Bijapur, the City of Victory

The Gol Gumbaz

 Bijapur is a city of historic importance in south India. It was built by the Kalyani Chalukyas in the 10th century, and named Vijayapura, or City of Victory. In the course of time, it was ruled by kings of various dynasties. The Adil Shahi dynasty of the 16th century added some beautiful buildings and gardens . The most famous monument in Bijapur is the Gol Gumbaz. (topmost picture) It is an enormous dome which houses the tombs of Mohammad Adil Shah and his queens. The dome is second in size to St.Peter's Basilica in Rome. The whispering gallery in the Gol Gumbaz attracts a lot of visitors. The accoustics are so amazing that if you whisper in one corner of the gallery, it is heard in the far corners too. The kings who were music lovers, liked to listen to singers here.

 Carvings on the door of the mosque at Ibrahim Rauza,

 The Ibrahim Rauza has two buildings, one a mausoleum and the other a mosque. The buildings are surrounded by a beautifully maintained garden. Many of the carvings in the buildings copy the carvings in Hindu temples.

My thanks to Mrs.Nesbitt and the team of ABCWednesday, where you can come across gorgeous pictures,great poetry and scintillating wit.

Yakshgana- the Song of the Demigods

The villages and towns in the coastal districts of Karnataka resound with the sound of drums every night during summer. It is Yakshagana season!
Yakshagana means the song of Yakshas. Yakshas were demigods according to Hindu mythology.Yakshagana is a folk theater of this region , where stories from the Indian epics are presented in a combination of dance, music, drama and poetry. The actors are dressed in special resplendent costumes with special headgears made of locally available material.
The lead singer called Bhagavata, renders poetry in  a powerful voice. the actors dance vigorously, and say their pieces, which are usually improvised.

This is my contribution to ABCWednesday, started by Mrs.Nesbitt and managed so well by her team.
The image is from Wikipedia.