Gol Gumbaz (or Gol Gumbad, Kannada: ಗೋಲ ಗುಮ್ಮಟ, Urdu: گول گمبد, from Persian گل گنبذ Gol Gonbadh meaning "rose dome", (a reference to the flower/rose/lotus petals that surround the dome at its base, making it appear as a budding rose)-- is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur. The tomb, located in Bijapur, Karnataka in southern India, was completed in 1656 by the architect Yaqut of Dabul. Although "impressively simple in design", it is the "structural triumph of Deccan architecture".[1]
The structure is composed of a cube, 47.5 metres (156 ft) on each side, capped by a dome 44 m (144 ft) in external diameter. "Eight intersecting arches created by two rotated squares that create interlocking pendentives" support the dome. At each of the four corners of the cube, is a dome-capped octagonal tower seven stories high with a staircase inside.[1] The upper floor of each opens on to a round gallery which surrounds the dome. Inside the mausoleum hall, is a square podium with steps on each side. In the middle of the podium, a cenotaph slab on the ground marks the actual grave below, "the only instance of this practice" in the architecture of the Adil Shahi Dynasty. In the middle of the west side, "a large half-octagonal bay" protrudes out.[1] With an area of 1,700 m2 (18,000 sq ft),[2] the mausoleum has one of the biggest single chamber spaces in the world.
Running around the inside of the dome is the "Whispering Gallery" where even the softest sound can be heard on the other side of the mausoleum due to the acoustics of the space.[2] It is said that the Sultan, Ibraheem Adil Shah and his Queen used to converse in the same manner. During his[who?] time, the musicians used to sing, seated in the whispering gallery so that the sound produced could reach every corner of the hall. In the hall below the whispering gallery, dancers provided entertainment. At a height of 33.22 m from the floor of the hall, projects a 3.25 m wide gallery, all round the inner periphery of the dome. This gallery is called the ‘Whispering Gallery’, because even the finest whisper or sound made in it is heard from side to side and even a single loud clap is distinctly echoed over ten times.
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Dome with intersecting arches from the inside
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Coordinates: 16°49′48″N 75°44′9″E / 16.83°N 75.73583°E / 16.83; 75.73583
