Gullbarga, Bidar, Bijapur (English, Paperback, Philon Helen)

Helen Philon explains the wonders of the Islamic architecture in Gulbarga, Bidar and Bijapur in this book.

Summary of the Book

In northern Karnataka, one can still witness the past glory of the Bahmani and Adil Shahi sultans. Throughout the 14th to 17th centuries, these sultans used the wealth they garnered from the rewarding trade routes which crossed the Deccan Plateau to invest in great artisans from across the country. The sultans had an open policy on immigration, welcoming anyone who wished to come to them from across India, Middle East and Central Asia. The Bahmani sultans were replaced in part by the Adil Shahis at the turn of the 16th century , and the Mughal invasion of the Deccan Plateau put an end to their dynasty as well. However, the original architecture survives, a silent testament to the architectural prowess of men from across the subcontinent. Through the fortresses of Gulbarga and Bidar, Bijapur and Bidar’s grand audience halls and ornate residential apartments, the mosques and Sufi shrines in Gulbarga, and the unforgettably embellished royal tombs outside Bidar and Bijapur, these men speak about a time we have forgotten in the humdrum of today’s world.

About Helen Philon

Helen Philon is a Greek Islamic art historian. She completed her doctoral degree in Islamic Archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She studied the Bahmani architecture of the Deccan and is also the founder of the Islamic Department at the Museum Benaki Athens, Greece. She is currently the editor of Silent Splendour: Palaces of the Deccan.