument, which is capped
by an enormous dome. An astounding 38m in diameter, it's said to be the largest dome in
the world after St Peter's Basilica in Rome. Climb the steep, narrow stairs up one of the
towers to reach the 'whispering gallery' within the dome. An engineering marvel, its
acoustics are such that if you whisper into the wall, a person on the opposite side of the
gallery can hear you clearly. Unfortunately people like to test this out by hollering (its un-
nerving acoustics have the effect of a bad acid trip), so come early while most tourists are
still snoozing. Be sure to take the stairs down from the back exit.
Set in the lawns fronting the monument is a fantastic archaeological museum MAP
GOOGLE MAP (admission ?5; 10am-5pm Sat-Thu) , with an excellent collection of artefacts, such
as Persian carpets, china crockery, weapons, armours, scrolls and objects of daily use, dat-
ing back to Bijapur's heyday.

Ibrahim Rouza
(Indian/foreigner ?5/100, video ?25; 6am-6pm) The beautiful Ibrahim Rouza is among the most
elegant and finely proportioned Islamic monuments in India. Its tale is rather poignant: the
monument was built by emperor Ibrahim Adil Shah II (r 1580-1627) as a future mauso-
leum for his queen, Taj Sultana. Ironically, he died before her, and was thus the first per-
son to be rested there. Interred here with Ibrahim Adil Shah and his queen are his daugh-
ter, his two sons, and his mother, Haji Badi Sahiba.
Unlike the Golgumbaz, noted for its immense size, the emphasis here is on grace and
architectural finery. Its 24m-high minarets are said to have inspired those of the Taj Ma-
hal. For a tip (?150 is fine), caretakers can show you around the monument, including the
dark labyrinth around the catacomb where the actual graves are located.

MONUMENT

Citadel
MAP

FORT

GOOGLE MAP

Surrounded by fortified walls and a wide moat, the citadel once contained the
palaces, pleasure gardens and durbar (royal court) of the Adil Shahi kings. Now mainly in
ruins, the most impressive of the remaining fragments is the colossal archway of Gagan Ma-
hall. MAP GOOGLE MAP , built by Ali Adil Shah I around 1561 as a dual-purpose royal resid-
ency and durbar hall. The gates here are locked, but someone will be on hand to let you in.