Haft Gumbaz

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Haft Gumbaz
Haft Gumbad.jpg
The tomb of Firuz Shah, the largest of the tombs. An unnamed tomb is also seen in the background.
Location Kalaburagi, Karnataka
Coordinates 17°20′31″N76°50′43″E / 17.34194°N 76.84528°E / 17.34194; 76.84528
Built14th and 15th centuries
Architectural style(s) Indo-Islamic architecture

The Haft Gumbaz, also spelt Haft Gumbad are a group of tombs of the Bahmani dynasty situated in Kalaburagi, in the Indian state of Karnataka. [1] [2] Built during the 14th and 15th centuries, the tombs are examples of early Indo-Islamic architecture. There are seven tombs in total, with four being tombs of the rulers of the Bahmani dynasty. The tomb complex is a monument of national importance, maintained by the Archeological Survey of India. [3] [4] The tomb complex is part of the "Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate", which is an ensemble of various structures added to the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. [5]

Contents

History

The tomb complex was built between the 14th and 15th centuries. [6] The capital shifted to Bidar in 1425, and the later Bahmani sultans are buried in the Bahmani tombs complex in Bidar. The tomb complex has been encroached by local businesses and institutions. [7] A social activist, K.M. Mujeebuddin, has filed an RTI query regarding the upkeep of the tombs. [2] [7] [8]

Architecture

The tombs are situated in a garden HAFT GUMBAD.jpeg
The tombs are situated in a garden

The architectural style is reminiscent of Tughlaq architecture. A unique feature seen only in the Haft Gumbaz is the double-chambered tomb, with one chamber for the king and the other for his family members. [9]

There are seven tombs in total, with four being Sultan's tombs. The tombs are situated in a garden.

Tomb of Mujahid Shah

This was the first tomb to be built. [9] It is a single-chambered square tomb, free of any elaborate embellishments. [10] It is on the West end of the tomb complex. [11]

Tomb of Daud Shah

It is a double-chambered tomb. [12]

Tomb of Shams al-Din and Ghiyath al-Din

The two tombs share the same basement. [11] [13]

Tomb of Firuz Shah Bahmani

The tomb of Firuz Shah Bahmani is the largest, and is considered the most important of the complex. [9] It is also a double-chambered tomb. The external and internal elevation is divided into two tiers, adorned by double-recessed arches. The arches of the upper tier have jali-style decorations. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalaburagi</span> City in Karnataka, India

Kalaburagi, formerly known as Gulbarga, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kalaburagi district and is the largest city in the region of North Karnataka (Kalyana-Karnataka). Kalaburagi is 568 km north of the state capital city of Bangalore. It was incorporated into the newly formed Mysore State through the States Reorganisation Act in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deccan sultanates</span> Former states in India

The Deccan sultanates were five late-medieval Indian kingdoms—on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range—that were ruled by Muslim dynasties: namely Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. The sultanates had become independent during the break-up of the Bahmani Sultanate. The five sultanates owed their existence to the declaration of independence of Ahmadnagar in 1490, followed by Bijapur and Berar in the same year. Golconda became independent in 1518, and Bidar in 1528.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bijapur</span> City in Karnataka, India

Bijapur, officially known as Vijayapura, is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural importance built during the rule of the Adil Shahi dynasty. It is also well known for the sports by the popular Karnataka premier league team as Bijapur Bulls. Bijapur is located 530 km (330 mi) northwest of the state capital Bangalore and about 550 km (340 mi) from Mumbai and 384 km (239 mi) west of the city of Hyderabad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gol Gumbaz</span> Mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur

Gol Gumbaz, also written Gol Gumbad, is a 17th-century mausoleum located in Bijapur, a city in Karnataka, India. It houses the remains of Mohammad Adil Shah, seventh sultan of the Adil Shahi dynasty, and some of his relatives. Begun in the mid-17th century, the structure never reached completion. The mausoleum is notable for its scale and exceptionally large dome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahmani Sultanate</span> Medieval kingdom in Southern India (c.1347–1527)

