0 Adil Shahi tombs at Gogi

December 24, 2012

It was about 1-30 PM when we arrived at Shahpur, the second largest town of Yadgiri district. Shahpur hill is much larger than the town itself. Our plan was to visit the fort but the timing was not right. We decided to skip it and plan another visit. We found a Lingayath Khanawali, had a hearty meal and made inquiries about Vanadurga. Our destination was 25 kms away and we had to go via Gogi village which is about 12 kms from Shahpur. Gogi is known for two things- Adil Shahi tombs and Uranium. We decided to stop at Gogi and visit the Shahi tombs.

According to reliable sources the first four 'Adil Shahi sultans of Bijapur had their tombs constructed in a necropolis at Gogi, while the next four each had his tomb constructed in the neighborhood of Bijapur itself- Gol Gumbaz, Ibrahim Rauza, and many others. Adil Shahi Sultans were known to patronize Sufi saints. Quoting few lines from the article 'Sufi Saints in Karnataka' authored by Prof. Maruti Kamble of Karnatak University, Dharwad- A reference to twenty-two famous Sufi saints of Bijapur during the Adil Shahi period are found. (1) Sayyid Chanda Husaini migrated from Arabia to Bidar in the late 15th century and joined the cavalry of King Yusuf Adil Khan and accompanied him to Gogi, seven miles from Shahapur of Gulbarga district. At present his tomb is located in Gogi. Do read the article, its quite interesting. BTW, Gogi is now part of Yadgiri district.

Here are few pictures:

Gateway to Dargah of Sayyid Chanda Husaini

Sayyid Chanda Husaini Dargah mosque

Mosque's minarets

Gateway to Adil Shahi tomb complex

Circular balcony

Inside of the necropolis gateway

Structure housing the royal tombs

A short video of Dargah and tomb complex:

About 5 or 6 kilometers on Gogi-Vanadurga road we saw this brick structure, it seems quite ancient, possibly constructed during Adil Shahi times.

...see you at Vanadurga.

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Detail: Adil Shahi tombs at Gogi

0 Hanamasagar fort & Abhinava Tirupati

November 24, 2012

It was noon when we arrive at Hanamasagar fort. This place is known more for Venkateshwara temple rather than the fort. Folks refer to the place as Abhinava Tirupathi. There are two ways to reach this fort from Hanamasagar town: one is by footpath and the other by road. This is the gateway to the fort (as seen from inside) and Venkateshwara temple is located within the walls of this fort.

That's the temple. The stone in the foreground is a grinding stone, I have no clue why its kept in the open here. In the inset is the top part of a small structure opposite the temple. This temple originally was a small structure, what we see is recent construction. The inset is a small structure opposite the temple, it is similar to minarets of Adil Shahi architecture.

A shelter has been made in the front yard for visitors' benefit.

The temple priest was about to lock the doors as we reached. We got a good Darshan of Lord Venkateshwara. Here's a board which states this place's history in brief.

Here's a rough translation: This temple has history dating back to the time of Bijapur Adil Shahi's rule i.e. about 400 years ago. Katapura was a small kingdom ruled by Shrimanta Timmappayya Desai who was a devotee of Lord Venkateshwara. Every year Desai would visit Tirumala temple (in present day Andhra Pradesh) without fail. During those days people going on pilgrimage would walk all the way. As Desai aged he found it difficult to carry out his annual pilgrimage to Tirumala. He was worried about not seeing his Lord's image. One night Desai had a dream in which his Lord orders him to visit Hanamasagar hill and look for a sleeping cow and an image of his feet. The Lord also commands Timmappayya Desai to worship his feet and not travel all the way to Tirumala. Timmappayya Desai along with family members finds a cow sleeping on a pair of feet as seen in his dream. Desai was happy to see his Lord's feet. He starts living on Hanamasagar hill spending his time in his Lord's service. Some time later, Desai begs to see the full image of his Lord because he's not satisfied by just worshiping his feet. As an answer to his prayers Lord Venkateshwara commands Timmappayya to search for his murthy on a washerman's stone at Kalabhavi village near Kushtagi town. As directed Deesai finds his Lord's image, brings it to Hanamasagar hill, installs it there and gives a name to the place as Abhinava Tirupathi. Later a small temple and a kitchen were constructed.

The priest locks the temple doors and off he goes. Malatesh and I go exploring. Hanamasagar Kote is a small fort and mostly in ruins. We walked along the walls on the north; as you see the walls have collapsed. Construction style is similar to forts of Gudur, Chikanal and Belur. We found a small dolmen close to the wall (see inset). It is a known fact that Hanamasagar hill is a prehistoric site. Some where close to this hill in the plain below is a prehistoric stone arrangement which I'm trying to locate for quite some time now.

Now we are outside the fort walls.

Malatesh checks out the surroundings.

Part of Hanamasagar town.

We are the tip of the hill, looking in the south-easterly direction.

That's the inner fort; rectangular in plan and comprising of four bastions, one at each corner. Close to where I was standing I saw a stone with an unusual texture.

