Namaste!

I am back with more stories from Two Wheels Whirled :-)

After Hampi K and I took a ride to Bijapur :-)

After having such a result with our accommodation in Bijapur we set out to view the sights. We headed first to the Ibrahim Rauza, this being the tomb of Ibrahim Adil Shah 2nd (Circa 1580) who was renowned for his religious tolerance. Bijapur was part of the Bahmani Sultanate of which Ibrahim Adil Shah was one of it's kings. The dynasty saw it's end when Aurangzeb (known for his religious intolerance) conquered the city in 1686. The Ibrahim Rauza inspired the famous Taj Mahal (one of the great Wonders of the World in Agra), which was built for Shah Jahan's wife Mumtaz Mahal. In an interesting twist, Shah Jahan was the father of Aurangazeb.

We encountered some young boys who wanted to be our tour guides, who made up for their lack of English with much enthusiasm :-) They took us to the dark underground chambers and passages below the mausoleum where we were met with more bats - as is the custom of the great historical buildings of India. We walked the protective walls surrounding the tomb and enjoyed the beautiful gardens which were neatly pruned and which amplified the angularity of the structure and it's symmetry. We had to remove our shoes before entering the grounds (as is another custom in India) and the delicate and non-hardened soles of our baby soft feet didn't know what had hit them as we walked over sharp stones and brick. We saw the ornate workmanship to be found on the walls, including mazes, beautiful arabic script and delicate screens. It was an enjoyable experience and we were two of three foreigners there. We did get much attention and in the end we decided to move on to find the great Jami Masjid.

We were unlucky in finding the Jami Masjid this was due to a festival that was being celebrated within the surrounding streets. There was much dancing and clapping, people were covered in oil and paint, stall holders were selling sweets as well as cheap plastic toys and in general there was much merriment. We tried to weave our way through the streets and tight lanes but found ourselves coming to many dead ends due to the shear volume of people. We never did make it to the Jami Masjid but we did delight ourselves in riding two up through streets that we otherwise would not have seen :-) What intrigued me were the number of half collapsed dwellings that faced the streets, the rubble had been cleared away and people continued to live in the remains making do with what they had left. I wondered what had caused them to collapse, we concluded that it may have been flooding which could have made the foundations to become unstable and thus cause the walls to collapse. We saw painted cows, in Bijapur pink was the new black for cattle and horses :-) We saw cows completed covered in pink or those that just had their horns painted, horses would also have the lower part of their legs painted pink too. We also saw small squares which housed hand operated water pumps and were a gathering point for the small communities that surrounded them. Amazingly we were also lucky enough to witness a cart wheel being made. Wooden carts drawn by oxen, water buffalo or cows are quite commonplace. Their wheels have wooden spokes and rims, the rims are supported by a metal band that runs around their circumference and gives them added strength and longevity.

The next day we awoke early to go and see the Gol Gumbaz, this was the great tomb built for Mohammed Adil Shah the son of the former Ibrahim Adil Shah. We had read that it was best to get there early in order to beat the crowds. We had unfortunately been a little too keen and were up way before dawn, as a result we had to have a coffee and wait for the sun to awaken. We were not disappointed. K made me walk fast as we approached the tomb in order to beat a group of young school children that were looking to get there before us, as usual I was being appreciative but responded and quickened my pace :-) We had to remove our shoes, this was no hindrance as the group of children had to carry out the same procedure, there being many more of them this took some time. The curator also delayed them and told us to make our way very quickly up the winding stairs of the minarets to the whispering gallery in the dome. I think that I have already mentioned the enormity of the dome (approx 38 metres in diameter) it is the second largest unsupported dome as well as being the fifth largest dome in the world. K and I stood opposite one another on the circular balcony of the dome which is above the central chamber and whispered to one another. Despite being 38 metres away, the effect is that the sound travels around the perimeter and gives the impression that the person is standing right next to you. If you clap your hands the sound is echoed ten times, even the swishing of your jeans when you walk is repeated back to you. The acoustics were most amazing, truly stupendous. It is said that Mohammed Adil Shah and his wife would converse with one another by whispering in the dome. Respectfully I do not have any photos from within the mausoleum but do have some from the outside.

:-) :-)

We left the dome as the school party approached. We engaged in a brief conversation with a teacher who made us wait for the sister of the christian school to climb the stairs. On her arrival we said hello, exchanged the usual comments about where we came from and our names and then politley left them to make their noise in the whispering gallery. From outside the echoing sounds of forty chattering school children was quite loud and made us appreciate our hastiness to get there first. We looked out across Bijapur from the top of the building and watched the final part of the sunrise as the colours changed from the warm pink to orange. The streets were already beginning to fill with traffic and the call to morning prayer had long past. We could see the other dotted remnants of the Bahmani dynasty shining in the morning light and towering above the bustling city. We could also see the monstrosity of storage tanks for the Indian Oil company.

We did not see all the sights in Bijapur and could have stayed there for longer but we pressed on. Bijapur has been one of the most memorable experiences of the trip so far and I have been touched by the fine monuments that we had the pleasure to behold.

Until next time when I shall share stories of our experience of staying in a muslim hotel, our polluted ride into Gujarat state and the latest from Ahmedabad.......