Bijapur is located 530 km northwest of Bangalore. The city is about 550 km from Mumbai.Bijapur is sometimes referred to as the ‘’Agra of the South” because it was the capital of the Adil Shahi dynasty of powerful rulers that governed during (1490-1686),a period of great prosperity. Evidence of this today are the domed mausoleums, mosques, impressive civic buildings, and fortifications that still stand and recall this lost golden age. Today Bijapur is a provincial market town and apart from the vast Golgumbaz mausoleum that attracts day tourists it is for the most part a laidback and peaceful destination. The town centre has green spaces and lovely mosque courtyards. In the first week of February the town hosts an annual music Festival which attracts musicians from around India.
The city established in the 10th-11th centuries by the Chalukyas of Kalyani was referred as Vijayapura (City of victory). The city came under the influence of the Khilji Sultanate in Delhi in the late 13th century. In 1347, the area was conquered by the Bahmani Sultanate of Gulbarga. By this time, the city was being referred as Vijapur or Bijapur.
Bijapur had little in terms of natural defenses and therefore it has large fortified walls still in evidence today. They extend 10km around the town. The centre of the town is home to the citadel which contains the sultan’s apartments. The tombs of the Adil hadi rulers are scattered around the outskirts of the town. The important mosques are located to the southeast of the town.
The vast Golgumbaz mausoleum was built towards the end of the Adil Shadis dynasty. The tomb has the largest dome in the world after St Peter’s in Rome. Spiral staircases wind up four seven storey octagonal towers thus allowing access to the whispering gallery a passage that encircles the interior base of the dome.
Jama Masjid is located 1km southwest of the Golgumbaz mausoleum and it is widely regarded as one of the finest mosques in India. Mithari Mahal is located to the west of Jama Masjid and this is an incredible beautiful building. It has an ornate architecture with minarets crowning its corners.
The Ibrahim Rauza 1km to the west of the town is also a tomb complex that is not as large as the Golgumbaz mausoleum but incredible detailed with its fine stone craft. The carved laced windows are inscribed with elaborate Koranic inscriptions and they are the finest examples of their kind in India. The complex deserves the praise from its Persian architect describing it as “A beauty of which paradise stood amazed”