This week, The Musafir Stories speaks with Sahana Kulur, an educator, architect, traveler and blogger at http://www.vacaywork.com as she takes us to the erstwhile capital of the Adil Shahi sultanate - Bijapur!

Today's destination: Bijapur or Vijayapura, Karnataka

Nearest Airport: Goa International Airport (GOI)

Nearest Railway Station: Vijayapura/Bijapur Station (BJP)

Prerequisites - N/A

Packing - Good walking shoes, carry extra water as it can get hot during the day, sunglasses and caps/hats

Time of the year - September - Feb

Length of the itinerary: 2 days

Itinerary Highlights:

We start the conversation with a quick chat about the very diverse and interesting history and backstory of the Adil Shahi sultanate and its origins - on how a young prince from Turkey was sold to a merchant and eventually ended up in the Deccan region after growing up in Persia.
Set up by Yusuf Adil Shah, the Adil Shahi sultanate broke away from the Bahamani Sultanate after constant conflicts with the Vijayanagara empire. Bijapur served as the capital of the Adil Shahi sultanate.
The Gol Gumbaz is the most prominent landmark of the capital and is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah who ruled in the 17th century. It is also the second largest dome in the world without any reinforcement, second only to St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It is also the biggest domed structure in India and is currently on the tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites.
Sahana shares her experience of visiting the Gol Gumbaz at sunrise, the views from the terrace, the optical illusion and the famous whispering gallery.
Next up, we make a pitstop at Jama masjid, one of mosques in the vicinity with quaint architecture and interesting stories from the siege of Aurangazeb in 1686.
One of the other interesting monuments is the unfinished Baara Kaman or the 12 arches. It was kicked off by the son of Ali Adil Shah II, but was never completed as he was killed before its completion. It is believed that the construction was stopped by his father fearing that the structure could eclipse the Gol Gumbaz.
Another monument of interest is the Ibrahim Rouza built as a mausoleum for Ibrahim Adil Shah and his wife. It consists of a beautiful structure along with a mosque.
One of the more recent hindu structures of Bijapur or Vijaypura is the Shiva statue at the Shivagiri park. It is one of the largest Shiva statues in India and was inaugurated in 2006.
The other pit stops include a visit to the popular Khaanavali restaurants of North Karnataka that are prominent in the Jowar belt of the state. Sahana talks about Jowar rottis, brinjal curries as well as a variety of other mouth watering dishes from the state.
Finally we end the trip with a visit to the Shastri market for pulses and spices, one of the biggest markets in Bijapur and some of its popular offerings.
Some other monuments that could not be covered on the podcast include Asar Mahal, Gagan Mahal to name a few. For a detailed travel guide, please check out Sahana’s article on the blog - https://vacaywork.com/bijapur-travel-guide/