Walking Bijapur and the Gol Gumbaz (Notes from 2016)

Astonished at the sight of this engineering marvel with its subtle decorations. The whispering gallery is a draw for the crowd and the acoustics are phenomenal .

( From Wikimedia commons)

Walking around the big dome and checking out the numerous minarets and cornices , I had a bit of  throwback to the Duomo in Milan and its gargoyles and gothic architecture. When Adil Shah built this mausoleum did he anticipate a place of peace where the breath of homage would carry all the way through to eternity? The cacophony of whistles must keep them awake , twisting and turning in their marble coffins. It would appear it's the destiny of the magnificent to build greatness in life and suffer catcalls and whistles in the afterlife.

How desolate has the capital of the Adil Shahs become? Elegant minarets and buildings in disrepair . When a city falls from grace it does not end with a bang but a slow burn across centuries until it rests like a shadow with withered wings in the corner of history.