The Bahmani Sultanate was a Sunni Deccani Muslim empire that ruled the Deccan Plateau in South India. With its origins in North Indian immigrants identified as the Deccanis, and its patronization of an Indo-Persian culture, it was the first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan, and was known for its perpetual wars with its rival Vijayanagara, which would outlast the Sultanate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bidar</span> City in North Karnataka, India

Bidar (/biːd̪ər/) is a city in the north-eastern part of Karnataka state in India. It is the headquarters of Bidar district, which borders Maharashtra and Telangana. It is a rapidly urbanising city in the wider Bidar Metropolitan area. The city is well known for its many sites of architectural, historical and religious importance. Bidar City have a population of more than 2 lakh and are likely to get upgraded to municipal corporation in the next 5 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lodi Gardens</span> City park in New Delhi

Lodi Gardens is a city park situated in New Delhi, India. Spread over 90 acres (360,000 m2), it contains Mohammed Shah's Tomb, the Tomb of Sikandar Lodi, the Shisha Gumbad and the Bara Gumbad, architectural works of the 15th century by Lodis - who ruled parts of northern India and Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of modern-day Pakistan, from 1451 to 1526. The site is now protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalaburagi district</span> District of Karnataka in India

Kalaburagi district, formerly known as Gulbarga district, is one of the 31 districts of Karnataka state in southern India. Kalaburagi city is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district is the headquarters of Kalaburagi division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bidar Sultanate</span> Southern Indian kingdom (1492–1619)

Bidar sultanate was one of the Deccan sultanates of late medieval southern India. The sultanate emerged under the rule of Qasim Barid I in 1492 and leadership passed to his sons. Starting from the 1580s, a wave of successions occurred in the rulership of the dynasty which ended in 1609 under the last Sultan Amir Barid III who was eventually defeated in 1619 by the Bijapur sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah II. Bidar became annexed into the Bijapur Sultanate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bidar Fort</span> Fort in the Bidar, Karnataka, India

Bidar Fort is a fort located in old city area, Bidar, Karnataka, India. The fort, the city and the district are all affixed with the name Bidar. Sultan Ahmad Shah I of the Bahmanid dynasty shifted his capital from Gulbarga to Bidar in 1427 and built his fort along with a number of Islamic monuments. There are over 30 monuments inside Bidar fort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulbarga Fort</span>

The Gulbarga Fort is located in Kalaburagi in the Kalaburagi district of North Karnataka. It was subsequently significantly enlarged in 1347 by Al-ud-din Hasan Bahmani of the Bahmani Dynasty after he cut off his ties with the Delhi Sultanate; Islamic monuments such as mosques, palaces, tombs, and other structures were also built later within the refurbished fort. The Jama Masjid built later, within the fort, in 1367, is a unique structure built in Persian architectural style, fully enclosed, with elegant domes and arched columns, which is unlike any other mosque in India. It was built to commemorate the establishment of the dynastic rule of the Bahmani kingdom at Kalaburagi fort between 1327 and 1424. It remained the capital of the Bahmani Kingdom till 1424 where after the capital was shifted to Bidar Fort, as Bidar had better climatic conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bijapur Fort</span> Fort in Bijapur, India

The Bijapur Fort is located in the Bijapur city in Bijapur District of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bijapur fort has a plethora of historical monuments of architectural importance built during the rule of Adil Shahi dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Karnataka</span>

