Ibrahim Rauza in Bijapur- a photo blog

Ibrahim Rauza was our last destination of Bijapur trip, the first two being Gol Gumbaz and Bara Kaman. 

It is a mausoleum complex built in 1627 A.D by Adil Shahi ruler Ibrahim Adil Shah II. It was built by a Persian architect Malik Sandal with obvious Turkish influence. I could draw various similarities between this and Qutub Shahi tombs back in Hyderabad. The tomb is built on a square platform with a mosque facing it. Both tomb and the mosque are separated by a small tank with a fountain. Here are some photographs from the visit:

First glimpse of Ibrahim Rauza from the main entrance...

A closer look...

The exteriors of Adil Shah's tomb...

Corridors around the mausoleum...

Persian Calligraphy and lattice work on and around the door...

View of the tomb from the mosque

The brilliant sun behind the mosque...

The cliched designs of Persian architecture...

Mosque as seen from the tomb complex...

Exteriors of the mosque...

A hanging from the ceiling...

Inside the mosque...pillars that form into beautiful arches and domes...

Adalaj Stepwell

Gujarat is home to numerous stepwells or 'Vav's (as called in local language); hiding in its treasure around 120 odd stepwells. It was a necessary system in the semi-arid/ arid areas like Gujarat and Rajasthan (Baoli as called in local language) during the olden times to manage the drought- prone areas. An interesting fact of these step wells is that the direct sunlight cannot penetrate the well thus it reducing the evaporation of water. At the same time, water also got filtered through the earth thus keeping it clean.
The 'Vavs' served two purposes in the earlier days- first, provided water for various activities during the summer months; second, provided shelter for travelers. In the present scenario, they provide innumerable opportunities to the seasoned eyes of artists and photographers to capture the beauty of architectural marvel of a bygone era.

View of the first storey...

Marvelous carvings on the pillars and columns

Another view

Located in the village of Adalaj near Gandhinagar, the stepwell of Adalaj is one such example of architectural marvel. It was one of our stopping places while visiting Ahmedabad, after Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar to be more specific.

Adalaj stepwell was built in 1498 in the memory of king Rana Veer Singh by his wife queen Rudabai.
The construction of the vav was started by the king Rana Veer Singh to provide relief for people of this semi-arid region. However, before it was completed he was killed in a war by a Muslim ruler called Mehmud Begada. Mehmud, eventually, fell in love with the widowed wife of King Rana- Queen Roopba (also called Ruda Bai) asked her to marry him. The queen agreed to marry him but on one condition- that the incomplete step well be completed. In the years that followed, Mehmud completed the step well but only to witness that the Queen had tricked him and drowned in the same step well after construction.

Complete view of the well

The stepwell is five- storied and was built using standstone in Solanki architectural style. It has varied Hindu and Jain floral and mythological motifs all over the walls. Among the motifs found, the Ami Khumbor (pot that contains water of life) and Kalpa Vriksh (tree of life) carved out of a single slab of stone are important ones. This richly ornamented Vav is in octagonal shape and the temperature inside the well remains 5-6 degrees lower than the outside ambient temperature.

Kalpavriksh carved on a single slab of stone...

Ami Khumbor

Intricate and breathtaking carvings on the walls

Carvings on exterior walls

Being a popular tourist destination because of its proximity to Akshardham temple, each nook and corner of the vav was packed with huge crowd in the early afternoon of October when we visited. The crowd had definitely made our enthusiasm go down as at least one group was present in all the corners of the well stopping us from taking a closer look at the beautiful motifs on the wall. I made every effort to keep them out of my camera frame. On a quiet day, one could wander around exploring the beauty of this architectural extravaganza