– Mohammed Atherulla Shariff
Vijayapura, July 5: In her maiden speech in Rajya Sabha, the daughter of Vijayapura district Sudha Murthy urged the government to get the world-famous Gol Gumbad of Vijayapura included in the world heritage list.
Even though Gol Gumbaz is one of the ancient and historic monuments built over 350 years ago, it failed to find a place on the UNESCO heritage site list.
The erstwhile Bijapur Sultanate, present-day Vijayapura district, was ruled over two centuries (from 1490 to 1686 by the Adil Shah dynasty, who built dozens of monuments during their era.
Sudha Murthy stated that around 42 historical monuments have been listed as World Heritage but there are still 57 historical monuments to get such a status though they are of much historical importance.
Wife of IT giant Narayan Murthy, Sudha Murthy hails from Savalgi village in Jamkhandi Taluq of Vijayapura district. She lamented in the upper house of the parliament that none of the elected members to the parliament from this constituency till now demanded Gol Gumbad to be considered a World Heritage.
People of the district are much delighted with her raising a voice in the parliament.
Gol Gumbaz is the most famous monument in Vijayapura. It is the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah (ruled 1627-1657). It is the second largest dome ever built, next in size only to St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City of Rome.
A particular attraction in this monument is the central chamber, where every sound is echoed seven times. Another attraction at the Gol Gumbaz is the Whispering Gallery, where even minute sounds can be heard 37 meters away.
Gol Gumbaz complex includes a mosque, a Naqqar Khana (a hall for the trumpeters) (now it is used as museum) and the ruins of guest houses. It is constructed in such a way that even a pin drop can be heard distinctly from across a space of 38 m, in the Whispering Gallery. The acoustics here are such that any sound made is said to be repeated 10 times over. In the surrounding ornamental gardens is an archeological museum. (With inputs from Daily Salar)