Closer look at a well preserved bastion.

Another bastion as seen from the outside.

Efforts have been put in to restore some parts of the fort.

A short video-

We were hungry and the place was peaceful, we almost decided to have lunch here however, we decided to head towards Chandaalingeshwara temple near Bilagi.


Hanamasagar fort coordinates: 15°52'34"N   76°2'49"E

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Detail: Hanamasagar fort & Abhinava Tirupati

0 Black Kite at Bareed Shahi Park, Bidar

Jan 28, 2011

After lunch at a khanawali we decided to get some rest before proceeding to Gulburga. We stopped at Bared Shahi Park to stretch our legs and relax in under some tree. The park has four tombs of similar look and size. The building are relatively simple compared to Bahamani tombs of Ashtur.

Some how I wasn't in a mind to go walking around these buildings in the hot Sun. I had settled myself on a bench under an tree and looking up at the domes. Pigeons were fluttering about.

And then a kite entered the scene and sat majestically on the spike.

Magnificent bird.

I felt the kite was eyeing the pigeons.

After few minutes the kite started spreading out it's wings and stretched them out completely. I had never seen anything like this before. Hardly any breeze, everything was still. The kite sat motionless for minutes. I guessed it must be sunning the wings' underside. In fact it was facing the Sun.

Only the head turned from side to side. Rest of the body was still.

it must be after 5 to 6 minutes it slowly lowered it's wings ...very slowly.

I can't remember if the kite had left when we left the park.

We traveled to the historic city of Gulburga, to see some of it's famous monuments- Gulburga fort and Sharanabasavesvara temple and Khwaja Bande Nawaz Dargah.

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Detail: Black Kite at Bareed Shahi Park, Bidar

0 Malik-e-Maidan Tope, Bijapur

...tope = cannon


Next to Gol Gumbaz and Ibrahim Roza, Malik-e-Maidan Tope is the next major attraction in Bijapur. According to my guide Veeranna two such cannons, each weighing 50 tonnes, were made in present day Madhya Pradesh and brought here. One of the cannons got drowned in a river while crossing it.


The body is supposed to be an alloy of five metals and one specialty of this cannon is that it never heats up even in the worst of summers. The bore diameter is approximately 15 inches. Just try to imagine the power of the blast.


Art and engineering join hands to create this weapon. As you see here, an elephant is getting crushed in a lion's jaws. That's supposed to depicts the cannon's destructive power.


The lion face actually looks fierce. The eyes and whiskers add fierceness to the face. Notice the nostril and the ears. Very detailed. The cannon would flatten everything in front of it and leave an open field.


This cannon is installed on the western wall of Bijapur city to defend itself from Maratha onslaught.


In it's glory days the cannon was mounted on a swivel mechanism which allowed it to be turn 180 degrees. There were massive walls on the rear side which acted as locks to prevent the cannon being aimed at the city itself.


It seems the cannon generated extremely loud noise and heat. Only one soldier would remain near the cannon to light the fuse. Once the fuse is lit, that soldier would submerge himself in water to get shield from the cannon's noise and heat. The water pit (white square behind the 3 boys) can be seen in the picture below, now it's kept covered.


Here Veeranna explains the signalling method used those days. A clap close to the square in the wall could be heard 150 meters away at Upuli Burj, a stone tower which gives a commanding view of the entire city.


I forgot the story behind this Moon, Sun and the two lions...


Cannons, even though they are created to wreck havoc, never fail to fascinate me. If you are interested to see bigger ones you have to visit Bidar fort, they are probably the largest in Karnataka. Basavakalyan Fort also has a very interesting collection of cannons and in much better condition.

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Detail: Malik-e-Maidan Tope, Bijapur

0 Gol Gumbaz

One of my favorite monuments; Gol Gumbaz is also known as Gol Gummata. The building is an engineering marvel; seven floors high, an unsupported dome with diameter of 40 feet, constructed during an era which had not seen cement. The entire weight of the roof is borne by four massive walls of the structure. I bow to the engineers who designed it and the workers who built it.

My first visit was in 1996. Gulli and I reached Gol Gumbaz at 5-45 AM, place was deserted except for the guards and guides. Our guide told us who got it built, when and why. He told us stories behind it. We started off at ground floor where few royal tombs are hosed and went to the top floor, the whispering gallery better known as the echoing gallery. We could count seven echoes and hear even a whisper 40 feet away as though someone's whispering right into your ears. Gol Gumbaz was supposed to be a meeting hall. The king would hold meetings with important people like foreign diplomats in the whispering gallery so that anything the foreigners spoke among themselves would be heard clearly. I recollected all this during my second visit in October 2009 as my guide Ibrahim narrated. I still wish to visit Gol Gumbaz again.

When ever I spoke to anyone about historical places I would ask them if they had visited Gol Gombuz. If the answer was no, I would ask them to visit asap. One should never miss this wonder of India.

Here are a few pictures I shot during my second visit.





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Detail: Gol Gumbaz