Bara Kaman Bijapur, Hauntingly Beautiful Arches
Have you seen crumbling arches? Arches those are silently crumbling, yet graceful? Bijapur in Karnataka has the remains of one such monument. In fact Bara Kaman is the incomplete mausoleum of Ali Adil Shah (1656 to 1686). (The word Kaman translates to arch in Hindi.)
Ali Adil Shah of the Adil Shahi dynasty wanted to build a mausoleum of unmatched quality of architecture. As per the plan twelve arches will be placed vertically as well as horizontally surrounding the tomb of Ali Adil Shah and his wife Chandi Bibi and his daughters. There are tombs of his mistresses too.
However due to unknown reason the work on the structure Bara Kaman Bijapur was left incomplete and only two arches were raised vertically. Some stories say that Adil Shah’s father Ibrahim Adil Shah got him killed as he was worried the mausoleum would excel in beauty the Gol Gumbaz he built. If it is true, it is a rare story of competition between father and son which spelt death for the son.
Fortunately some still exist. We could see the remains of seven arches of the twelve arches of Bara Kaman placed horizontally. They are linked like a chain. The entire structure is made of brown basaltic stone on a raised square platform with 215 feet (66m). Now they look more black than brown because of dead moss on the surface.
There is a garden in front of it well maintained by Archaeological Society of India (ASI).
The thought of visiting mausoleums gives me a very uneasy feeling. Add to that, the sight of structure of tombs dampens my spirits. And the profound mood continues a long time after the visit too. Yet, I toured. I was curious to see all that I learned in my history classes for real.
Bijapur (530 km northwest of Bangalore) is dotted with many such old historic mausoleums. The architecture there, though many of them are crumbling, is stunning. The stern elegance of the discolored monuments is in complete contrast to the colorful Rajasthan we visited a couple of months back. But then India is a country of many contrasts!
Bijapur Barakaman
Tickets: Bara Kaman in Bijapur is a free sight to see. No tickets are required.
Timings: Open on all days from 6 AM to 6 PM.
Location: The mausoleum is located behind the Traveler’s Bungalow at the station road in Bijapur.
Nearby sights – Interesting Historic Monuments of Bijapur
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(Updated post. First published on Jun 15, 2009.)
looks like an amazing place – and worth the discomfort you felt afterwards.
You also had a beautiful day for photography – I love shot 3 and how the arches contrast against the blue sky!!
great post.
wow! nice photo-stories you have written! pictures are excellent!
Interesting. Feels the photos have the value of culture in it.
Very informative post. This place sure looks like the one worth a visit… Thanks for sharing!
The contrasting colors are truly beautiful. The blue sky is a stunning backdrop to wonderful structures.
Lovely pictures and very good write-up.
Wow! These are awesome!!
Never heard of this monument. Thx for sharing info abt its architecture..
Such wonderful photos of some beautiful architecture.
beautiful pictures……
good work…..
Beautiful! You find so many exciting places to bring us to, Indrani. Thanks!
been here a long time ago when i was in college
I love those arches against the cool blue.
Indrani,
It is always fun to travel with you in your land. Thanks so much for taking us with you!
Wow, incredible world.
Is really incredibly fascinating
the architecture with the arches and I remember vaguely gothic style …
Beautiful series of photos, thanks!
🙂
Nice pictures.
I loved Bijapur. Wonderful place to visit during the cooler months.
Waiting for the Gol Gumbaz pic. It was larger than my imagination.
Nice post.
Such a pity these beautiful arches are decayingin front of our eyes. If the tops of the wall and arches were capped the whole could still be protected from further rapid damage.
Your photos are wonderful. I would enjoy visiting there.
Thanks for visiting, have a nice day.
First off wonderful post photography is lovely. Second I applaud your courage to face your fears and go experience this in light of your feelings….. great post.
The only mausoleum I was SO eager to see is the Taj Mahal 🙂
But seriously though, the crumbling arches idea is pretty cool actually, very interesting.
Thanks for the virtual tour. Your pictures are beautiful.
"Crumbling arches" is such a beautiful term, loved the term. Mausoleums fill me with gloom too, I am happy with forts and warriors. But lovely pictures and a great post. How do you manage to travel so frequently?
Mausoleum fascinate me; and these crumbling arches remind me of a mystery novel I read (Crumbling Wall)when I was eleven. I enjoyed viewing the pics! Thanks.
Attractive arches . Hope they stand the tide of time.
Those archways are beautiful.
Beautiful snaps against the blue background of sky. This is a amazing place with lot of history.
you have shared the sombreness through your pictures…
wonderful work!
you have shared the sombreness through your pictures…
wonderful work!
Wow these arches are beautiful. Your country is really rich in history.
Splendid architecture and attractive arches. This is a wonderful place which seems to be in another world.
Your country is really amazing, Indrani.
The arches are marvelous examples of old stonework. Too bad they are crumbling. But such is the way of unmaintained structures. When ever I visit ruins I get an old feeling, not always bad. Excellent post.
I love ruins for they offer a glimpse of what once stood there. Thanks for sharing your wonderful world.
Yes, these places can be very unsettling. And yet the architecture is amazing and creative.
So mysterious, so full of story. Beautiful.
Indian tradition and building: great your World.
Luiz Ramos
These are so beautiful. They remind me of ruins in Britain, different history, but you have a much more beautiful sky.
This looks like an amazing place to take pictures. I would love it. Your pictures look great.
cool pics and a thanks for the history lesson!
Fantastic post:)
Great architecture !!
It looks very special.
I think it is unique
with so many arches.
I would also not feel comfortable by mausoleums.
Why,
I do not know my feeling tells me that….
The arches are beautiful. Perhaps the effect of crumbling architecture adds to the mystique of a mausoleum. Great photos.
Crumbling or not ..those are beautiful !!
What I find incredible and aweinspiring, when visiting places like this… is the fact that I am walking in the footsteps of those that built these places, hundreds and sometimes 1000's of years ago. It's spiritual..
Great photos and information 🙂
Very beautiful and very unusual, it does remind me a bit of a Gothic cathedral
That looks to be a very interesting site Indrani. Thanks for showing us your world!
Sharon.
That's an interesting post and I love the arches.
Fantastic post as always, Indrani! Really fascinating and it is so interesting to see the differences in the aging of the structures you have shared with us. But then again I guess everything ages in different ways from buildings, to tombs, to people.
Have a great week!
What a very interesting location! Thanks for sharing the story behind it!
An interesting post. It seems there is a lot to see in your country.
The arches look like the lace on the end of a sleeve.
Interesting. Haven't seen before. Great photos of it.Thanks for sharing.
Now and Then
NICE PICTURES