Gol Gumbaz: Where Whispers can be Heard

Pratiksha Hemasagar Sahu

Gol Gumbaz: Where Whispers can be Heard

Adil Shah built the tomb of Gol Gumbaz shortly after assuming the throne of the Bijapur Sultanate. Each of the tomb's four minarets has seven stories and staircases. These minarets offer a panoramic perspective of Bijapur.

Gol Gumbaz Source: Wikipedia

The design of the Gol Gumbaz is simple despite the monument's great scale. Each tower has seven floors and is shaped like a cube with a hemispherical dome above it on each side. Arcades delineate the levels of the towers, which are connected by staircases. Dark grey basalt and plaster decorations cover the walls. The cube's side walls are covered in three blind arches, each of which has three spandrels with medallion motifs. The centre arch of each side wall is surrounded by a stone screen with doors and windows. Building-protruding cornices that are held up by corbels. Rows of little arches that are themselves capped by big merlons are placed atop the cornices. The base of the mausoleum's dome is encircled by foliage, which conceals the connection between the dome and its drum.

Have you ever wondered how a dome could rest on a square base without any structural support in the mid-17th century? To find our answers let us take you on a journey of the Gol Gumbaz.

A 17th-century tomb called Gol Gumbaz is found in the city of Bijapur, Karnataka, India. Mohammad Adil Shah, the seventh sultan of the Adil Shahi dynasty, and some of his kin are buried there. The building was started in the middle of the 17th century but never finished. The mausoleum is distinguished by its size and extraordinarily massive dome.

Gol Gumbaz is a magnificent structure that Yaqut of Dabul constructed between 1626 and 1648. The creation of this tomb is a masterpiece of architecture. Taj Jahan Begum, Aroos Bibi, and Mohammed Adil Shah are all buried at this tomb. While the Sultan of Bijapur was in power, work on this monument began in 1626 because he desired a mausoleum to house his bones.

The Taj Mahal in Agra inspired the Deccan-Indo Islamic style used to construct the tomb. 'Black Taj Mahal' is another name for it. One of the largest single chamber spaces is found in the tomb. According to reports, it is the second-largest dome on Earth. The building's architect is still a mystery.

The Gol Gumbaz had the largest dome in the Islamic world at that time. It has an exterior diameter of almost 44 metres. The dome is made of bricks that are cemented with lime plaster. It has a flat area at its crown and six tiny apertures at its base. The base of the dome is a circle that is internally supported by pendentives that interlock and are made up of eight intersecting arches that rise from the interior hall. A gallery surrounds the dome's base and is reachable through the tower staircases. Since even the slightest sound from here may be heard throughout the dome due to sound bouncing off the dome, this area is referred to as the whispering gallery.

Gol Gumbaz is still regarded as one of that era's greatest architects. The monument, which is surrounded by stunning, verdant gardens, is not only the most popular tourist destination in Vijayapura but also draws tourists from all over the world.