Bijapur, Karnataka

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Bijapur ( Kannada: ಬಿಜಾಪುರ Bijāpura, Urdu: بیجاپور Bijapur ) or Vijayapura is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka with around 326,000 inhabitants ( 2011 census ). It is located in the north of Karnataka and is the administrative seat of the district of Bijapur. From 1490 to 1686 Bijapur was the capital of a kingdom of the same name, one of the five Deccan sultanates -.

Geography

Bijapur is located in the north of the state of Karnataka, near the border of the neighboring Federal State of Maharashtra, about 570 kilometers north of Bangalore and 460 kilometers southeast of Mumbai (Bombay). The city is located at an altitude of around 600 meters above sea level in the highlands of the Deccan. Bijapur is the administrative seat of the district of Bijapur.

The municipality of Bijapur ( Bijapur Municipality ) covers an area of ​​96 square kilometers. Bijapur consists of a walled old town and the surrounding new housing developments that follow, especially in the north, west and south. The old town on the map has the shape of an oval and measures in west-east direction approximately 3.2 kilometers in north-south direction 2.7 km. It is surrounded by a perfectly preserved 10 km long city wall, including trenches. In the center of the old town is the walled citadel also. The main traffic artery of the city is running in the east-west direction of Station Road.

History

Bijapur was the 10th/11th. Century, at the time of the Chalukya dynasty of Kalyani, as Vijayapura ( " City of Victory " ) was founded. Towards the end of the 13th century, the town was the first time under Islamic rulers, namely, the Khilji dynasty of the Sultanate of Delhi. 1347 she came to the Bahmani Sultanate, which broke away in that year from the Delhi Sultanate.

At the end of the 15th century, the Bahmani Sultanate fell into disrepair, so that Bijapur, Yusuf Adil Shah 1490 was declared independent. During his time as an independent Sultanate under the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur experienced a cultural flowering. Testify to this day the many magnificent buildings of this era. The independence ended in 1686 with the conquest by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

However, there were able the northern Indian rulers not again to adopt permanently walking in the Deccan. 1724 declared the Nizam of Hyderabad his domain independent. Bijapur remained until conquered by the Marathas in 1760 at Hyderabad.

With the final victory of the British over the Marathas 1818 Bijapur the British East India Company fell to. This allowed for the existence of a Maratha vassal state named Satara, the Bijapur was also assumed. 1848 Satara, however, was dissolved, and the city remained until 1947, the year of Indian independence, part of the British Bombay Presidency.

As part of the reorganization of states according to linguistic boundaries Bijapur in 1956 was assigned to the State of Mysore, which is called Karnataka since 1973.

On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the state in 2006, the Government of Karnataka decided after a suggestion of the writer UR Ananthamurthy to rename Bijapur in its original form of the name Vijayapura. Since the Indian central government to the name change has not yet been approved, the renaming process is not yet complete but.

Attractions

In Bijapur, there are numerous outstanding examples of Islamic architecture from the period of Adil Shahi dynasty. Nevertheless, tourism has so far pronounced rather weak. The reasons for this are arguably in the rather poor railway connection and the under-developed tourist infrastructure.

The Gol Gumbaz is one of the finest monuments of India. The huge dome - its dome was the time of construction spot with a diameter of 37 meters after the Pantheon, the Duomo in Florence and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, the fourth largest in the world - was in 1659 as a tomb for the two years before the late Sultan Mohammed Adil Shah built. Supported the 51 -meter-high dome of a rather simple, but impressive in its dimensions, square building, which in turn is limited at each corner of a seven-storey corner tower.

On a pedestal in the middle of the huge hall are the sarcophagi of the Sultan and some family members. The actual graves are located but in an underground grave chamber. Under the dome, the so-called " whispering gallery " in which a multiple echo can be heard running.

Located just outside the walled Old City building is the tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah II (r. 1580-1627 ), his wife and some other relatives. Substantially smaller than the Gol Gumbaz, it offers less by its proportions than by the fine decorations and elegant minarets.

Ali Adil Shah I (r. 1558-1580 ) had built this well-proportioned, but never completed mosque. Under Aurangzeb was indeed extended, but up until now missing two minarets. Nevertheless, it is one with its magnificent dome and the graceful shapes of the highlights of the architecture in Bijapur. 2250 believers find place in it.

The citadel of Bijapur is now mostly in ruins. Some interesting buildings are but survived, including the Sultan's Palace, built in 1561 Gagan Mahal. The older palace Sat Manzil, however, is only a ruin. Opposite him is a delicate, surrounded by gardens, water pavilion has received. In addition, rising inside the citadel two smaller mosques. The older Karimuddin Mosque probably dates from the early 14th century.

In the immediate vicinity of the citadel of Asar Mahal is built in 1646 as a court. There are two hairs of the Prophet Mohammed were stored temporarily. Worth seeing are the frescoes inside, which is not accessible for women.

On the west side of the walls contrasts with the huge cannon Malik -e- Maidan ( "Ruler of the Plains " ), one of the largest in the world. It is about 4.50 meters long and weighs 55 tons. The cannon was captured in the 17th century as a trophy of war in Ahmadnagar.

In Bijapur to find more, partly unfinished mausoleums. In a survey in the west of the old town is the tower UPRI Buruj from the 16th century, which provide a nice view of the city. Bijapurs city wall is completely intact; it has a circumference of ten kilometers and five historic city gates. The richly decorated Mihtar Mahal is also a goal, but is within the city walls and leads to a small mosque.