Ali Adil Shah II

Ali Adil Shah II (1657-1672)

On the death of Mohammed Adil Shah on 4th November, 1657, Ali Adil Shah II, a youth of eighteen, succeeded to the throne through the efforts of the Prime Minister Khan Muhammad and the Queen , Badi Sahiba, sister of Qutb Shah of Golkonda.

His accession signaled disasters to the Kingdom and his reign marked the first phase of the decline of the mighty Bijapur Kingdom.

Shah Jahan, anxious to annex Bijapur to his empire, found a pretext in the legitimacy of Alis parents. On Aurangzeb’s plea, Shah Jahan sanctioned the invasion of Bijapur and gave him a free hand to deal with the situation. This sanction of such a war was wholly unrighteous. Bijapur was not a vassal state of the Mughals; but an independent and equal ally of the Mughal Emperor, and the latter had no lawful right to confirm or question the succession at Bijapur. However, Aurangzeb, had to raise the siege and rush to the north for the war of succession to the Mughal throne.

With Muhammad’s death and Ali’s accession disorder had began in the Karnataka. The Nayaks tried to recover their former lands. (Bangalore the Capital of Karnataka was Bijapur’s administrative headquarter for controlling these feudatories by Kempegouda). On the other hand Shivaji increased the momentum of acquiring more and more Bijapur territory and carved an independent Maratha state, while his diplomacy prevented any Mughal Bijapur coalition against him.

At the court things were even worse. With the coming of a young and weak ruler, the party factions and struggle for supremacy was at its zenith. To aggravate the evil, Aurangzeb intrigued with Bijapur nobles and succeeded in winning over most of them.

Throughout his reign of sixteen years, Ali struggled desperately both against the Mughals and the Marathas. He thrice repulsed Mughal invasions. But when he died in 1672 the mighty and glorious Bijapur of Muhammad’s time was deprived of most of its important territorial possessions. With the expansion of Shivaji’s kingdom there was a corresponding shrinkage in the Bijapur territory.

Ali’s reign is marked by developments in Persian and Deccani literature and fine arts, and some good works of history were also produced under his patronage. He was buried in Ali Ka Rouza the world famous Bara Kaman in Bijapur.

References

* Wakiyate Mamlakate Bijapur by Basheeruddin Dehelvi.

* Tareekhe Farishta by Kasim Farishta

* External Relation of Bijapur Adil Shahis.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Adil_Shah_II

* http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/7229722

The Travel and Tourism Industry of India

The travel and tourism industry of India takes pride of being the fifth biggest in context of its long term growth in Indian economy and is anticipated to emerge as the second biggest global employer by the FY 2019.

The contribution of Indian travel and tourism industry to the nation's GDP is anticipated to attain USD 187.4bn by 2019 against the present USD 67.4bn, as per Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 conducted by World Economic Forum. The research has also revealed that the GDP expansion for Indian travel and tourism industry will witness an increase by 7.7 % every year up to the next ten to fifteen years. Moreover, the revenue generated from exports by global visitors and tourism products are likely to produce USD 51.3 billion by FY 2019 against the present USD 16.8 bn.

To benefit from the ever-expanding travel and tourism industry of India, many agents have established Tours and Travel Companies in India. These companies provide attractive tour packages to families, individuals, honeymoon couples, and others to different part of the world.

Source: National Tourism News 

Gol Gumbaz

Gol Gumbaz is the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah which was constructed in the 17th century by the seventh ruler of Adilshahi dynasty. Gol Gumbaz is situated at Bijapur in Karnataka. The place is 530 kilometers away from Bangalore, the capital city of Karnataka.

Gol Gumbaz is a fine piece of Islamic architectural style. The Gol Gumbaz  has a floor area of 1700 square meter, a height of 51 meter and diameter of 37 meters with 3 meter thick walls. The construction of this large tomb took around 20 years to complete.

Another significant feature of the Gol Gumbaz is its central dome which stands without the support of pillars. Also the central dome of Gol Gumbaz is the second largest dome in the world after the dome of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Gol Gumbaz has another amazing feature. Any sound at this place echoes for over eleven times. Moreover you can even hear the tick of a watch across a distance of 37 meter in the vast dome. You can enjoy the picturesque landscape of the region near Gol Gumbaz from its terrace which can be reached through the steps across the narrow passages.

Apart from the burial chambers of Mohammed Adil Shah, his two wives, his mistress Ramba, his daughter and grandson, the complex of Gol Gumbaz also houses a mosque, a Naqqar Khana, a gateway and a dharamshala. The building in front of the Gol Gumbaz has been turned into a museum that contains all the history about the royal past related to Adilshah dynasty who constructed Gol Gumbaz.