Day 159: 9 Mar ’22: All India Road Trip: Karnataka: Bijapur or Vijaypura
So far:
28 States, 5 Union Territories | Distance Covered: 25,408 km.
Start Date: 2nd Oct ‘21 | End Date: 13th Mar ‘22.
Days remaining in the All India Road Trip: 4
Previous stops: Aurangabad, Mumbai, Pune | Next stops: Badami, Hampi, Bengaluru.
Today we drove from Aurangabad to Bijapur. A long yet comfortable drive because of good roads. And with that we entered our home state, Karnataka.
Yay!!
While it was meant to be a stopover en route Badami, but Bijapur is more than just a stopover.
Gol Gumbaz in Aurangabad, is the most famous monument in Vijayapura. It is the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah (ruled 1627–1657). It is the second largest dome ever built, next in size only to St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. A particular attraction in this monument is the central chamber, where every sound is echoed seven times.
Its known as the Taj Mahal of South India. Unsupported by any pillars, the imposing structure has a height of 167 feet and a floor area of around 19000 feet. It has a massive dome, with a diameter of 124 feet.
The structure is an acoustic wonder as the whispering gallery can echo the faintest of whispers for a total of 11 times. Any sound at any point here is amplified 11 times to the diametrically opposite side.
At the centre of the dome are the cenotaphs of the royal family.
The dome finds it name from ‘gom gummata’, derived from ‘gol gombadh’, which means circular dome. It reflects the deccan style of architecture.
