Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur, Karnataka, India

 Gol Gumbaz

 In the midst of the small and dull town of Bijapur stands a magnificent monument that speaks in great volumes about the town’s past glory. I am talking about the glorious Gol Gumbaz.
 The most amazing part of this monument is its huge dome. The dome is 44 meters in diameter, which made it the second largest dome in the world when it was constructed. The largest being the Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence which is 45.5 meters in diameter. A bit of a disappointment as it missed the record for being the largest by a mere 1.5 meters. The Gol Gumbaz is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah the 7^th Sultan of the Bijapur Sultanate. Its construction was completed in the year 1656.
The town containing very few high rise buildings in a way adds to the glory of the Gol Gumbaz as it can be seen from almost anywhere, approximately 6 kilometers from the furthest that  I have seen it from. I recall that I did not even enter the city and I was able to see it from the interstate highway.  And then as soon as I entered I saw the cenotaph marking the grave below that lies in the center of the monument. Once inside there is a staircase that leads to the whispering gallery. I had a tough time climbing the stairs as it was too high and the uneven steps made it worse. But once they are climbed and you enter the whispering gallery and all that effort seems worth it.

Staircase leading to the whispering gallery

The whispering gallery

The specialty of the whispering gallery is that even the softest sound can be heard throughout the mausoleum due to the acoustics. Apparently any large sound used to echo 7 times back in the day, but presently I heard only a maximum of two echoes. Visitors were having a great time in the whispering gallery some were singing, screaming and some even clapping to enjoy the acoustics.
In the vicinity of the Gol Gumbaz stands an old mosque which is currently not in use which is constructed in a similar fashion to the other old mosques in Bijapur. The vicinity also houses the State Archeological Museum.

Mosque adjacent to the Gol Gumbaz

The Archaelogical Museum in the vicinity

The Gol Gumbaz also happens to be one of the biggest attractions in the Deccan region. And many tourists come to the city only to visit it. After visiting the monument I understand why tourists take the pain to visit this not so well accessible city.