The antiquity of architecture of Karnataka can be traced to its southern Neolithic and early Iron Age, Having witnessed the architectural ideological and utilitarian transformation from shelter- ritual- religion. Here the nomenclature 'Architecture' is as old as c.2000 B.C.E. The upper or late Neolithic people in order to make their shelters, they constructed huts made of wattle and doab, that were buttressed by stone boulders, presumably having conical roof resting on the bamboo or wooden posts into red murram or paved granite chips as revealed in archaeological excavations in sites like Brhamagiri, Sanganakallu, Tekkalakota, Piklihal. Megaliths are the dominant archaeological evidence of the early Iron Age. There are more than 2000 early Iron Age burial sites on record, who laid the foundation for a high non-perishable architecture in the form of various distinct architectural styles of stone built burials, which are ritualistic in its character. The active religious architecture is evident 345 with that of the Kadamba Dynasty. Karnataka is a state in the southern part of India originally known as the State of Mysore. Over the centuries, architectural monuments within the region displayed a diversity of influences, often relaying much about the artistic trends of the rulers of twelve different dynasties. Its architecture ranges dramatically from majestic monolith, such as the Gomateshwara, to Hindu and Jain places of worship, ruins of ancient cities, mausoleums and palaces of different architectural hue. Mysore Kingdom (Wodeyar) rule has also given an architectural master structure in the St. Philomena's Church at Mysore which was completed in 1956, in addition to many Dravidian style architectural temples. Two of the monuments are listed under the UNESCO World Heritage List of 22 cultural monuments in India. Styles of Indo-Saracenic, Renaissance, Corinthian, Hindu, Indo-Greek and Indo-British style palaces were built in Mysore, the city of palaces. Sikh architecture at Bidar (1512) and also in Bangalore in 1956 can also be cited as having an impact on the architectural composition of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taj ud-Din Firuz Shah</span> Sultan of the Bahmani Sultanate

Taj ud-Din Firoz Shah, also known as Firoz Shah Bahmani, was the ruler of the Bahmani Sultanate from 16 November 1397 to 22 September 1422. Firuz Shah is considered an important ruler of the Bahamani Sultanate. He expanded his kingdom and even succeeded in conquering the Raichur Doab from Vijaynagara kingdoms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of the Deccan sultanates</span>

Deccani Architecture refers to the architectural styles developed during the Deccan sultanate period. The Deccan sultanates were five dynasties that ruled late medieval kingdoms, namely, Bijapur, Golkonda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar, and Berar in south-western India. The Deccan sultanates were located on the Deccan Plateau. Their architecture was a regional variant of Indo-Islamic architecture, heavily influenced by the styles of the Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal architecture, but sometimes also directly from Persia and Central Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Telangana</span>

The architecture of Telangana dates back over two thousand years. The Indian state of Telangana is in the Deccan plateau, bordering the coastal plain of Andhra Pradesh. It has produced regional variants of wider styles of Indian architecture, both in Hindu temple architecture and Indo-Islamic architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Hyderabad</span>

A distinct Indo-Islamic architecture style with local contribution is reflected in the historical buildings of Hyderabad, making it the first and "Best Heritage City of India" as of March 2012. The city houses many famous historical sites constructed during Qutb Shahi and Asaf Jahi period, including various mosques and palaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qutb Shahi architecture</span> Indo-Islamic architectural style

Qutb Shahi architecture is the distinct style of Indo-Islamic architecture developed during the reign of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, also known as the Golconda Sultanate.

Firozabad, officially known as Ferozabad, is a village in the Kalaburagi district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located on the banks of the Bhima river, about 30 km south of the district headquarters at Gulbarga.

Team YUVAA (Team of Youth United for Vigilance Awareness & Action) which has also been referred to as Team Yuva or Bidar YUVAA is a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Bidar, Karnataka, India and is led by Vinay Malge. Established in 2013, the organization is recognized for its remarkable contributions to the discovery, documentation, and preservation of ancient water bodies and water management systems in Karnataka. Their most notable works include the discovery of a 600-year-old well in the village of Hamilapur and the restoration of the 14th-century Naubad Karez water system. They have also been actively involved in rejuvenating old wells and lakes, in response to severe drought conditions in the region. They were awarded the Karnataka State Rajyotsava Prashasti for their social service in 2016. Apart from their environmental and heritage projects, Team YUVAA has also taken part in relief efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

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